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Jeff Kahntroff analyzes hitter streamers and starts for Week 23. 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 23 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 23
Howie Kendrick (1B/2B/3B/OF, WAS) - 41% owned
Kendrick has been a regular in this column lately, so I won’t repeat my whole spiel. Suffice it to say that he has an incredible .340/7/29/37/10 line in just 68 games. While the average is supported by a high BABIP, he is a career .291 hitter who has largely been very consistent, often putting up double digit steals and homers. Against decent pitching matchups this week, he is a good bet to provide solid production. Given his injury history this year, however, keep an eye on his health as the week approaches.
Jose Reyes (2B/3B/SS, NYM) - 13% owned
Reyes is being affected by BABIP in the other direction. A career .286 hitter, Reyes is hitting a mere .232 this year due to a BABIP 57 points below his career average. However, he still has 16 steals and nine homers in 119 games. And after a slow start, he has picked things up recently, hitting .277 since the break. Facing good pitching matchups this week, Reyes should provide a little of everything, with the most production in the speed department.
Jorge Polanco (2B/SS/3B, MIN) - 49% owned
Polanco’s numbers for the year don’t jump off the page. He has a respectable, but unexciting, .255/9/48/55/10 line. But the 24 year-old has heated up recently. In 27 August games, he hit an astonishing .373/6/16/23/4. He does not face great matchups this week, but his hot bat in the middle of the Twins’ lineup is still worth streaming.
Scott Schebler (OF, CIN) – 30% owned
Schebler is mainly a source of power, with 26 homers on the year. He has sprinkled in utility in other categories, with four steals, 54 runs and 56 RBIs, but you play him for the power. After an ice cold July where he hit just .136, Schebler has regained his stroke hitting .351 with a 1.162 OPS in August. This week he has favorable pitching matchups and faces seven righties. Even though his average and power are better against righties this year, he traditionally has feasted on righties and should do well this week. Schebler is a nice power play if that is what you need.
Amed Rosario (SS, NYM) - 23% owned
In his first 28 MLB games, Rosario has put up four homers and four steals. He is showing the power/speed combo that many expected, although the power may be developing sooner than anticipated. Facing favorable matchups, Rosario is a high-risk, high-reward play, with the possibility to provide five-category production if the stars align.
Ozzie Albies (2B/SS, ATL) - 8% owned
Like Rosario, Albies is a young top prospect who is showing flashes of his potential in his first taste of big league action. In 28 games, Albies has put together a respectable line of .277/2/17/12/2. The speed is real, and Albies should mix in a modicum of power. The favorable pitching matchups this week make him a good streaming option.
Manuel Margot (OF, SD) - 21% owned
The list of young, speedy prospects continues with Margot. In 99 games, he is sporting a .268/13/45/34/12 line. He is a good bet to steal you a base, and his average won’t hurt you. He faces decent but not spectacular pitching matchups, which is the reason for him not being higher on the list.
Tim Anderson (SS, CHW) - 27% owned
Rounding out the speedy youngsters is Tim Anderson. Anderson has had an up and down year. After hitting .204 in April, he batted .319 with four homers in May. After hitting .213 and .198 in June and July with a combined three homers, he batted .259 with five homers in August. For the year he does have 14 homers and six steals, and his history shows the potential for swiping many more bags. But with Anderson, you are really rolling the dice. If you can stomach the risk, take a chance.
Also Worth Monitoring
Kolten Wong (2B/OF, STL) – Wong has bounced back nicely from a poor 2016, batting .306 with four homers and six steals in half a season of at bats.
Michael Taylor (OF, WAS) – Taylor is starting to break out of his slump, and for the year he is sporting a .266 average with 12 homers and 12 steals in just 91 games.
Asdrubal Cabrera (2B/3B/SS, NYM) – Cabrera is far from an exciting fantasy asset, but he faces favorable matchups and can provide power and run production at multiple positions while not hurting you badly in average.
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