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Below are my top MLB hitter streamer options for Week 14 of fantasy baseball. All players listed here are 50% owned or less in Yahoo leagues and play seven or eight games this week.
Streaming hitters is a great way to increase production and fantasy stats off the waiver wire for your head-to-head matchups. It can also help to mitigate the damage done by underperformers. Check back weekly for my favorite hitter streamers for the upcoming week.
Editor’s Note: RotoBaller’s fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups list is updated every single day. Our awesome writers bring you analysis on hot or emerging starting pitchers, and also all other fantasy positions. You can also download our waiver wire iPhone app for free, and easily stay updated.
Top Hitter Streamers
1. Marlon Byrd, OF, Reds
(3 @ WAS, 4 @ MIA) – 37% owned
Marlon Byrd has very quietly produced this season. Despite a DL stint, he has 14 homers in 60 games. The power is not unexpected, as he hit 49 homers in the previous two seasons. He faces Fister (.417, 1 homer), Haren (.467, 3 homers), and Latos (.333, 0 homers) this week. His average has been low due to a poor BABIP, but his power in a lineup that features Frazier and Votto places him second among the streaming hitter options this week.
2. Chris Colabello, 1B/OF, Jays
(4 @ Sox, 3 @ Kansas City) – 47% owned
Chris Colabello drops one spot this week. As stated previously, he is relatively new to the majors despite being 31 years old. However, after showing a power stroke in the minors, he is hitting .335 with 7 homers in 51 games. He hits lefties well, and he gets to face four lefties again this week. While he started last week slowly, he went 2-4 with a homer on Saturday. So long as Colabello continues to put up numbers, I will continue to recommend him in weeks where he faces lefties.
3. Randall Grichuk, OF, Cardinals
(4 @ Houston, 4 @Pittsburgh) – 22% owned
Grichuk is a 23-year-old former first round pick. The last three seasons in the minors, his home run totals have steadily increased despite playing fewer games each year: 20 (151 games), 22 (128 games), 25 (108 games). That power stroke has translated to the majors, as he has 7 homers in 50 games while hitting .261. He does not face the easiest pitching matchups, but is slotted in the number three hole for me due to having eight games on the schedule: the extra game moves him up the board.
4. Miguel Sano, 3B, Twins
(3 vs Baltimore, 4 vs Detroit) – 39% owned
Sano has immense raw power, rated by most scouts as a pure 80/80. In 2013, his age 19-20 season, he hit 35 homers between A+/AA in 123 games. This year, in 66 games in the minors, he hit 15 homers. The major league pitchers do not yet have much tape on him, so he might be able to continue his early success. When a chance arises to stream a player with this much power, I take it and gamble despite him playing seven games at home in the cavernous Target Field.
5. Andre Ethier, OF, Dodgers
(4 vs Philadelphia, 3 vs Milwaukee) – 26% owned
Ethier was a regular in this column early in the season, but some red flags have been raised. First, the Dodgers' outfield is crowded again. Second, he has cooled off considerably after his hot first two months. Third, he has sat out a number of games lately. So why the recommendation?
First, his June struggles may have been due to bad luck. After a .324 and .329 BABIP in the first two months, it was just .222 in June. Second, his OPS has been over .100 better at home this year, where he will play all seven games. Third, he has favorable pitching matchups. Fourth, he faces six righties. Like any player on waivers in most leagues, he is a gamble. But if the above options are unvailable, he is one I am willing to take.
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