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Hitters to add from the waiver wire and stream in Week 3 of the 2021 fantasy baseball season. Jon Mathisen analyzes the top batter streamers to pick up.
Welcome to the top hitter streamers column for Week 3 of the fantasy baseball season - April 12th through April 18th. This weekly piece should be helpful for anyone looking to gain an edge in their league. If you need a fill-in for an injured player or want to exploit some plus matchups to gain an edge on your opponent then you're in the right place. I'm here to help you make some informed decisions to remain competitive in your league. The aim of this column is to help you stay ahead of the game and get an early jump on those waiver claims before your league mates.
Remember that this piece is forward-looking and a lot can change over the course of a week. Potential pitching opponents, batting orders, and projected number of at-bats are all subject to change so make sure you're following the @RotoballerMLB on Twitter to stay up to date!
Disclaimer: I am only highlighting players that are currently rostered in 50% or less of Yahoo! leagues, meaning you should have a decent chance of picking these guys up on the waiver wire. These recommendations should apply to most league settings and formats as I'm looking for players that can help you across a variety of scoring categories. If the following names aren't available, feel free to read our Waiver Wire Pickups piece that drops every Monday for more ideas. Alright, let's get after it.
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Bats to Stream and Start in Week 3
Seven-Game Weeks:
ATL, BAL, BOS, CWS, CLE, DET, KC, LAD, MIA, MIN, NYM, PHI, PIT, SD, SEA, TBR, TEX, TOR, WAS
Stream of the Week
Cedric Mullins (OF, BAL): 24% Rostered
The Orioles start their week off by hosting the Mariners for a four-game series at Camden Yards before heading to Texas for a three-game set with the Rangers. Not only has Mullins led off every game this season for the O's but he's rocking a seven-game hitting streak to go along with an absurd .448/.484/.655 batting line across his 29 at-bats. It's still early and we know those numbers are not sustainable but he does have a .333 xBA and .560 xSLG so you can't write off the hot start to just blind luck.
He'll be facing some mediocre pitching next week in Justus Sheffield, Justin Dunn, Marco Gonzales, Kyle Gibson, and Mike Foltynewicz, none of whom strike fear into the opposition. Mullins has been an equal opportunity hitter in the early going, too, with a 1.000 OPS vs. lefties (10 at-bats) and 1.213 OPS vs. righties (19 at-bats). He'll rack up the plate appearances next week and should stay hot against the subpar hurlers he's going up against.
Catcher
Wilson Ramos (C, DET): 10% Rostered
Ramos isn't on anyone's radar as he rostered in just 10% oh Yahoo! Leagues at the time of this writing. The Tigers are one of many teams that play seven games next week and the number of games played is always important whenever considering streamers but it's particularly important for catchers, who don't typically play every day. Detroit hits the road for three games at Houston starting on Monday (4/12) and then finish the week with a four-game set against the struggling Athletics in Oakland.
Ramos is a career .305/.358/.480 hitter against left-handed pitching and he should face up to three southpaws in the Bay Area in Jesus Luzardo (6.10 ERA), Sean Manaea (9.64 ERA), and Cole Irvin (7.45 ERA), all of whom have struggled in the early going. Ramos is off to a decent start this year with a .250/.333/.688 batting line with a pair of solo home runs but most impressively, is ranked in the 99th percentile in Hard Hit Rate (87.5%) and the 90th percentile in Max Exit Velocity (111.5 mph).
Also Consider: Tucker Barnhart (C, CIN): 2% Rostered
Corner Infield
Jesus Aguilar (1B, MIA): 18% Rostered
The Miami offense has struggled to begin the season; they're averaging just 2.28 runs per game and are sporting a 1-6 record. There have been few bright spots in the Miami lineup so far but Aguilar has been one of them. He's played in 6-of-7 games to start the year and has bat third or fourth in the order in all of them. He's rocking a .333/.423/.381 batting line with three RBI and twice as many walks (four) as strikeouts (two) over 21 at-bats. He's only got one extra-base hit, a double, and is still searching for that first home run.
Miami starts the week off at Atlanta so it's unlikely the Fish get on track against the likes of Charlie Morton and Ian Anderson, who will make up half of the four-game series but Max Fried has looked vulnerable thus far. The Marlins then host the Giants for a three-game set at home to close out the weekend. Their offense is not a top unit but they're too talented to only be averaging just two runs a game. Aguilar is a "buy low" play on the Miami offense and should start to flex his power muscle soon.
Evan Longoria (3B, SF): 22% Rostered
The Giants host the Reds for a three-game series starting on Monday (4/12) then head to Miami for a weekend series so they're only playing six games but Longoria gets to start his week against LHP Wade Miley. In case you didn't know, Longoria has feasted on left-handed pitching his entire career with a .281/.359/.513 batting line and he's continued that trend in 2021.
