We were cruising the last few weeks, but last week’s article was not pretty. I always want to be transparent with you guys with this piece, and I have to admit when I have a terrible showing. That was certainly the case last week, but that’ll happen occasionally when we’re talking about streamers. To put it simply, these are waiver wire players, and they’re on your waiver wire for a reason! We have confidence that these streamers will hit more often than not, but we need to understand the risks we’re taking when riding waiver wire pickups. With that in mind, we will bounce back here, so let’s dive into this upcoming week!
Favorable Team Matchups
7 Games
Chicago Cubs (at WAS, vs. MIA)
New York Mets (at DET, vs. COL)
Toronto Blue Jays (at BOS, at PIT)
Washington Nationals (vs. CHC, at ARI)
6 Games
Kansas City Royals (vs. BAL, vs. OAK)
Milwaukee Brewers (at COL, at SF)
Pitching Streamers
Hayden Wesneski, CHC (at WAS, vs. MIA)
We rarely recommend two-start pitchers, but you can’t fade Wesnewski if he’s available in your league. We had him as one of our top streamers last week, and we’re going right back to the well. The young righty had a 2.12 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 32 percent K rate in spring after providing a 2.18 ERA and 0.94 WHIP across the final six starts of last year. We love that when examining his recent form, amassing a 2.76 ERA and 0.98 WHIP across his last three starts. All of these averages should be easy to duplicate against these teams. Miami ranks 26th in OBP and 29th in runs scored, while Washington sits 27th in xwOBA, 29th in xwOBACON, and 27th in runs scored.
Tyler Wells, BAL (at KC)
This Baltimore team is becoming one of my favorite groups in the league. Wells has been their best starter through the opening month, maintaining a 2.79 ERA and 0.72 WHIP. That WHIP is the best in baseball, ahead of aces like Jacob deGrom, Zac Gallen, Shohei Ohtani, and Spencer Strider. That’s quite the company to keep, but it’s even more surprising since he’s faced teams like the Yankees, Rangers, and Red Sox. A matchup with Kansas City might be his easiest of the year, with the Royals ranked last in OBP and wOBA.
Seth Lugo, SD (vs. CIN)
Lugo has always been a solid bullpen piece, but the move to the starting rotation has been solid for the righty. The former Met has a 3.58 ERA and 1.30 WHIP, despite struggling in his most recent outing against the Cubs. That’s one of the toughest offenses to navigate, but Lugo should slice right through the Reds. Cincy sits 24th in wOBA, 28th in xwOBA, and 23rd in K rate but is traditionally much worse outside Great American Smallpark. That’s big news for Lugo because Petco Park has been a pitcher’s park for most of its existence. He’ll also likely enter this game as a -200 favorite and is one of the best streamers if you need a win. This is the only streamer that The Streamonator loves, projecting Lugo to provide $16 worth of value.
Josiah Gray, WAS (at ARI)
Gray was one of the few streamers who did well last week, and we’re going right back to him. The youngster has allowed two runs or fewer in four straight starts since the opener, posting a 1.59 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in that span. That’s the stud we saw at the minors, accumulating a 2.41 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 27 percent K rate throughout his minor league career. Those Ks are the one thing that hasn’t come around at this level, but they will eventually. Arizona is an amazing matchup, with the D’Backs ranked 20th in OBP and 24th in home runs. Limiting homers has killed Gray in the past, but that shouldn’t be a problem here.
Hitting Streamers
Trey Mancini, CHC (at WAS, vs. MIA)
It’s been a rough start to the season for Mancini, but this guy will get it going. We’re talking about a hitter with a .264 AVG, .454 SLG, and .783 OPS throughout his career. He hasn’t been anywhere close to that this season, but the Cubs are still hitting this guy in the heart of their lineup every day. He’s showing flashes of getting out of that early-season slump, providing a .400 OBP and .993 OPS across his last eight outings. That role and form make him tough to avoid this week, with Mancini getting seven matchups against pitiful pitching. He gets four games against a Washington team that was dead-last in every pitching static last season and a Miami team with a 4.50 ERA.
Daniel Vogelbach, (vs. DET, at COL)
This is a risky option, but Vogelbach has been playing a ton recently. That’s intriguing in a seven-game week because DV is always a beast whenever he’s given a chance. The bulky DH has a ridiculous .417 OBP this season and is just shy of a .800 OPS over the last two years. That’s why he has 26 at-bats over the last eight games, and if we get 20-25 plate appearances for Vogelbach this week, he’d be one of the best streamers of the week. The matchups are the ice cream in the milkshake, with Colorado ranked 27th in ERA and Detroit sitting 24th. The big man is also projected to face at least four righties, generating a .876 OPS against them since the start of last year.
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals Ain’t Got No Face)
Steals Specialists
Esteury Ruiz (OAK)
This youngster was moved up to the leadoff spot last week, and he’s been swiping bags like crazy. He’s up to 10 already and will be universally rostered by the end of the month if this continues.
Ji-Hwan Bae (PIT)
This guy had five steals on Tuesday and Wednesday last week and is up to 10 on the year. He’s not likely to provide much else, but he’s a great SAGNOF play.
Jarren Duran (BOS)
Duran has been scorching and hasn’t even really shown off his elite speed on the basepaths yet. If he starts running he could be one of those category boosters that really pays off.
Saves Specialists
Carlos Estevez (LAA)
It looked like Jose Quijada had this job locked up last week, but a five-run shelling and a trip to the IL ended that. Estevez has three saves since April 23 and is close to locking this job up altogether.
Brad Boxberger (CHC)
Michael Fulmer had this job at the beginning of the year but can’t pitch a clean inning right now. Boxberger to picked up the most recent save, throwing a scoreless outing in nine of 11 appearances this year.
Will Smith (TEX)
Bruce Bochy doesn’t trust Jose LeClerc. It’s easy to understand why, with LeClerc blowing two saves in the last week. Smith also picked up the two most recent saves and could lock up this job if Jose continues to struggle.
Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!
