RADIO
Welcome back to my hitting streamers column for Week 15, taking a look at hitters to add or stream off the waiver wire for this week's scheduled games.
To keep things simple, I pick from players who are 50% owned or less and who play at least seven games in the week. If someone jumps off the page at me as a less than seven game player, I may make an exception, but otherwise the advantage in number of games dictates my choices.
Streaming can be a valuable tool, by allowing you to feast on favorable pitching matchups and simply have your hitters play more games than your opponents' hitters. If you have the roster space, streaming a hitter can be useful not only to fill a vacant lineup spot, but also to fill in for someone who has five games that week or faces tough matchups. In 5x5 leagues, four of the five hitting categories are counting stats, making the value of extra games significant. Streaming also can allow you to target a specific category of need. This week there are a number of teams with eight games (Brewers, Phillies, Yankees, Mets, Pirates, Orioles), but most of the value happens to be in seven game players. With that said, let’s dive right in.
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- Who should I start? Fantasy baseball comparisons
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Bats to Stream and Start in Week 15
Yulieski Gurriel (1B/3B, HOU) - 44% owned
Gurriel has a career line of .294/26/118/130/7 in 244 games. This year, he is providing similar production, with a .300/5/36/40/3 line in 69 games. He rarely strikes out (10.8%) and makes decent contact. After a rough start to the year, he hit .310 in May .330 in June with three homers, and now has started off July hitting .333 with a homer and a steal. This week, he faces good pitching matchups. Good hitter + lineup that scores over five runs per game + good pitching matchups = good week. Stream him with confidence (and consider holding onto him).
Josh Reddick (OF, HOU) - 31% owned
In the three years prior to 2018, Reddick posted lines of .272/20/67/77/10, .281/10/53/37/8 (in 115 games), and .314/13/77/82/7 (134 games). This year, he is back at it, with a line of .266/8/36/25/4 in just 66 games. Reddick is pulling the ball more often this year, which may explain the lower BABIP and average, but otherwise his batted ball profile is similar. He has been faring well against both lefties and righties, and faces the same good matchups as his teammate Gurriel. Buy and hold.
Mark Trumbo (OF, BAL) - 35% owned
Trumbo battled a quad injury to start the year, but has since shown the power for which he has been known throughout his career. In less than a third of a season of games (53), he has a line of .256/11/24/26/0. That is a pretty good line, and he has eight games this week against average pitching matchups. Some may let his poor defense and speed affect their view of his fantasy value, but you shouldn't. Expect good power, decent run production, not a great average, and zero stolen bases. If that is what you are seeking, add him.
Maikel Franco (3B, PHI) - 38% owned
Franco can be a bit of a victim of expectations. Many hope or expect a superstar, and that outlook skews how his results are perceived. Franco’s production has by no means been great, but he has a batting line of .263/10/26/38/0. He had at least 24 homers, 67 runs, and 76 RBIs each of the past two years. He faces good pitching matchups in a slate of eight games this week, and thus is a worthy add for power mixed with a little run production.
Matt Duffy (2B/3B, TB) - 20% owned
Duffy should face four or five righties this week, against whom he is batting .342 on the year. As a whole, he has a line of .314/4/26/25/6. In today’s fantasy world, that combination of batting average and speed is very valuable. And he can do that without providing a zero in the home run or run production departments. If you are seeking average and speed without giving up the other categories, he is a good bet.
Kevin Kiermaier (OF, TB) - 20% owned
If it is steals you are after, grab Kiermaier. He has five steals in just 26 games. Last year, he had 16 in 98 games. The year before, it was 21 in 105 games. He also had double digit homers in those two seasons. While he has struggled this season (.143 batting average), that comes off of a .222 BABIP and should improve. If your focus is speed with a touch of power, add Kiermaier.
Matt Adams (1B/OF, WAS) - 31% owned
Adams just returned from injury, and is producing again. In just 56 games, he has posted an impressive line of .291/13/27/36/0. The Nationals should face five or six righties this week. Even in those limited games, he can provide good production. He is worth an add.
Yonder Alonso (1B, CLE) - 31% owned
Yonder should face six righties this week, against whom he has batted .275 with nine homers on the year (in 204 at bats). He is in MLB’s fourth-highest scoring lineup, and he faces decent pitching matchups. He has cooled off in the power department (just four homers since May 1), but his track record shows there is power to come. He is not the most exciting option, but there is value here.
Others to Consider
Joc Pederson (OF, LAD) - 27% owned - Joc ripped the cover off the ball in June, with 10 homers and a .283 average. He already has a couple more in July. The catch? He faces three lefties this week, against whom he has batted .125 with zero homers in 32 at bats.
Jorge Polanco (SS, MIN) - 14% owned - Polanco heated up at the end of last season, with a second half line of .293/10/31/43/7. He just returned from his suspension, and is worth an add.
