Top Hitter Streamers and Starts for Week 11

3 years ago by Jon Mathisen

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Welcome to the top hitter streamers column for Week 11 of the MLB season (6/7 through 6/13). 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. This article aims to keep you informed while helping you stay ahead of the competition so you can get an early jump on those waiver claims before your opponents.

Remember that this piece is forward-looking and a lot can happen over the course of a week. Potential pitching opponents, lineups, 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! Only three teams play seven games next week so the high volume options are limited but that doesn't mean there aren't some attractive streamers readily available.

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 who can help you across various 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 11

Seven Game Weeks:

BOS, KC, MIA

Stream of the Week

Yonathan Daza (OF, COL): 4% Rostered

It's time to show Yonathan Daza some love. The 27-year-old made his big league debut in April and has become a mainstay in the Colorado lineup. Even though the Rockies are on the road next week (three games at Miami and three in Cincinnati), I still like Daza as a streamer. His stellar play has earned him regular at-bats, which isn't an easy thing to do for the fickle Rockies who can never stick with the same lineup. Daza is slashing .331/.371/.406 with five doubles, one triple, one home run, 13 RBI, and two stolen bases over 133 at-bats to date. He's working on a six-game hitting streak and has collected four multi-hit performances over that span. He's performed better at home than he has on the road but he's still batting .269 with a .345 OBP in 20 games away from Coors Field. Colorado should face three left-handed starters and three righties next week and Daza has performed well against both. He's got a .375 batting average and .844 OPS in 40 at-bats vs. southpaws and a .312 BA and .748 OPS across 93 at-bats against right-handers.

Another excellent catch in center field by #Rockies Yonathan Daza. He finally got his chance and he's running with it. He's hitting .336.

— Patrick Saunders (@psaundersdp) June 5, 2021

He only ranks north of the 70th percentile in xBA (.268, 71st) and sprint speed (78th) so the underlying metrics tell us we shouldn't count on this high level of production moving forward. He's going to regress eventually but this is less about trying to time that slip-up and more about striking while the iron is hot. Manager Bud Black moved him up to second in the batting order five games ago and the Rockies are 4-1 over that span. He's formed a nice little one-two punch with Raimel Tapia and it seems like the team is going to stick with that. He's won't be a reliable source of power next week, especially away from home, but he should provide solid averages, runs scored, and possibly a theft or two.

Yonathan Daza giving some
fuel to the over (15 runs -124) with a Coors triple ??

Still a ways to go 6-2 in the bottom of the 4th! pic.twitter.com/eB7drkJ5BA

— The Game Day MLB (@TheGameDayMLB) June 5, 2021

Catcher

Omar Narvaez (C, MIL): 36% Rostered

The week sets up well for the Brew Crew and Narvaez in particular as they're slated to face six right-handed pitchers. Milwaukee gets a three-game set at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati and another three-game series at home vs. the Pirates. Narvaez has only logged 17 at-bats against southpaws this season and has done the vast majority of his damage against right-handed pitching. He's got a .324 batting average and .924 OPS against righties with all five of his home runs and nearly all of his RBI (15) coming against them. He's slated to face the improved but still hard to trust Luis Castillo (6.63 ERA/4.71 FIP), the inexperienced Vladimir Gutierrez, Chad Kuhl (6.41 ERA/6.75 FIP), and JT Brubaker.

It's been a tale of two seasons for the veteran backstop so far as he hit .368/.443/.529 with three home runs and 11 RBI during April (68 at-bats) but followed that up with an underwhelming .213/.288/.362 with just one home run and three RBI (47 AB's) in May. Overall he's got a solid .303/.390/.484 bating line with five homers, 16 RBI, and a decent 25:14 K/BB ratio. He's not too far off his expected stats, either, with a .280 xBA, .370 xwOBA, and .475 xSLG. He was sitting on three home runs from April 21 to May 30 but he's now blasted two over his last four games. Catcher options are getting pretty thin but this should be a prosperous week for Narvaez. If he performs well then he could be worth holding on to beyond next week.

Omar Narvaez - Milwaukee Brewers (5) Solo. pic.twitter.com/t1dlqyiKcH

— MLB HR Tracker (@hr_mlb) June 5, 2021

Also Consider: Tucker Barnhart (C, CIN): 29% Rostered

Corner Infield

Patrick Wisdom (1B/3B, CHI): 25% Rostered

Wisdom is the same age (29) as the number of plate appearances that he's logged since being called up late last month. We don't have much data to build a case around, which makes it impossible to label this stream as anything more than a momentum play. An elder journeyman with no track record of success in the majors cannot keep up this torrid pace, that's not a surprise. His .407/.448/.926 batting line will naturally come down but he's hit some monster home runs so far and that has piqued our interest.

