Fantasy Baseball Two-Star Pitchers: Week 16
As the season has progressed, the amount of serviceable and available pitchers has gotten smaller and smaller. The main reason for this is simple; as pitchers prove to be worthwhile, teams tend to hold on to them. The result of this is there are fewer and fewer viable two-start pitchers to choose from.
That’s not the case this upcoming week. There are a solid half a dozen starters who will likely be available in your league:
RHP Colin Rea, Milwaukee Brewers
Rea has proven to be an extremely serviceable pitcher for the Brewers this season. In 16 starts he’s 5-4 with a 1.21 WHIP and 4.64 ERA. He’s facing off on Monday against the Reds in what has unexpectedly become a very big series. The Reds have been struggling on offense lately, so this feels like a solid matchup for the big righty.
RHP Brandon Bielak, Houston Astros
Bielak has two tough opponents this week, going up against the Rays and Rangers, but he has proven fairly resilient. He’s 5-5 in 11 starts, with a 3.46 ERA and slightly elevated 1.40 WHIP. In his last three starts, he’s only given up two earned runs in 17.2 innings.
LHP Christopher Sanchez, Philadelphia Phillies
In seven starts, Sanchez is still waiting for his first win. He’s 0-3 but has pitched far better than his record. He’s given up less than a hit per inning with only six walks in 35.1 innings. His WHIP is only 1.05 and he has a very respectable 3.06 ERA. He does have a tough matchup on Monday vs. the suddenly first-place Orioles, but he is worthy of a pickup. He’s still available in about 75% of leagues.
LHP Logan Taylor Allen, Cleveland Guardians
Amazingly, Taylor-Allen is still available in about half leagues, but he is. He’s 4-2 in 13 starts and is striking out over a batter per inning, (71 Ks in 67.1 innings). Although his command is a bit spotty, with 25 walks, he has an impressive 3.21 ERA. And he has a favorable matchup on Monday against the Royals.
RHP Kenta Maeda, Minnesota Twins
People tend to be cautious with pitchers coming off the IL, and that is the case for Maeda. He’s still available in 35% of leagues and he shouldn’t be. Since he’s been back he’s been rock solid. Since his return, in six starts he’s 2-1 with a 1.03 WHIP and 2.75 ERA, with 27 Ks in 26.1 innings.
RHP Dean Kremer, Baltimore Orioles
You can still find him available in about 25% of leagues. And for a guy with 10 wins on the year, that’s a bit high. The only reason he’s not owned in more leagues is most likely due to his elevated ERA of 4.80. But after five starts he was sitting with a 6.67 ERA and has taken the whole season for people to believe in him. And it seems that just as they have bought in, he’s started to struggle again. He gave up five earned runs in his last start, and seven earned runs three starts before that. He’s extremely streaky and if you can catch him in a good streak you’ll do well with him. He does have a tough Phillies team vying for a playoff spot.
Out of these six starters, you’ll at least have a few options to help you this week.