Memorial Day is this Monday, which means the unofficial start of summer is here. And with summer comes the everlasting truth that some members of your league will stop paying attention. Whether it’s because they think they’re out of contention or because they start focusing on football, it practically seems inevitable. Which means summer is also a great time for owners to claw their way back into things, seeing as there are fewer people searching the waiver wire to find bargains and streamers. If you’re still one of those, then putting in the work can help pay dividends by the time Labor Day rolls around.
To determine the pitchers eligible for consideration, I looked at players who were owned in less than 30 percent of ESPN leagues.
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Monday, May 28
Marco Gonzales (SEA) vs. Texas Rangers (5.9%)
It’s still tough for me to understand why Gonzales isn’t owned in more leagues, but a two-start week might help change that. His 4.05 ERA isn’t great, admittedly, but his 3.22 FIP and 3.20 xFIP tell a different story, one that paints him in a much better light. Not to mention, he’s coming off consecutive scoreless starts in which he’s allowed a combined seven hits, so he’s rolling and gets to face off against a weak division rival Rangers team. Prior to Thursday, the Rangers struck out in 26.9 percent of their plate appearances against lefties, which was third highest in the league, and their 90 wRC+ against lefties was eighth lowest.
Tuesday, May 29
Kyle Gibson (MIN) @ Kansas City Royals (24.4%)
Another two-start pitcher, and another guy I’m picking almost regardless of who he’s pitching against. Gibson owns an almost-identical 4.02 ERA as Gonzales’, and while his peripherals aren’t as impressive (3.75 FIP, 4.02 xFIP), he does have the strikeouts that Gonzales doesn’t. Gibson strikes out over 24 percent of batters that he faces, and he’s shown it with a double-digit strikeout game already to his name this season. The Royals, unfortunately for Gibson, don’t strike out much, so while he probably won’t match that season-high, he should have no problem limiting runs against an offense that had just an 87 wRC+ against righties going into Thursday.
Wednesday, May 30
Ross Stripling (LAD) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (12.0%)
Stripling’s season numbers are impressive on their own-2.08 ERA, 2.32 FIP, 27.8 strikeout rate-but what’s perhaps more impressive is that he’s been able to keep up that level of performance after moving to the rotation. His last three appearances have been starts, and he’s been stellar-15 1/3 innings pitched allowing just three runs and striking out 21. He’s also gone deeper into the game in each successive start, making it six innings his last time out. If he can do that against the Phillies, he’ll likely be in good position for another win, as they struck out third-most often against righties going into Thursday and were below average offensively with a 95 wRC+.
Thursday, May 31
Jordan Lyles (SD) vs. Miami Marlins (12.8%)
It’s unlikely we’ll see anything close to resembling Lyles’ incredible start from mid-May again this season, but that doesn’t mean he can’t provide value as a pitching streamer. For the season, admittedly mostly as a reliever, Lyles owns a 3.11 ERA, while his FIP and xFIP of 3.87 and 4.11 are still respectable. Here, though, it’s all about the matchup. Lyles will face off against the Marlins, whose 76 wRC+ against righties heading into Thursday was third worst in baseball. They were also striking out 10th most often against righties, so if we ever were going to see a repeat performance, this would be the game.
Friday, June 1
Trevor Cahill (OAK) @ Kansas City Royals (19.1%)
I’ve already written about the Royals in Gibson’s blurb, so I’ll take this opportunity to inform you about the season that Cahill is having, in case you weren’t aware. His 2.75 FIP is sterling, as is his 2.93 xFIP. But that’s not all (cue Billy Mays). He strikes out over a quarter of the batters he faces, something only 37 of the 142 pitchers with at least 30 innings pitched can claim. Of course, the real question is whether he can keep this up, seeing as he has a career 4.11 ERA and 16.7 percent strikeout rate as a starter. Everything this year points to his success continuing, though.
Saturday, June 2
Caleb Smith (MIA) @ Arizona Diamondbacks (22.2%)
Smith is another pitcher whose quality makes him an option every time he takes the mound, regardless of who he’s facing. His first matchup of the week against the Padres is better than this one, but I was trying to break my streak of selecting a pitcher twice in a week (turns out I failed in that regard anyway). Smith’s 3.83 ERA isn’t great, but he’s actually struck out over 30 percent of the batters he’s faced this year, making Cahill’s numbers look pedestrian. Going into Thursday, the Diamondbacks were a top-10 offense against lefties (104 wRC+), but their 26.4 percent strikeout rate was fourth highest. Even if he allows a few runs, expect Smith to approach double digit strikeouts.
Sunday, June 3
Kyle Gibson (MIN) vs. Cleveland Indians (24.4%)
As alluded to, it turns out I once again have failed to select seven unique pitchers for this column. This, though, was less about either Gibson’s talent or his opponent’s quality; rather, this was more about the selection-or lack thereof-of players predicted to start on Sunday. That’s not to say the other factors are working against him. I’ve already gone over Gibson’s talent, and the Indians, a .500 team, are not the offensive juggernaut they used to be. Before Thursday’s games, the Indians had a 95 wRC+ against righties, 11th lowest in the league, and their 23.9 percent strikeout rate was 10th lowest. While some other starter for Sunday’s slate of games may be announced in the coming days, Gibson is the best option at the moment.
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Brian Reiff is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Brian, check out his archive and follow him @briansreiff.
