Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Don't Overlook Solid Single-Start Options

Earlier in the week, I posted this tweet:

My sense is there are some who are too aggressive with two-start pitchers, and some who are too hesitant. To be honest, I fall into the former category and often end up crushing my ratios. The question one needs to pose when setting a pitching lineup is, "Does this two-start guy have a good chance of wins and strikeouts?"

If I had practiced what I just preached, I would have avoided some disasters, since the answer (too often) would have been "NO!". I was looking to add strikeouts, hoping wins will follow. The thing is, if the wins weren't likely to dovetail, the ratios were likely poor. Intrinsic to the notion of a potential win is reasonable ratios.

As the tweet mentions, in lieu of a risky double-dipper, single-start guys or middle relievers can buffer ratios and, who knows, maybe fall into a win now and again. The ratio support should make it safer to be more reckless in August and September when the standings dictate chasing wins.

Here is your weekly reminder that I pull the schedule from the Probable Pitching grid, so please direct rotation questions in that direction. As always, I'm happy to address specific rankings below.

Please visit again Sunday night for the weekly refresh.

UPDATED: Sunday April 15, 11:50 PM ET

Week of April 17 - 23

Mixed

American League

National League