This marks my first MLB article of the season! I’m so excited to be back and talking about baseball after what was a stressful offseason! After a few slow days to start the year, we have all 30 teams in action for this Saturday slate. That means there’s plenty to choose from, so let’s go ahead and get started with our favorite pitchers!
Sunday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
Saturday’s Starting Pitcher Strategy
This is the first full slate of the season! That means we have 30 pitchers to pick between but not many top-billed aces. Most of those guys pitched on Thursday and Friday but getting the number two and three arms in the rotation is nothing to complain about. That leaves us with more volatile options, but all of these guys are in fantastic spots!
This marks my first MLB article of the season! I’m so excited to be back and talking about baseball after what was a stressful offseason! After a few slow days to start the year, we have all 30 teams in action for this Saturday slate. That means there’s plenty to choose from, so let’s go ahead and get started with our favorite pitchers!
Sunday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
Saturday’s Starting Pitcher Strategy
This is the first full slate of the season! That means we have 30 pitchers to pick between but not many top-billed aces. Most of those guys pitched on Thursday and Friday but getting the number two and three arms in the rotation is nothing to complain about. That leaves us with more volatile options, but all of these guys are in fantastic spots!
Cash Game Recommendations:
Kevin Gausman (TOR) vs. TEX
Gausman broke out last season with a 2.81 ERA and 1.04 WHIP, striking out 227 batters across 192 innings. That’s the guy we’ve been waiting to see for nearly a decade, and it earned him a top contract for one of the most talented teams in baseball. We’re not so sure he’ll duplicate those absurd numbers, but it should be attainable here. Gausman faces a Texas team that ranked 28th in xwOBA and dead-last in OPS last season. He also enters this game as a -250 favorite as well!
Joe Musgrove (SD) at ARI
Arizona has one of the worst lineups in baseball. They ranked 29th in xwOBA and 25th in runs scored last season and might have gotten worse this year. That’s bad news against a guy like Musgrove, with the right-hander registering a 3.18 ERA and 1.09 WHIP last season.
Carlos Rodon (SF) vs. MIA
It seemed like nobody wanted this guy in the offseason, and it’s hard to understand why. The former top pick finished last year with a 2.37 ERA and 0.96 WHIP, striking out 185 batters across 132.2 innings. That’s truly absurd, and it’s scary to think that he moved to a pitcher-friendly ballpark. Facing Miami might be the best part of this, though, with the Marlins ranked dead-last in xwOBA last season.
GPP Recommendations:
Brandon Woodruff (MIL) at CHC
The Cubs are going to be a target for us all season. They sat 26th in xwOBA last season and continue to rebuild their roster. In five starts against the Cubbies last season, Woodruff pitched to a 0.64 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 10.6 K/9 rate. That’s why Chicago is only projected for 3.5 runs, entering this matchup as a massive underdog against one of the best pitchers in baseball.
Drew Rasmussen (TB) vs BAL
This is our riskiest play of the day, but this is a tremendous value. Rasmussen had a 2.11 ERA and 0.99 WHIP after the second week of April last season, doing that damage across 72.2 innings. That alone makes him tough to fade in this price range, especially against a Baltimore team that ranked 23rd in OPS and 25th in xwOBA last season. We also don’t mind that he enters this matchup as a -250 favorite as well.
Top Lineup Stacks
Los Angeles Dodgers (vs. German Marquez)
Not much needs to be said here. The best lineup in baseball gets to hit in the best environment in baseball. German Marquez is the best Rockies pitcher, but he still had a 6.75 ERA, and 2.75 WHIP in two home starts against LA last season. That’s no surprise when you see German’s 4.91 ERA and 1.36 WHIP at home dating back to 2019 and consider that Coors Field is the most friendly ballpark for hitters.
New York Yankees (vs. Nick Pivetta)
We all know that the Yankees have one of the best lineups in baseball, and they always seem to do well in a hitter’s haven like Fenway Park. That’s terrible news for a struggling Nick Pivetta, with the right-hander registering a 5.16 ERA and 1.39 WHIP for his career. That’s why the Bronx Bombers are projected for more than five runs in this tasty spot.
St. Louis Cardinals (vs. Mitch Keller)
The Cardinals dropped nine runs in their home opener, and they look like a rebuilt offense. What makes them so intriguing here is a matchup with Mitch Keller. The Pirates right-hander has never found it at this level, pitching to a 6.02 ERA and 1.73 WHIP across 170 MLB innings. That’s a huge sample size of putrid play, and it doesn’t look like it’ll get any easier against this formidable Cards lineup that dropped a nine-spot in the opener.
Core Studs
- Guererro was the top player in fantasy last season, and he’s quite simply one of the best bats in baseball. That’s scary since he has the platoon advantage against Martin Perez, who has a 4.71 ERA and 1.48 WHIP for his career.
- Many people might not realize this, but O’Neill was one of the best players in fantasy last season. He had 34 homers and 15 steals, kicking off the 2022 season with a dinger and five RBI. That success should continue against a gas can like Keller.
- Ramirez might be the best power-speed player in the league. He’s regularly a threat for a 40-25 season, and we adore him against Brad Keller‘s 5.39 ERA and 1.66 WHIP from last season.
- If we love the Dodgers, we have to love their best hitters. Muncy is undoubtedly one of those, flirting with a 1.200 OPS at Coors Field for his career. He’s also much better against righties and is one of the safest bets to get on base multiple times.
Value Plays/Punts
- Choi is always a great punt play against righties. He always bats first, fourth or fifth in these circumstances, accruing a .372 OBP and .846 OPS against right-handers since 2019. Facing Jordan Lyles and his 5.21 ERA and 1.43 career WHIP makes him even more enticing.
- Carlson hasn’t done a whole lot at this level, but he was raking in Spring Training. That earned him the leadoff spot in this potent Cards lineup, and we love that he hits from the left side against a crappy righty like Keller.
- Gallo has some of the best raw power in baseball. He’s one of the only Yanks that hits from the left side, with Gallo flirting with a .250 ISO against righties for his career.
- Hoskins has had his way with lefties throughout his career. In fact, Rhys has registered a .421 OBP and .997 OPS against them since 2019. That’s rough news for Cole Irvin, who’s in for a rude awakening moving from a spacious park like Oakland Coliseum into Citizens Bank Park here.
Saturday’s Hitter Strategy
You can go pretty much any route you choose. We’re still waiting to get a better read on how these lineups will play out, but we love a few of them. The teams we want to target are the Dodgers, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Padres, Reds, Guardians, Yankees, and Rays. There should be plenty of value between those teams, with all eight clubs looking at majestic matchups against pitiful pitching.
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
