RADIO
Welcome to Streaming Wars, your one-stop shop for streaming the waiver wire. Use this column to improve upon your neediest categories.
Below are your pitcher and hitter streaming targets for Saturday, June 10th.
Let's get to it.
Featured Promo: Get any MLB Premium Pass FREE ($119 value) AND up to a $200 deposit match when you sign up with Rival Fantasy. Rival offers 6 and 12-team Best Ball, weekly and daily contests, for as little as $3 per entry. No roster management, just draft and Rival sets your best lineup automatically. Playing fantasy baseball has never been easier! Sign Up Today!
Agenda
- Tell Us Your Preference
- Today's Weather and Updates
- Tomorrow's Picks
1. Tell Us Your Preference
Since I failed to post yesterday, you get a bonus post today. This could, theoretically, become the typical writing schedule for me. Please vote for which day you prefer covered. Or if you have no preference, don't vote.
If you can only have one, which day would you prefer an episode of Streaming Wars?
— Brad Johnson (@BaseballATeam) June 9, 2017
2. Today's Weather and Updates
Cleveland and Pittsburgh have a 30 to 40 percent chance of storms today. Boston may be wet tomorrow.
3. Tomorrow's Picks - Saturday, June 10th
There are two doubleheaders tomorrow. The Rays and A's are playing two in Tampa while the Mets and Braves are making up a game in Atlanta.
Pitchers to Use
It's a busy day for streaming pitchers. They can be sorted into three asset classes - should be rostered, solid depth, and risky volume. Godley is the guy who ought to be taken in most leagues. The righty was recently demoted for a short rest to help manage his innings. He's posting a Dallas Keuchel-like 64 percent ground ball rate with comparably solid 7.65 K/9 and 2.87 BB/9.
Dan Straily is a steady hand versus most opponents. Of course, he'll have his bad days. Statistically, he reminds me of a poor man's Marco Estrada. Straily will pump out quality starts without every dazzling. Ariel Miranda is more volatile than Straily, but he's starting to emerge as a regular streaming weapon.
The rest listed below are dangerous. Of the group, Robert Gsellman has the most potential to help your team beyond tomorrow. When he's on, he limits home runs while posting a healthy strikeout rate. He hasn't been on very often this year. Most recently, he's shown signs of a rebound.
Other Targets: Sean Newcomb, Matt Andriese, Josh Tomlin, Junior Guerra
Pitchers to Exploit
Miguel Diaz is a Rule 5 pick who has struggled out of the Padres bullpen. A start should ignite the Royals otherwise pitiful lineup.
Nick Pivetta reminds me of a poor man's Jose Berrios (the 2016 version) in that I believe the future is bright for the righty. In the meantime, he's likely to be hammed by the Cardinals. St. Louis has become a regular locale for offensive streamers.
Other Targets: Martin Perez, Eddie Butler, Trevor Williams, Ricky Nolasco, Mike Fiers, David Holmberg, Chris Tillman, Asher Wojciechowski
Homers on the Wire
Last night, I watched Didi Gregorius pull a home run. He took an awkward swing at a low and away pitch, and it still left the yard. As somebody with a background in pitching, it's frustrating when the hitter takes a terrible swing and gets a good result. In any case, Gregorius will still be in tiny Yankee Stadium when he faces the broken version of Tillman tomorrow. Seth Smith also benefits from the park, although he does have a tougher opponent.
It's a good day to target Mets since they have a couple games. Neil Walker is the most likely to play both contests. Wilmer Flores has the platoon advantage in the early match while Lucas Duda looks like a great option in the late afternoon.
Since mid-May, Hunter Renfroe is slashing .284/.341/.642 with seven home runs in 88 plate appearances. He'll see homer prone Kennedy.
Other Targets: Hernan Perez, David Peralta, Chase Utley, Jed Lowrie, Ryan Schimpf, Hunter Renfroe, Jorge Bonifacio, Brandon Moss, Josh Reddick, Derek Dietrich, Tommy Pham, Paul DeJong
Steals on the Wire
With Kevin Kiermaier set to miss the next two months, speedster Mallex Smith gets a chance to swipe bases by the bushel. Having watched Smith a few times in Durham in addition to scouting video over the offseason, there's a lot to like about him in the long term. Right now, he's prone to giving away at bats by quickly falling in an 0-2 hole. His swing is often extremely defensive. When he does take a good hack, it's tuned for line drives. His plate discipline is a plus, although major league pitchers will simply challenge him rather than issue walks.
Delino DeShields will have the platoon advantage over Gio Gonzalez. He may bat leadoff too. The righty has stolen 10 bases in 149 plate appearances. Strikeouts remain a going concern. He fans too often for a punchless rabbit.
Other Targets: Jarrod Dyson, Taylor Motter, Leury Garcia, Jose Reyes, Michael Taylor, Delino DeShields
Skill Positions
All or nothing Austin Hedges is the catcher to stream tomorrow. One day, he may even be good enough to own permanently.
More Lineups Advice
Premium Tools & DFS Research
Get a free trial of our powerful MLB Premium Tools. Our famous DFS Optimizer & Lineup Generator, daily Matchup Ratings, expert DFS Lineups/Cheat Sheets, and more.
