Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers: Week 19
Let’s face it…it’s football season. This is week 1 of the NFL preseason, and games start in earnest in a month. As it is, the NFL has taken over as America’s No.1 sport and has an iron grip on Fantasy Sports as much as I wish it wasn’t the case. And I realize that as we enter the middle of August, most of you who play Fantasy Baseball are already looking at your NFL Draft Cheat Sheets.
But, for those of you still chasing a Fantasy Baseball Championship and needing some viable two-start pitchers who may still be available, I have three for you.
RHP Nick Martinez, San Diego Padres
In his last three starts, Martinez is 1-0 and hasn’t given up an earned run over 13 innings, while striking out 10 batters. And overall, his ratios are fantastic, sporting a 1.24 WHIP and 3.55 ERA. Amazingly, he’s only owned in about 20% of leagues.
RHP Clarke Schmidt, New York Yankees
Schmidt has won two of his last three starts for the Yankees and has filled in admirably for a pretty beat-up rotation throughout the year. He’s made 23 starts and has an 8-6 record while striking out nearly a batter per inning. He has a sub-1.30 WHIP and an ERA in the low 4s. He has a tough matchup on Monday going up against the Braves, but at this time of year, chances are sometimes needed.
RHP Brady Singer, Kansas City Royals
Speaking of taking chances…last week I said that at this time of year, I like to take pitchers on teams that are in the playoff race. The Royals are not. However, there is another type of pitcher I like to consider, the pitcher who has something to prove for next season. Singer qualifies there.
He has three more years of eligibility with the Royals and is entering his age-27 season. He is still pitching for his dinner and hasn’t made “real” money yet. He’s making $2.95M this season and will be at least looking for a bump in the $5-$6M range, but realistically a long-term deal that buys out his arbitration years with a couple added on the back end. He needs to perform well for that to be an option.
He’s .500 on the year which is borderline amazing. He does have an elevated ERA of 5.05 but has pitched much better as of late. In his last three starts, he’s 2-0 with a 2.29 ERA, striking out 18 batters in 19 innings. I like him as a sneaky play this week, and I really like him for 2024.
