Can we believe that it is already May? It must be true as baseball is in its sixth week already. How are everyone’s fantasy teams doing throughout the land? There are probably many managers needing some help, especially with the pitching staff. No need for concern as this fantasy baseball week six starters edition is ready to help.

 As always, discussion and debate are strongly encouraged. As a reminder, ownership percentages are provided by ESPN.

Starting Pitcher Add One

Zach Eflin, Tampa Bay Rays, 39.1% Owned

Without question, the pitcher with the easiest route to success in the first five weeks of the season has to be Zach Eflin. His first four starts were against Detroit, Oakland and then back-to-back starts against the woeful White Sox. However, his last start was against the first place Pirates (who could have imagined that statement being true at any time this season).

However, Pittsburgh was no challenge for Eflin, as he pitched a three-hit shutout over seven innings, striking out ten and walking none. Seemingly, it doesn’t matter who the opponent is as Eflin has dominated his 2023 starts. Eflin has had double digit fantasy totals in all but one start. In 28 innings, Eflin has demonstrated razor sharp control, as his base-on-balls total stands at three. Meanwhile, Eflin has struck out 31. Further, he owns a 2.25 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP.

In his next trip to the mound, Eflin will face the Orioles in Baltimore. The Orioles are currently sixth in all of baseball in hitting, OPS and slugging and fourth in OBP. Obviously, they are the toughest test of the year for Eflin. Even so, he has pitched so well to this point that if available, he is a worthy week six addition to any fantasy roster.

Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals, 4.2% Owned

While Eflin faces Baltimore, Zack Greinke moves from pitching against the Orioles to facing the White Sox. While Chicago isn’t the complete train wreck that they were just last weekend, their offense remains weak by any definition. They rank 23rd in batting, 27th in OBP, 24th in slugging and 26th in OPS. Often, the opponent is as important, or even more important in fantasy, than how someone is pitching.

Certainly, that is the case here as Greinke has been maddeningly inconsistent. No question about it, he was blown off the field by the Twins April 27th, allowing a season-high seven earned runs. However, in his last start, Greinke came back strong against Baltimore, shutting them out on three hits with no walks over five innings. Because of that performance, Greinke won his first game of the season.

Clearly, his season stats are nothing to get excited about (1-4, 5.25 ERA, 1.31 WHIP). The team behind him can’t hit or defend (24th in both categories). It’s not all bad news, though. His SO% is up and his BB% is down from a year ago. His BAbip is nearly identical. It is safe to say that he could use a little better luck. Additionally, Greinke faces the White Sox at home, which is where he shut down the Orioles.

There is a better than fair chance that Eflin is not available on the waiver wire. If that is the case, taking a chance on Greinke is a move worth making on this fantasy baseball week six starters edition.

Tanner Bibee, Cleveland Guardians, 17% Owned

Even with this past week’s sweeping of the Mets, the Detroit Tiger offense is terrible. In fact, it ranks last in the majors in batting average and OPS, 29th in OBP and 28th in slugging. The youngster lined up to start against them on Monday is Tanner Bibee, who has exactly one major league win to his credit. That victory came against none other than the vaunted New York Yankees, on the road no less.

Bibee limited the Yankees to two runs on four hits in 5.1 innings. Further, he didn’t walk a batter while striking out five. That was Bibee’s second major league start. His first came against Colorado. In that game, he was just as dominant, giving up one earned on six hits in 5.2 innings. In 11 total innings, Bibee has struck out 13, while walking none. That, my friends, is the definition of shut down baseball.

Best of all, Bibee’s performance in the minors shows his pitching is no fluke. Before being called up, Bibee was 2-0 with a 1.76 ERA and a 1.043 WHIP in 15.1 innings. His 11.2 and 11.3 SO% over the past two years clearly show he can maintain or even improve his 10.6 in the majors. Bibee was ace-like at every minor league level. There is no reason to believe he can’t keep it up at the majors.

As mentioned at the top, Bibee faces the Tigers next. He is all set to get his fantasy manager’s week six matchup off to a great start. The recommendation on this fantasy baseball week six starters edition is: make the move before anyone else in the league gets him first.

Wade Miley, Milwaukee Brewers, 27.5% Owned

Lastly, it is nearly a requirement that this article include Wade Miley. It seems that fantasy managers have largely forgotten Miley exists, but that is a huge mistake. He has pitched about as well as any other pitcher and certainly better than anyone picked off the waiver wire. After six starts covering 35 innings, Miley has a 2-1 win-loss record with a 2.31 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP.

About the only negative that can be said about Miley is that he is not a strikeout machine, as he has just 21. However, he is also not a pitcher that issues massive amounts of base on balls. Miley has six walks on the year, and three of those came in one start. In his other starts, Miley has kept base runners to a minimum.

The clearest example of that is Miley’s last start, which came in Colorado. Everyone knows that pitching in that high altitude is never easy. Miley had no issues with it, however. In six innings, he held the Rockies to just three runs on six hits and two walks. Prior to that, Miley allowed a total of three earned runs across three starts covering 19 innings.

Milwaukee has struggled of late, but that isn’t Miley’s fault. He does have a tough battle this week with the Dodgers at home looming on Wednesday. If he is available, don’t let that stop you from picking him up. Miley has made himself pretty much matchup proof this season. Fantasy managers have to figure that sooner or later. Don’t wait for others to see the light. Go get him today.

The Final Word

Thank you for joining me for this fantasy baseball week six starters edition! As always, I welcome any and all suggestions, comments and input from my readers. Let’s discuss! Follow me on twitter @kevin62wilsea. Please feel free to share this article. Be sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy for all the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL happenings and the latest sports news! The Sports Stove Fantasy Baseball Show goes live every Sunday at 8 pm eastern. Make sure to tune in!