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Welcome back to Streaming Wars, your one-stop shop for streaming the waiver wire. This article, which began last season, runs seven days a week. We are always ready to stream.
For those who are newcomers to this feature - use this column on a daily basis to improve upon your neediest categories, and target players who may be available on your waiver wire.
Below are your pitcher and hitter streaming targets for Friday, May 25. Let's get to it.
Agenda
- Dan is Vogel Back
- Today's Weather and Updates
- Tomorrow's Picks
1. Dan is Vogel Back
With Dee Gordon sidelined, the Mariners have resummoned Dan Vogelbach. Since a demotion to Triple-A earlier in the season, Vogey batted .301/.449/.711 with nine home runs and over twice as many walks than strikeouts in 107 plate appearances. To say he's mastered Triple-A would be an understatement. He's 1-for-3 with a single and two walks since returning. I like him as a stash in any deep format.
2. Today's Weather and Updates - Thursday, May 24
I could have deleted this section today. Nothing to report here.
3. Streamer Picks - Friday, May 25
Pitchers to Use
We have a shocking volume of streamable pitchers on the bump tomorrow. You may not have access to Eduardo Rodriguez or Fernando Romero, but they're out there in shallow 12- and 10-team formats. ERod is hosting the Braves. Romero is visiting Seattle.
Joe Musgrove is poised for his Pirates debut. The righty posted strong peripherals while rehabbing, but I don't have any reports on his velocity. He's a potentially near-elite reliever who is looking to transition back to the rotation. Musgrove has plus control and average command. When complemented by a healthy swinging strike rate, there's some upside. If you decide to use or stash him, prepare to be patient.
Other Targets: Zach Eflin, Reynaldo Lopez, Ross Stripling
Pitchers to Exploit
Sal Romano is visiting Coors Field which is always an automatic target. The Rockies offense features quite a few unrostered scrubs who could benefit from a trip home. Romano is the sort of slightly below average pitcher who usually can't survive in Denver.
I've listed Clayton Richard here because he's maybe the most bland pitchers in the league. He also has a solid track record against the Dodgers. While I usually ignore this sort of matchup-based nonsense, I've seen him make too many compelling starts opposite San Diego's top foe. I suspect he "has their number." In this case, N equals a weakness to left-handed sinkers.
Other Targets: Derek Holland, Eric Skoglund, Mike Minor
Homers on the Wire
While I'm still 100% in on positive regression for Dexter Fowler, Tyler O'Neill has started to steal playing time. And O'Neill is a potentially game changing talent who should be owned in most formats. The skill set is there to replicate 2017 Domingo Santana. PNC Park is a rough venue for power, but Musgrove may be rusty enough to make some mistakes.
So I mentioned some Rockies scrubs a moment ago... Gerardo Parra seems to bat cleanup when he's in the lineup. Ian Desmond is legitimately showing signs of escaping from offensive purgatory. Carlos Gonzalez is not. If you need a catcher, Chris Iannetta is a decent target. Daniel Castro doesn't really have power, but he'll put the ball in play. Four of them are likely to play.
Other Targets: Franmil Reyes, Franchy Cordero, Enrique Hernandez, Hunter Dozier, Danny Valencia, Juan Soto, Adam Frazier, Josh Harrison, Gleyber Torres, Miguel Andujar
Steals on the Wire
Jackie Bradley Jr. and Eduardo Nunez aren't the strongest bets to steal a base - mostly because they aren't reaching in the first place. If they do find their way aboard during this series against the Braves, they'll have a good opportunity to run against Julio Teheran and Kurt Suzuki. They're extremely stolen base prone.
Other Targets: Travis Jankowski, Manuel Margot, Jose Peraza, Delino DeShields, Michael Taylor
Skill Positions
Austin Barnes is likely to be in the lineup versus a left-handed pitcher. He's having another solid season at the plate.