The sample size is minuscule and he could turn into a pumpkin at any moment but he has some favorable matchups next week, particularly against St. Louis, that could help him carry this momentum. He's had pretty much the same amount of at-bats against righties (13) as he has lefties (14) and he's crushed both of them so far. The Cubbies start the week off with a tough road matchup in San Diego but then head back home to host the rival Cardinals and that's where Wisdom could shine. John Gant has performed well to date but virtually every Statcast measurement tells us he's bound to regress while Carlos Martinez and Kwang Hyun Kim have both looked vulnerable. Wisdom should also get another crack at Ryan Weathers, whom he's already taken deep once.

Patrick Wisdom has 4 homers in 8 games with the Cubs. This one was DEMOLISHED. pic.twitter.com/LKZGeI0Fw6

— MLB (@MLB) June 2, 2021

Also Consider: C.J. Cron (1B, COL): 44% Rostered; Luis Urias (2B/3B/SS, MIL): 6% Rostered

Middle Infield

Amed Rosario (SS/OF, CLE): 21% Rostered

Cleveland is one of many teams to play just five games next week so that should be taken into consideration if you decide to stream Rosario. The 25-year-old utilityman has been hot over his last 16 games, slashing .327/.403/.455 with two doubles, one triple, one home run, five RBI, and three stolen bases. He's reached base safely in 13 of those 16 games as well. Overall, he's got a modest .247/.315/.370 batting line with five doubles, three triples, three home runs, 14 RBI, and five swipes over 162 at-bats. He's yet to have been caught stealing and his sprint speed ranks in the 97th percentile.

His expected stats aren't too far off his actual numbers with a .268 xBA, .309 xwOBA, and .358 xSLG. Rosario is a flawed hitter but he's had productive streaks at the plate throughout his career despite subpar on-base skills. His current 8.6% Walk rate is the best mark of his career while his 19.5% Strikeout rate is the second-best he's ever had. Rosario has a good shot to keep the momentum going at the plate next week as he'll be facing some suboptimal pitchers such as Carlos Martinez, Adam Wainwright, and Logan Gilbert. We know Rosario's downside by now but the upside with his speed make him an intriguing play next week.

Also Consider: Freddy Galvis (2B/SS, BAL): 23% Rostered; Jonathan India (2B/3B, CIN): 10% Rostered

Outfield

Justin Upton (OF, LAA): 13% Rostered

Upton is your typical "swing for the fences" stream as you're hoping for one thing when you play him: home runs. He's one of the streakiest hitters in all of baseball and he's starting to heat up at the dish. He's homered in back-to-back games entering Saturday's action and has crushed four bombs total over the last nine contests. The Angels host the Royals for a three-game series to start the week then finish off with a trip to the desert to face the team that drafted Upton first overall way back in 2005, the Diamondbacks. He'll have some tasty pitching matchups on the slate with Brad Keller, Merrill Kelly, Caleb Smith, and Jon Duplantier all expected to start next week.

Upton has performed well against left-handed pitching this season with a .973 OPS and five homers over 48 at-bats. He's registered a less impressive .654 OPS vs. righties (116 at-bats) but he's smacked seven long balls. We all know the considerable downside for a player like Upton but his pop provides week-winning upside. He may be 33-years-old but he still hits the ball with authority, ranking in the 98th percentile in Max Exit Velocity (116.5 mph) and the 90th percentile in Average Exit Velocity (92.5 mph). His 13.1% Barrel rate (86th) and 48.1% Hard Hit rate (80th percentile) check all the slugging boxes as well. His 30.6% Strikeout rate is currently the worst mark of his career but that's not a surprise with his all-or-nothing approach at the plate.

Steven Duggar (OF, SF): 3% Rostered

The 27-year-old Duggar has made the most of his playing time so far this season. He's rocking a healthy .316/.358/.566 batting line to go along with five doubles, one triple, four home runs, 14 RBI, and one stolen base across 76 at-bats. The majority of that production has come within the last few weeks as he's notched a 1.121 OPS over his last 13 games. He's hit lefties well over a small sample (.928 OPS in 13 at-bats) as well as righties (.921 OPS in 63 AB's). He's posting career-bests in Hard Hit rate (37.8%), Barrel rate (11.1%), Average Launch Angle (15 degrees), and Max Exit Velocity (109.1 mph).

The San Francisco outfield is a little less crowded now that Mike Yastrzemski is on the injured list with a sprained right thumb. Mike Tauchman is still hitting below the Mendoza line (.192 batting average) since joining the team while Alex Dickerson and Austin Slater are both stuck in platoon roles. Duggar has been the most consistent of the bunch and should continue to see regular at-bats as we head into next week. The Giants kick things off with a quick two-game series in Texas and then head to D.C. for a four-game set with the Nationals. Matchups against Jordan Lyles, Mike Foltynewicz, Joe Ross, and Erick Fedde stand out the most for Duggar.

Also Consider: Akil Baddoo (OF, DET): 11% Rostered; Chas McCormick (OF, HOU): 1% Rostered

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