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Jeff Kahntroff analyzes hitter streamers and starts for Week 19. These bats are potential fantasy baseball waiver wire adds to stream for head-to-head leagues.
Welcome back, RotoBallers! As a reminder, in this piece we're looking for weekly streamers in head-to-head leagues, which means players who are 50% owned or less in Yahoo! leagues and who have seven games in the week. These players could provide great value off the waiver wire, particularly in head-to-head leagues, for week 19 of the 2017 baseball season.
To catch my streamers column each and every week, add me on Twitter @rotonails and always check the RotoBaller MLB page.
With that said, let’s dive into the stream(ers).
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Bats to Stream and Start in Week 19
Howie Kendrick (1B/2B/3B/OF, WAS) - 20% owned
Kendrick hasn’t played much this year due to injury, but in 45 games he has a ridiculous .358/3/20/18/9 line. No, he won’t maintain his .430 BABIP. But, he has a very solid .340 career BABIP and a .291 average. The nine steals in just 45 games, including one Friday, are very promising. Now, he is in a much better lineup, so the run production should improve. Add that to the fact that he faces extremely favorable pitching matchups this week, and he is my number one streaming option.
Orlando Arcia (SS, MIL) – 23% owned
Arcia has a .282/10/41/37/10 line on the year and faces good pitching matchups. He faces six righties, against whom he has done the majority of his damage this year. After a slow first couple months to the season, Arcia has really heated up. He provides a good buy and hold option, who is a particularly nice play this week. His ownership should rise as the season progresses.
Kole Calhoun (OF, LAA) - 41% owned
Calhoun’s average has dipped to .234 this year due to an unusually low BABIP. However, he still has 13 homers, five steals, 45 runs and 45 RBIs. He is a steady producer across the board who is a good buy low opportunity. Facing above average pitching matchups, he is worth an add.
Tim Beckham (1B/2B/SS, BAL) - 17% owned
Beckham was the number one overall pick in the 2008 draft by Tampa, but he failed to live up to the lofty expectations. Tampa finally cut bait, sending him off to Baltimore at the deadline. In his first few games in Baltimore, he has been ripping the cover off the ball (not quite literally, but almost). That should not come as much of a surprise, as he is a career .270 hitter with a homer every 21 at bats outside of the Trop. This week he won’t get to play in Camden Yards, but he does get to face favorable pitching matchups. He could be a five category performer, but I wouldn’t bet the ranch on him stealing you bases. He is a nice buy-low option.
Manuel Margot (OF, SD) - 27% owned
In less than half a season of games, Margot has an impressive .280/9/30/25/11 line. That is top notch production. He would be higher on the list if he didn’t play all seven of his games on the road, where he has had significantly less success. Nonetheless, his speed/power combo and respectable strikeout rate make him worth a play against above-average pitching matchups this week.
Keon Broxton (OF, MIL) - 28% owned
Broxton is a high-risk play. He has been demoted this year. He has an astounding 37.6% k-rate. But, he has 14 homers and 17 steals, and he has managed 50 runs and 37 RBIs. The upside is there. Facing good pitching matchups this week, he is a great high-risk, high-reward option if you’re looking to gamble.
Byron Buxton (OF, MIN) - 22% owned
Buxton is my kryptonite. He finds himself on the list again. He is coming off a July where he hit .387 with a homer and three steals in 10 games. He has 17 steals and five homers on the year, and there’s always a risk that the former number two overall pick can put it together. He has the tools. Facing above average matchups, he provides another high-risk, high-reward option.
Seth Smith (OF, BAL) - 1% owned
Smith would be higher on this list if he were playing at home instead of on the road. He has really taken to Camden this year, batting .289 with eight homers at home, as opposed to .248 with three homers on the road. Nevertheless, he is heading to two AL West parks with which he is familiar, and gets to face favorable pitching matchups, which include six righties. Smith is more of an asset in OBP leagues, but in 5x5 he can still give you some run production with serviceable average and a little pop. He is not a bad bet this week if the other options are taken.
Also worth monitoring
Jorge Bonifacio (OF, KC) – The 24 year-old slugger has a .256/14/45/33/1 line on the year and faces average pitching matchups.
Hunter Renfroe (OF, SD) – Renfroe is a 25 year-old slugger with a .231/20/43/45/3 line on the year, and he faces above average pitching matchups.
Stephen Piscotty (OF, STL) – After great years in 2015 and 2016, Piscotty has really struggled this year. However, he faces very favorable pitching matchups this week and is thus worth a dart throw.
Randal Grichuk (OF, STL) – In only 75 games, Grichuk is sporting a .228/13/34/37/5 line. He has power, some speed, and faces great pitching matchups, but he is unlikely to post a decent average.
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