I’ve been really pleased with the results from our streamers this season. It’s not easy to get these guys right, but hitting on one or two streamers every week can be the difference in any matchup. As someone who plays in mostly head-to-head leagues, I can’t tell you how valuable streamers have been for me. Even if the results don’t always hit, it’s still a fun aspect of fantasy. Call me a degenerate, but there’s always something exciting about needing some production from a random guy whom you just picked up. It’s like gambling with less risk of losing your house and children. With that in mind, let’s look at the matchups for this week and then dive into those streamers!
Favorable Team Matchups
7 Games
Athletics (vs. PIT, vs. LAA)
Los Angeles Angels (at ARI, at ATH)
6 Games
Arizona Diamondbacks (vs. LAA, vs. MIN)
Chicago Cubs (vs. COL, vs. TOR)
Colorado Rockies (at CHC, vs. PIT)
Detroit Tigers (at HOU, vs. CWS)
Los Angeles Dodgers (vs. TB, vs. BAL)
New York Yankees (vs. CWS, vs. CIN)
Philadelphia Phillies (vs. MIA, vs. NYM)
Pittsburgh Pirates (at ATH, at COL)
Pitching Streamers
Merrill Kelly, ARI (vs. LAA)
Kelly has been a reliable option in fantasy over recent years, but he’s been relegated to one of our streamers because of a slow start. Fantasy managers pushed him to most waiver wires after he had a 9.95 ERA through four starts, but he’s revived his prior form recently. He’s allowed three runs or fewer in six of his last seven starts, sporting a 3.57 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in that span. That’s what we saw from this veteran in the past, posting a 3.87 career ERA and 1.21 WHIP. That’s consistency at its finest, and his lack of strikeout stuff shouldn’t be an issue against LA. The Angels rank 19th in wOBA and dead-last in K rate, with Kelly allowing just one hit in their one matchup last season.
Streamonator Valuation: $
Gage Jump, ATH (vs. PIT)
It’s always scary to recommend one of our streamers in Sacramento, but Jump looks like a must-roster player right now. This lefty has been their best pitcher since his call-up, collecting a 3.09 ERA and 1.11 WHIP through four starts this season. He’s also surrendered just 11 hits and four runs across 18.1 innings in starts against the Cubs, Rockies and Astros over his last three outings. That sort of run shows how special this kid can be, especially since he’s one of the top pitching prospects in this organization. A matchup with Pittsburgh doesn’t look like anything special when seeing their statistics, but this is one of the weakest lineups in baseball without Oneil Cruz. We love that since they sit 26th in K rate this season.
Streamonator Valuation: $
Martin Perez, ATL (vs. SF)
It’s funny that Atlanta released Perez earlier this season because he’s quietly been one of their most reliable arms. Re-signing him right after that was one of the best decisions they’ve made, with Perez providing a 3.02 ERA and 1.06 WHIP this year. He’s also allowed four runs or fewer in all 13 appearances, while striking out 10 batters in a start just a few weeks ago. That’s no fluke since Perez had a 3.54 ERA and 1.11 WHIP last season. Our favorite part is that he has a home matchup against San Fran. Not only will Perez be a massive favorite, but the Giants rank 26th in OBP and 27th in xwOBA. In his last three starts against San Francisco, Perez has a 1.76 ERA and 1.11 WHIP.
Streamonator Valuation: $
Spencer Kolek, KC (vs. STL)
This guy has quietly had a great season in KC, and it feels like no one cares. Kolek has made seven starts this year while collecting a 3.14 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. He’s been even better recently, registering a 1.95 ERA and 1.05 WHIP across his last five starts. The strikeout stuff is the only thing lacking, but that doesn’t really matter since he’s got closer-like peripherals right now. A home matchup with the Cardinals isn’t anything special in terms of matchups, but Kolek has a 1.80 ERA and 0.90 WHIP at home this season. St Louis sits 15th in runs scored and wOBA, with Kolek throwing 6.1 scoreless innings in their one meeting earlier this season.
Streamonator Valuation: $
Dustin May, STL (vs. SD, at KC)
May has been a fixture in my articles over recent weeks, and it’s difficult to understand why he’s still sitting on so many waiver wires. Something has changed since signing with St. Louis, sporting a 2.89 ERA and 1.09 WHIP across his last 11 starts. May has also allowed three runs or fewer in 10 of those while maintaining a 10.3 K/9 rate across his last six starts.
It’s clear something has clicked for this right-hander, and he couldn’t have a better week of matchups. San Diego sits last in runs scored and wOBA, while Kansas City ranks 24th in wOBA and 28th in runs scored. It’s hard to believe he’s still in the running to be one of our streamers because May needs to be rostered in every league out there with this upcoming schedule and recent form.
Streamonator Valuation: $
Hitting Streamers
Spencer Horwitz, PIT (at ATH, at COL)
I’m not so sure we’ll ever see a better week of scheduling for hitting streamers. Coors Field has been the crown jewel for streamers over recent years, but the new ballpark in Sacramento has rivaled its scoring prowess. Having all six games in those parks is one thing, but it looks even better since these are two of the worst pitching staffs in baseball. That makes Horwitz an easy choice as one of our streamers, since he was already a fringe add anyway. Horwitz has a .286 AVG, .382 OBP and .844 OPS this season while generating a .385 OBP and .929 OPS across his last 17 outings. With the Pirates projected to score over 30 runs this week, Horwitz should have a few big games.
Zack Gelof, ATH (vs. PIT, vs. LAA)
It’s funny how fickle the fantasy community can be. It was just two years ago when Gelof was a darling during draft season, but everyone forgot about that after 1.5 nightmarish seasons. Injuries were among the downsides during that stretch, but Gelof is fully healthy now. He has eight homers and six steals this season while posting a .339 AVG and .896 OPS across a 16-game hitting streak.
That’s the best stretch we’ve seen from Gelof in a while, but we shouldn’t overlook how special this guy looked at one point. He had 31 homers and 39 steals across 207 games through his first two seasons and has clearly recaptured some of that form this year. The schedule couldn’t be better this week either because the A’s have seven games in Sacramento. That might be the best hitter’s park in the sport, with the A’s projected to score nearly 40 runs this week!
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals Ain’t Got No Face)
Steals Specialists
Nasim Nunez (WAS)
Nunez is far from a sexy fantasy option, but he’s one of the best steals streamers out there. This speedster leads the league with 25 steals, despite sitting on numerous waiver wires.
AJ Ewing (NYM)
Ewing is one of the top prospects in the Mets organization and has three steals across his last seven outings. He had 103 steals across 244 minor league games as well.
Saves Specialists
Alex Lange (KC)
It was shocking to see Lange get some save chances, but they haven’t stopped. This former Tigers closer has four saves over his last five outings while filling in for the struggling Lucas Erceg.
Yoendrys Gomez (MIN)
It’s impossible to get a read on this Minnesota pen, but Gomez has a 1.06 ERA and 1.00 WHIP since April 22 while recording three saves over the last three weeks.
Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions! Also, feel free to check out my Waiver Wire article from yesterday!
Any chance Sal Stewart gets demoted to AAA. Batting .225 since April 1. No longer SSS territory. Maybe offer him up in a trade to the Ramirez owner who still buys into the industry’s love affair with Sal?
I can’t seem him getting demoted. I still value him highly but if you can sell for a good price, go for it. I’d make that deal for ramirez if you can swing it