As always, probable pitchers are subject to change. For a look at all fantasy baseball streamers, click that link.
“Matt Moore is a bust,” fantasy expert Cocker Cockleysworth says. “He got lit up in Spring Training and his walks are way up. Great arm, bad command.”
“Now wait a second,” fantasy analyst Roger Dingleberry says. “This is the same Matt Moore who was an All-Star in 2013 and was so close to Cy Young he got himself a peep show. He went 17-4 with a 3.29 ERA and 143 Ks in 150 innings.”
And so the debate raged on all the way up through the 2014 fantasy draft, where owners got the gas face if they drafted Moore too high, while others were quite pleased to have him fall in their laps later than expected. The war of words kicked up a notch. It got heated. Someone got killed with a trident.
Well, that’s all settled now. In real life, Moore’s torn UCL – and probably Tommy John surgery – is a sad turn of events for a would-be ace. He’d be the 13th pitcher since Spring Training to go under the knife for the procedure, which is only six less than all of last year. In fantasy life, it’s not great news for his owners, unless you have him in a keeper’s league. Of the 179 dudes who’ve had it, 83 percent made it back to the bigs.
In fact, Moore’s injury might not be that bad for owners in regular old leagues – I bet they kind of feel off the hook now. I know I do.
Plus you have the exciting task of finding a replacement. Maybe he’s in this week’s list of two-start pitchers!
Must Start
Yordano Ventura (@HOU, MIN), Gerrit Cole (@CIN, MIL), Masahiro Tanaka (CHC, @TB)
Feel the heat, pushing you to decide. Feel the heat. Burning you up, ready or not. Some like it hot, and those who do must start Ventura and Cole for their pair of starts this week. Yordi (he likes it when I call him that) is a no-brainer: Astros in Houston? Minny at home? Yummy! Cole blew away 10 Cubs on Thursday and reportedly wasn’t even sharp. His match-ups aren’t as easy but you have to have this guy on the mound whenever it’s his turn.
First Tier
Jordan Zimmermann (@MIA , STL), Stephen Strasburg (@MIA, STL), Anibal Sanchez (CLE, LAA), Shelby Miller (@MIL, @WAS)
All four are very capable of having great weeks, but so far in 2014 there is not much statistical evidence to back this up. With Strasburg having a weird 2013, Zimmerman became the Nats ace, winning 19 games. Fantasy anal-cysts came up with all kinds of reasons why: Increased ground ball rate, decreased walk rate, improved ability to induce pop-ups. How about this: He’s a good pitcher who had to pitch better and did. Same thing will start to happen this week, as he gets a solid matchip in Miami and what I see as a nut-up-or-shut-up game at home against the Cards. Similar situation for Strasburg, who could get his third double-digit strikeout game of the season against the Fish.
Second Tier
Jake Peavy (@CWS, BAL), Cliff Lee (ATL, @COL), Matt Garza (STL, @PIT), Chris Archer (@BAL, NYY), Jesse Chavez (@LAA, HOU), Marco Estrada (STL, @PIT), Homer Bailey (PIT, @CHC), Zack Wheeler (@ARZ, ATL), Ervin Santana (@PHI, @NYM), Zach McAllister (@DET, TOR), David Hale (@PHI), @NYM), Robbie Erlin (COL, SF)
Yup, The Adverb is in the Second Tier. He oughta be thankful that he made it this high. He hasn’t been great in any of his starts, and the matchups (Braves get homer happy at Senior Citizens Bank Park; Denver is Denver) are just plain nasty. Archer was totes post-hype to the fantasy world in Spring Training, but to the Rays he was just plain hype so they gave him a big ol’ contract extension. While Ventura got the oohs in their April 8 duel, Archer got the aahs. Oh and while Chavez could stumble against the Angels, I would definitely wheel (it’s our word for streaming in Delaware) him against the Astros at home.
Third Tier
Brandon Morrow (@MIN, @CLE), Bronson Arroyo (NYM, @LAD), Lance Lynn (@MIL, @WAS) , Jake Odorizzi (@BAL, NYY), Juan Nicasio (@SD, PHI), Roenis Elias (@TEX, @MIA), Eric Stults (COL, SF), Josh Beckett (@SF, ARZ), Phil Hughes (TOR, @KC), Wandy Rodriguez (@CIN, MIL), Jordan Lyles (@SD, PHI), Tim Lincecum (LAD, @SD), Robbie Ross (SEA, CWS), Wei-Yin Chen (TB, @BOS), Colby Lewis (SEA, CWS), Chris Young (@TEX, @MIA)
We see hard-luck losers all the time. A guy goes eight strong but doesn’t come away with a W because his team didn’t hit. Lance Lynn is a good-luck winner. He won 18 games in 2012 and 15 in 2013 with an ERA close to 4.00. This year he has a bulging (not in a good way) 6.55 ERA and he’s 2-0. He’ll need more of that luck in Milwaukee and Washington, and I’m not really feeling it. The Mariners have a plethora of tantalizing young arms in their rotation (Erasmo Ramirez, James Paxton) and at least one on the way up (the returning Taijuan Walker). Lefty Roenis Elias is another guy in the mix, but dates in Homer Heaven (aka Globe Life Stadium in Arlington) and Miami, where Marcell Ozuna and Giancarlo Stanton will be hacking away at the young guy’s stuff, have me a little scared. Lewis and Young are two guys coming back from injury, so like a box of chocolates you don’t know what you gonna get. Could be one of those assy pink ones that people eat half of and put back in there. What’s the deal with that?
Don’t Start
Lucas Harrell (KC, @OAK), Brad Hand (WAS, SEA), Erik Johnson (BOS, @TEX), Hector Santiago (OAK, @DET), Roberto Hernandez (ATL, @COL)
You can call him Roberto Hernandez, or you can call him Fausto Carmona. Just don’t call on him to pitch for your fantasy squad this week. Also: With Jacob Turner hitting the DL, the Marlins talked to the Hand and told him he’d get a pair of starts next week against two tough opponents. That tells me to tell you to stay away.
