Guess who’s back y’all? Anyone? Okay, I’ll just tell you. It’s me, Honcho. The dreamy one has returned for another week of streaming delights. Get. Excited. Like always, I’ll be dishing out some tasty options as far as pitching is concerned and further down the page you’ll see my suggestions for a few bats to use this week. That’s right, Honcho is serving you heaping helpings of fantasy deliciousness so you can dominate your league. Or basically just squeak by with a minor victory. Either way I’m bringing the goods famalam! Per usual, I’ll be guided by the brilliance of both the Stream-o-Nator and the Hitter-Tron. These ever-so-helpful tools present a distinctive edge for your fantasy baseball endeavors… And who among us doesn’t enjoy some serious edging now and again? Wait, what? Sorry folks, wrong blog. So after you read this article, do yourself a favor and subscribe to one of the packages Razzball offers. You’ll thank me later, trust me. Anyway, we’re still pretty early into the season, so the options aren’t as plentiful as they might be come summertime. Nonetheless, I’ve uncovered some quality options if you care to join me in a raunchy bout of streaming. As always, the players suggested below will be owned in less than 50% of ESPN standard leagues. Here we go:
Zack Wheeler vs. PHI – Wheeler’s previous outing vs the Phillies last week wasn’t as bad as the box score might indicate. He put up five scoreless frames and was promptly yanked after loading the bases in the sixth. He’ll get to face the same Phillies squad this week – A middle of the road offense that’s striking out at a 23.8% clip and tied for 18th in the league in OBP at .306.
Hyun-Jin Ryu vs. COL – Honestly, if this start doesn’t work out, it’s not me, it’s Ryu. I’m lukewarm on this start, but the Stream-o-Nator loves him, so we’ll comply. The Rockies have been a disappointment offensively thus far, posting a wRC+ of just 68 while posting a .299 wOBA, which ranks in the bottom third of the league.
Daniel Norris @ TB – A big part of streaming success isn’t just capturing the elusive win on occasion, it’s chasing categories. Namely strikeouts. That’s the idea behind starting Norris on the road in Tampa. Look, his K/9 this season is an atrocious 5.11, but last season he produced a 9.22 K/9 over 13 starts. So the stuff is there. That’s my internet scout impression btw. The Rays have been whiffing at an incredible pace, racking up a 27.8% strikeout rate. That’s last in the league, which is not particularly ideal unless you’re streaming against them. The 1.90 GB/FB ratio he’s put up thus far is appealing as well. Good luck.
Adam Conley @ SD – Oh San Diego, you make me so sad. I want to believe you’re rebuilding, but it’s been like an 11 year process, so I give up. Anyway, the Padres .298 wOBA and .292 OBP should be enough to consider picking up Conley this week.
Luis Severino vs. CHW – His arsenal is electric, I’m just not convinced he can repeat his delivery consistently enough to remain an effective starter. However, while he’s hot we’re going to roll with our boy Luis. Through 12 innings of work this year Severino owns a 17:2 K:BB and a very sexy 12.75 K/9. More good news: The White Sox are a bottom-five team in OBP (.286), SLG (.353) & wOBA (.284). I’m amazed his ownership level (19%) is so low.
Shin-Soo Choo – The Rangers will play seven games this week, six of which will be against right-handed starting pitchers. Choo has a career 144 wRC+ and .387 wOBA vs RHP.
Joe Mauer – He’s a career .318 hitter vs RHP and the Twins are scheduled to see six right-handed starters this week.
Josh Reddick – Again, we’re loading up on the plus side of the split here as Reddick will face a right-handed starter six times this week. He’s produced a .338 wOBA and 115 wRC+ over his career vs RHP.
Nick Markakis – See a pattern here? Another lefty hitter stream who will see a ton of right-handers this week. The Braves are looking at seven games this week, all of which will come against RHP. Markakis has hit .292 with a .813 OPS and .353 wOBA in such match ups.
Pablo Sandoval – Yes, you’re reading this correctly. Sandoval shapes up to be a great streaming option later this week when Ubaldo Jimenez takes the bump for Baltimore. Each week I like to feature at least one hitter who has outstanding numbers against a certain pitcher. I believe in the power of BvP and so should you. It’s powers are mysterious, yet magical. Kinda like Gob Bluth. Well, this week it’s Sandoval’s numbers are on display. Pablo’s smashed three home runs and produced a .366/.409/.683 slash line over 41 career at-bats against the Orioles‘ right-hander.
