RADIO
Welcome back, RotoBallers! As a reminder, in this piece we're looking for the top hitters to add and stream in Week 8 of the fantasy baseball season.
We will simply evaluate weekly streamers, which means players who are 50% owned or less in Yahoo! leagues and who have seven games in the week.
With that said, let’s dive into the stream(ers).
Editor's Note: Our friends at Fantrax have even more fantasy baseball advice columns and videos to help improve your teams. Be sure to also check them out!
Bats to Stream and Start in Week 8
Tommy Joseph (1B, PHI) - 22% owned
TJ usually is a dreaded term in baseball, but this week a different type of TJ is our top streamer. Joseph burst onto the scene last year hitting .257 with 21 homers in only 107 games. That made him a trendy sleeper pick heading into the year, but after hitting .179 with one homer in the first month of the season, he became widely available. And while I am against chasing a hot hitter, his start to May indicates to me “He is who we thought he is” – Herm Edwards (paraphrased). In May, he’s hitting .383 with five homers. While he won’t hit .383, he also won’t carry the .179 average he put up in May. He will give you an average you can stomach, with lots of power and decent run production. Combine that with favorable pitching matchups this week, and you have the reasoning for TJ being this week’s top streamer.
Kevin Kiermaier (OF, TB) - 17% owned
After starting with power, we are shifting to speed. After stealing 18 bases in 2015, Kiermaier stole 21 in just 105 games last year and already has six in 43 games this year. He faces six righties this week, and he sports a .264 career average with a homer every 34.7 at bats against righties. Thus, we have a player who steals bases, on an underrated offense (sixth in MLB in wOBA versus righties), who hits righties much better and gets to face six of them. Take Kiermaier and expect a productive week.
David Peralta (OF, ARI) - 42% owned
Peralta is a player who has been tough to evaluate due to injuries. After surprisingly hitting .312 with 17 homers and nine steals in 2015, many predicted an emerging fantasy star in 2016. However, injuries limited him to 48 games. Now, he is currently battling a glute injury but did play Friday and picked up two hits, two RBI and a home run. With a .300 average, four homers, and four steals to start the year, he’s showing signs of his 2015 performance. Plus, the Diamondbacks should face either five or six righties, which is especially important for Peralta; he has hit .311 with a homer every 29 at bats versus righties, but only .217 with a homer every 109 at bats against lefties. Monitor his health, and if he stays healthy, add him for five or six very good games this week.
Freddy Galvis (SS, PHI) - 13% owned
Despite hitting 20 homers and stealing 17 bases last year, Galvis flies under the fantasy radar. He is on a similar pace to start the year, with four homers and three steals. He is unlikely to give you much in the way of average (.241 each of the last two years), but if you’re in need of a middle infielder, he is a very good power/speed dual threat. Moreover, he faces good matchups this week. If he’s on the wire, he’s worth a look.
Josh Bell (1B/OF, PIT) - 41% owned
Josh Bell was a bit of an unusual first base prospect; he wasn’t the prototypical slugger you’d expect. However, he had great walk and strikeout ratios, leading to a .303/.373/.454 line in the minors, with 209 walks to 305 strikeouts. While his OBP won’t help you in 5x5 formats, he should give you decent batting average (once his .248 BABIP rises to expected levels) with emerging power (nine homers so far this year). He faces good pitching matchups this week, making him a decent streaming option if available.
Josh Harrison (2B/3B, PIT) - 40% owned
Harrison has been a semi-regular on the streaming list this year due to his multi-positional eligibility and combination of speed and average. After putting up 21 homers and 57 steals the prior three years while never hitting below .383, he has a .286/6/17/14/2 line to start this year. Going forward, I would expect less power but more speed and a similar average. With favorable matchups this week, he’s a good plug and play option.
Logan Morrison (1B, TB) - 23% owned
LoMo has an astounding 26.8% HR/FB rate to start the year, which is well about his 12.8% career rate. That explains why he already has 11 homers to start the year. Nevertheless, a .246/11/20/27/0 line in 40 games is impressive. Factor in good pitching matchups this week, and he’s a good option for power and run production, while likely offering little in the batting average and stolen base departments.
Also worth monitoring
Scott Schebler (OF, CIN) – Schebler faces tough pitchers this week, but he does get to face seven righties. While the 26 year-old has a career line of .254/22/59/65/7 career line in 139 games, the large majority (.266 with 19 homers and six steals) of that damage has come against righties.
Didi Gregorius (SS, NYY) – He broke out last year, going .276/20/68/70/7. After an injury suffered during the WBC, he has a .320/1/9/13/1 line in 18 games to start the year. He’d be higher up if he faced better pitching matchups.
Nick Markakis (OF, ATL) – Markakis faces good matchups, and he is a decent hitter. However, he is in an Atlanta lineup missing Freddie Freeman, and his lack of homers and steals makes him a better real life option than fantasy option.
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