It’s always strange to take a week off for the All-Star break because it feels like there are no breaks in baseball. It’s funny because I don’t really know what to do with myself the first 2-3 days off, and then it’s back before you know it. Luckily, the withdrawals weren’t too bad, and I’m ready to get started in the second half. With that in mind, let’s dive into the streamers for Week 16!
Favorable Team Matchups
8 Games
San Francisco Giants (at LAD, vs. COL)
7 Games
Atlanta Braves (vs. CIN, at NYM)
Tampa Bay Rays (at TOR, vs. CIN)
Texas Rangers (vs. CWS, at TOR)
6 Games
Arizona Diamondbacks (at KC, vs. PIT)
Boston Red Sox (at COL, vs. NYY)
Houston Astros (at OAK, vs. LAD)
Seattle Mariners (vs. LAA, at CWS)
Pitching Streamers
Jon Gray, TEX (vs. CWS, at TOR)
There are always these fringe streamers that get added and dropped across every league and Gray is one of those guys this season. The reason for that is his volatility, but he looked like a must-roster player after a 2.21 ERA and 1.19 WHIP through his first 11 starts. He then landed on the IL and proceeded to allow eight and nine runs in two of his first three starts back. That’s what forced him to the waiver wire, but he has a 2.41 ERA and 1.19 WHIP if you take out those two outliers. We’re willing to do that because he faced Baltimore and New York, two of the best offenses in baseball. These teams are far from that, with Chicago ranked last in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA, while Toronto sits 22nd in wOBA and 25th in runs scored.
Streamonator Valuation: $3.6
Michael Waldron, SD (at WAS)
Baseball is better when we have knuckleball pitchers, and Waldron is the best one in the game right now. That pitch is no gimmick, with the righty registering a 3.59 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. He’s also allowed two runs or fewer in nine of his last 13 starts, providing a 2.63 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in that span. That makes it hard to understand why he’s only rostered in about 50 percent of leagues, especially since he has a wonderful matchup with Washington. The Nationals rank 19th in runs scored, 25th in xwOBA, and 26th in wOBA, with Waldron striking out eight batters and throwing a quality start against them less than a month ago.
Streamonator Valuation: $-14.9
Jose Soriano, LAA (vs. OAK)
The Angels are an abomination, but Soriano has quietly been a great pitcher for them. The converted reliever has made 15 starts this season, generating a 3.71 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. What’s also something you rarely see from one of your streamers is that he has an extremely high floor, never allowing more than four runs in any game this year! That’s a godsend off of the waiver wire, and that streak should continue in this outstanding matchup with Oakland. The A’s rank 23rd in runs scored, 26th in OBP, and 29th in K rate. It’s also a home start for Soriano, which is encouraging since he had a 1.71 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in LA last season.
Streamonator Valuation: $19.9
Aaron Civale, MIL (vs. MIA)
Civale has been a regular in this article over recent weeks, and it’s easy to see why. The righty hasn’t allowed more than four runs in 10 straight starts, sporting a 4.23 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, and 8.6 K/9 rate in that span. Those are far from sexy numbers but it’s a massive improvement on the 6.14 ERA he had before that stretch. We have to assume the positive regression will keep heading in the right direction because Civale has a 4.09 career ERA and 1.20 WHIP. A team like Milwaukee that’s elite at developing starters should help him get back to those career norms and a matchup with Miami is a great way to keep it going. The Marlins rank either 29th or 30th in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA
Streamonator Valuation: $25.2
Hitting Streamers
LaMonte Wade, SF (at LAD, vs. COL)
Late Night LaMonte is back as one of our streamers! I’ve always appreciated this guy as a player, and I don’t know why he’s never rostered anywhere. This man typically bats between first and fifth in San Fran’s lineup, and that’s massive since they’re the only team with eight games this week. He’s earned that prominent spot in the lineup, tallying a .308 AVG, .433 OBP, and .852 OPS this season. He also had a .373 OBP and .790 OP last year, so it’s clearly no fluke. Getting eight games against anyone is amazing, but he gets half of them against a Rockies team that ranks last in ERA and WHIP. The Dodgers aren’t as daunting as they sound either, missing most of their rotation due to injury!
Jarred Kelenic, ATL (vs. CIN, at NYM)
Kelenic was actually touted just as much as Julio Rodriguez when those two were doing damage in the minors together, but it didn’t work for one of them. That’s Kelenic but a change of scenery is just what the doctor ordered. The outfielder has become Atlanta’s everyday leadoff hitter, taking over in the absence of Ronald Acuna and Michael Harris. He’s been phenomenal since the promotion, providing a .775 OPS across his last 47 games. More importantly, he has seven games this week and six of those games are against right-handers. Kelenic has compiled a .752 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor this season!
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals Ain’t Got No Face)
Steals Specialists
Jose Caballero (TB)
Caballero has been dropped in numerous leagues, but he still has 25 steals! The only issue is that he hasn’t recorded one in 16 games before Saturday, but this favorable seven-game week should get him back on track.
David Hamilton (BOS)
Hamilton’s workload has been volatile, which has moved him to many waiver wires. We still love the schedule this week and the fact that he has 18 steals over his last 41 games!
Saves Specialists
Yimi Garcia/Chad Green (TOR)
Green has taken over as the closer since Jordan Romano went down but this was Garcia’s job before he went on the IL. With Yimi getting activated on Friday, one of these guys should take over closing duties, with Romano expected to miss most of the season. Our bet is on Green, pitching the ninth inning exclusively over the last three weeks, recording four saves over his last eight outings!
Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!
