Two-start pitchers are a foundational building block of fantasy baseball, especially in leagues where rosters lock on Monday, or in formats where you have a limited number of weekly player adds.
Unfortunately, projecting two-start pitchers can also be a little wonky at this time of the year. Not only are there a surplus of off-days built into the MLB schedule in March and April, but weather in the northeast and midwest can prove to be a massive issue.
Still, we’ll try our best to sort through the mess. Here are the pitchers you should be picking up off the waiver wire and streaming for Week 2 of the fantasy baseball season.
Best Two-Start Pitchers for Week 2
Cody Ponce, Blue Jays | Yahoo! Own: 51% | vs. COL, at CWS
It’s fair to say that Ponce is a little bit of a mystery, yet I’d counter that uncertainty is the only thing keeping the right-hander’s ownership in a reasonable area. There’s a good chance you pick up Ponce prior to his start against the Rockies on Monday and never let him go.
The 31-year-old’s path to Toronto has been highly publicized. Ponce is a former second-round pick of the Brewers who struggled in his 20 appearances in the majors. He then went to Japan for three seasons, where he was decent. However, Ponce’s story truly begins in Korea in 2025. The RHP added a kick change and, along with an increase in fastball velocity, Ponce suddenly became a monster. Over 180.2 innings, Ponce pitched to a 1.89 ERA with a 36.2% strikeout rate.
It’s unclear just how much that success will carry over to MLB, but Ponce looked great in Spring Training and it’s hard to imagine a softer schedule to open his return to North America than the Rockies outside of Coors and the White Sox. I’d call this a high risk and high reward scenario, yet I honestly don’t believe there’s that much risk.
Ryan Weathers, Yankees | Yahoo! Own: 28% | at SEA, vs. MIA
Much like Ponce, this is a situation where one good start could shift Weathers’ ownership substantially. I mean, it usually doesn’t take much when you’re a Yankee, let alone a left-handed Yankee that can touch 100 mph with your fastball.
The knock on Weathers has long been sustainability. The southpaw has pitched parts of five seasons in MLB, but he’s never thrown more innings than the 94.2 he managed in his rookie campaign with the Padres in 2021. Still, Weathers has been solid when available the past two years in Miami, maintaining a 3.74 ERA and holding opponents to a .308 wOBA. The strikeout rate is never quite as high as you expect it to be, and there’s been some home run issues, yet there’s simply a lot of raw talent and ability here for pitching coach Matt Blake to mold. Health is also less of an issue when you only need Weathers to survive two starts — not a whole 162-game season.
In terms of matchups, the former seventh-overall pick will draw the Mariners in Seattle and the Marlins. I doubt I’ll have to sell anyone on the second-half of that schedule, but a date with the Mariners is a little daunting. On the plus side, the tilt is at T-Mobile Park, which was tied for the best pitcher’s park in MLB last year, according to Baseball Savant’s Park Factors.
Kyle Harrison, Brewers | Yahoo! Own: 24% | vs. TB, at KC
Here we are again. Hoping for a Kyle Harrison breakout.
I don’t want to make things too simplistic, but there are certain organizations I trust to develop young pitchers and get the most out of their abilities. Maybe the one I trust the most is the Brewers. Like, it feels like we’re living inside a baseball-centric Groundhog Day. Milwaukee just keeps getting post-hype pitching projects and immediately turns their careers around. Does Quinn Priester ring a bell for anyone else?
Harrison’s pitched 194.2 innings at the MLB level between the Giants and the Red Sox. He’s got a 4.39 ERA and he’s struck out 191. To me, he already possesses an exceedingly high floor. He’s a major league quality starter. We know this. The value in fantasy comes from the upside potential. Remember, Harrison was once the top left-handed pitching prospect in all of baseball and he’s still only 24-years-old. As it pertains specifically to the coming seven days, the Rays’ lineup lacks pop and Kauffman Stadium has long been a pitcher-friendly environment. These matchups are a solid B+ for a two-start pitcher so widely available on the waiver wire.