He's slashing .600/.692/1.600 (10 AB's) vs. southpaws but .083/.083/.083 (12 AB's) against righties. All three of his home runs have come against lefties as well. Neither of those slash lines is sustainable but those numbers should start to even out for the better. Longo gets to face at least two lefties in Miley and Trevor Rogers of the Marlins but Monday's start against the Reds should get the week started off right.
Also Consider: Jeimer Candelario (1B, 3B, DET): 15% Rostered; Asdrubal Cabrera (1B, 2B, 3B, ARI): 8% Rostered
Middle Infield
Jurickson Profar (2B, SD): 18% Rostered
The week sets up nicely for the switch-hitting Profar, who will face four righties and three lefties between two series vs. the Pirates and the Dodgers. His splits are fairly even over his career with a .699 OPS vs. lefties and .723 OPS against righties. San Diego starts their week in Pittsburgh for a four-game set. The Pirates have been worth streaming against all year, regardless of who is on the mound, as they're giving up 6.5 runs a game. Profar should face Trevor Cahill in the opening game of that series and he's got a solid .308/.357/.923 batting line in 13 career AB's against him.
The series should finish off with Chad Kuhl (6.43 ERA, 1.57 WHIP), Tyler Anderson (5.40 ERA, 1.40 WHIP), and Mitch Keller (9.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP), which is not exactly a murderers' row. He's started 5-of-7 games this season but has started four straight now that Fernando Tatis Jr. is on the shelf. Profar doesn't get much fanfare and largely goes unnoticed hitting towards the bottom of the Friars lineup but a seven-game slate should mitigate the at-bats he loses in the bottom of the order. He's also just off to a good start this season with a .294/.364/.412 batting line across 22 at-bats. He's a solid stream in OBP leagues.
Andrelton Simmons (SS, MIN): 8% Rostered
The Twins host the Red Sox for a four-game series starting on Monday then head to Anaheim for a weekend series, where Simmons will face his former team the Los Angeles Angels. He's been hitting towards the bottom of the Twins lineup, which isn't great, but the fact Minnesota is playing seven games next week will still give him plenty of plate appearances.
He's more of an OBP play with his lack of power but he has career success against three starters he'll face next week in Martin Perez (.812 OPS over 23 at-bats), Nathan Eovaldi (.739 OPS over 28 at-bats), and Alex Cobb (1.194 OPS over eight at-bats). Simmons career splits vs. left-handed pitching (.262 BA, .715 OPS) and right-handed pitching (.272 BA, .691 OPS) are fairly even so you should get solid, unspectacular production out of the veteran shortstop. He's a safe floor, low ceiling stream next week.
Also Consider: Nicky Lopez (2B, SS, KC): 2% Rostered; Ha-Seong Kim (2B, SS, SD): 31% Rostered
Outfield
Tyler Naquin (OF, CIN): 24% Rostered
Tyler Naquin's early-season numbers are simply ridiculous. He's batting .316/.435/.947 with four home runs and 13 RBI across 19 at-bats. The majority of that damage has come against right-handed pitching and Naquin and the Reds face five right-handers out of six games next week. You're taking a bit of a gamble here because his numbers are so frothy that they're bound to fall off any day and the Reds are only playing six games next week, not seven, but he's worth a dart throw at this point.
Cincinnati starts the week off with a three-game series at San Francisco and finishes with another three-game set at home vs. Cleveland (revenge narrative anyone?). He's been feasting on fastballs in the early going with a .444 batting average and 1.111 slugging percentage. He'll be facing three pitchers that rely heavily on their four-seamer in Kevin Gausman (57%), Logan Allen (52.8%), and Triston McKenzie (60.3%). Streaming is all about striking while the iron is hot and Naquin is on fire right now.
Adam Eaton (OF, CWS): 17% Rostered
Eaton is a volume play next week as the White Sox plays seven games (four vs. Cleveland, three at Boston) and has led off in every game since Tim Anderson was placed on the injured list. Now Anderson could be back when he's eligible to return, which would be Thursday, April 15 but Eaton should still bat near the top of the order if that's the case.
The White Sox should face a right-hander in 6-of-7 games next week and the 32-year-old Eaton is a career .285/.365/.436 hitter vs. right-handed pitching. He's a quality stream in OBP leagues but he should have plenty of run-scoring and RBI opportunities in the loaded White Sox lineup.
Also Consider: Nick Senzel (OF, CIN): 37% Rostered; Sam Hilliard (OF, COL): 4% Rostered
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