First off, I want to thank the loyal readers who regularly grabbed two-start pitcher advice from this column throughout the season. As a reward for your consistent views, I will wrap things up by giving you … the worst two-start pitcher list of 2024!
It’s not my fault, and it’s not yours either.
The final week of the regular season is always a chaotic event. No team plays seven games this week and several squads have moved to a six-man rotation, which limits the number of two-start pitchers. And every pitcher on this week’s list is set to make his second start on the final day of the regular season, which means that it could easily be canceled for shortened. Fantasy baseball managers should target pitchers on teams who may have something to play for next weekend. They may also want to look at pitchers on teams who have been out of the race for a while, as they are likely to give a young starter a second outing this week.
Without further adieu, here is the best of a bad lot.
Two-Start Pitchers (listed in order of preference)
Mitch Spence, 7% (vs. TEX, @SEA)
You know we are in the last week of the season when a pitcher who many readers haven’t heard of is the top man on the list. But Spence has been respectable of late, posting a 2.70 ERA and a 22:7 K:BB ratio across his past five starts. The right-hander opens the week with a midlevel matchup against the Rangers before facing a low-scoring Seattle squad that has struck out more often than any other team.
Jack Kochanowicz, 4% (@CWS, vs. TEX)
Kochanowicz has a dismal 3.5 K/9 rate, and his fantasy ratios (4.56 ERA, 1.32 WHIP) are both poor marks. So, why is he ranked so high on this week’s list? One simple reason: his scheduled start against the White Sox on Tuesday. Kochanowicz tossed seven innings of one-run ball against Chicago in his most recent start, and he has an excellent chance to pick up a win against baseball’s worst team. His second matchup is an average one, especially with the Rangers playing without Corey Seager.
Eduardo Rodríguez, 36% (vs. SF, vs. SD)
Rodríguez hasn’t pitched well in eight starts since returning from the IL (5.09 ERA, 1.45 WHIP) but turned heads by striking out 11 batters at Coors Field last time out. The left-hander opens the week with a midlevel matchup against a Giants team that ranks 17th in runs scored before finishing…