Two-Start Pitchers For Fantasy Baseball: The Last One

Wow, how did this happen? I feel like I just published the first two-start pitchers for week one of the MLB season. Now, here we are approaching the final week. Regardless, if you are reading this, you are likely in contention to win your league. If that is the case, I want to wish you luck in the final week of your season.

The biggest concern with two-start pitchers this week is the potential for teams to change starts or rest starters to better line up with the postseason. With 16 teams making the postseason, and plenty of teams still in the picture, it remains unforeseen what teams will do with starting pitchers this week.

Despite the question marks surrounding some playoff pitchers, we must press on with the scheduled two-start pitchers for the week. Just be prepared and know that it is a possibility that some starters could be changed or moved around.

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Two-Start Pitchers Tier Description:

Must-Start: These pitchers are no doubters for the week. You should start most of these two-start pitchers every time they pitch.

Should-Start: Two-start pitchers in the should-start tier are good options for the week but may have some hesitations for different reasons.

Questionable: Two-start pitchers in this tier may be used for deeper leagues but should most likely sit.

Sit: Do not start these pitchers.

*Reminder that this article was published Friday morning; starters for the following week are subject to change.

The * beside player’s names indicates a left-handed pitcher. wRC+ listed are team splits against either right or left-handed pitching.

Two-Start Pitchers: The Final Week

Must-Start

• Germán Márquez is a borderline ace away from home. In 38 innings in Coors Field this year, Márquez has a 5.68 ERA. In 30.2 innings on the road, he owns a 2.64 ERA. For the final week, he gets two starts on the road at San Francisco and Arizona. Based on his home/road splits and the fact he gets road starts, Márquez is a pitcher I would feel comfortable starting next week.
• Zack Wheeler has quietly had a fantastic 2020 season. He currently owns a 2.62 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. He has cut his walk rate by over two percent from 2019, down to 3.9 percent. The most interesting thing about Wheeler is his strikeout rate, which has dropped nearly eight percent from 2019. It is hard to pinpoint a reason, as his swinging strike rate is higher than last season and his contact numbers are very similar. Regardless, Wheeler is getting the job down and rates well as a two-start pitcher with scheduled starts against Washington and Tampa Bay.

Should-Start

If you noticed, I have gone pretty conservative on players that I am suggesting starting. I know how crucial these starts are for your final week. If you are targeting wins, I could see starting more some fringe starters if you can afford the potential ratios blow up. Only five players are in the should start category, with most of the two-start pitchers being in the questionable or sit tier. There is one player I want to highlight in the should-start tier, and that is Keegan Akin.

• Keegan Akin has been a pleasant surprise this season. Outside of one blow-up start against the Yankees, Akin has been excellent! In that start, he allowed four earned runs in just 2/3 of an inning. Overall, Akin has a 3.38 ERA and a 31.3 percent strikeout rate. He is coming off a great start against the Braves, where he pitched five scoreless innings and struck out nine hitters in five innings. Akin draws two starts against Boston and Toronto. Boston has been hitting better of late, but these are two matchups I like for Akin.

Questionable

• Lance McCullers Jr. is coming off his best start of the season, where he pitched seven scoreless innings against the Rangers. He allowed two hits, allowed zero walks, and struck out eight batters. McCullers was dominant and had a 47 percent CSW rate. McCullers has two nice matchups with Seattle and Texas again. The concern for me is McCullers’s volatility throughout the season. If you feel comfortable, he is a nice risk/reward play this week. But during the final week, I am playing it safe.
• Kyle Gibson is another pitcher coming off a great start. Dueling against McCullers, Gibson pitched a complete game shut out against the Astros, striking out nine batters. The reality is, Gibson has not been good for most of the season. He gets two tough matchups against a hotter Angels team and solid Astros lineup. Again, I will lean on the conservative side and sit Gibson this week if you still roster him.

Sit

The pitchers in the sit tier of two-start pitchers should be avoided. Some offer some upside, but it is the final week of the season. If you are in contention, it is not worth taking the risk on any of these pitchers potentially blowing up your ratios.

I want to give a special shoutout to all my readers all season. Thank you for making my first season in the Fantasy Baseball industry a special one. The season may be drawing to an end, but I will still be pumping out Fantasy Baseball content all offseason. Feel free to follow me on Twitter @RotoClegg.

I also want to thank Roster Resource for making this weekly article possible. Their “MLB Schedule Grid” is an excellent feature that helped me form this article each week.

Be sure to check out Rhys White’s piece on “Jeimer Candelario.” Is he a player you can trust moving forward? Read the article to find out.

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