Top Hitter Streamers - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups and Starts for Week 5

April 24, 2023

Fantasy baseball hitter streamers and starts for Week 5 hitters of the 2023 season to add from the waiver wire and stream. Rephael analyzes the top batter streamers to pick up.

Hey, RotoBallers! April is coming to an end, but that means we turn another page in the calendar year. The month of May is just around the corner and the weather is only improving, which could be helpful to an MLB team's offense. The Cinderella stories of the Pirates and Diamondbacks have gone on for weeks at this stage, and teams are starting to put big numbers on the board.

With Week 4 in the books and another fruitful week of baseball on the horizon, it's time to look at the top hitter streamers and starts for fantasy baseball Week 5, running from April 24 - April 30. Last week's suggestions were headlined by Logan O'Hoppe, Ke'Bryan Hayes, and Harold Ramirez, who all fulfilled our projections. This week should be another action-packed extravaganza, especially if you're eyeballing the waiver wire.

One of the most fundamental aspects of building a fantasy baseball team is keeping tabs on the waiver wire in case a player is underperforming or a player succumbs to an injury. We take a look at players that have been flourishing at the plate and have favored matchups heading into the week. We find the most valuable hitter streamers along with a descriptive blurb on what they will contribute. Let's get going!

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What Teams Offer The Most Streaming Value?

13 teams play seven games between Monday, April 24 and Sunday, April 30. Those teams are:

• Yankees
• Twins
• Orioles
• Rays
• Rangers
• White Sox
• Marlins
• Braves
• Tigers
• Angels
• A's
• Royals
• Cardinals

There are a handful of favorable matchups from these 13 teams, most notably a three-game stint for the Rangers at hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park. Balls have been carrying quite a bit in Guaranteed Rate Field, and the Rays will have the honor of spending four days in the Windy City to sustain their near-historic hot streak. There are a handful of other teams that have favorable matchups in Week 5, and it's time to take a look at when these matchups will occur.

• TEX@ CIN, April 24- 26
• TB@ CWS, April 27- 29
• OAK@ LAA, April 24- 27
• NYY@ TEX, April 27- 30
• ARI@ COL, April 28- 30

The Rockies are home for just one series, but the division-leading Dbacks will have three shots at getting their offense going in Coors Field. The A's haven't been much of a juggernaut at the plate, but the least they can do is go to work in Angel Stadium, even though Shohei Ohtani is slated to start on Monday. The Yankees bats need to rejuvenate and a four-game set in Globe Life Field, which is notoriously known to favor hitters, could lend a hand.

The Cardinals, Rays, and Orioles all play seven games with favorable matchups. That's if the Astros (vs. Rays) and Dodgers (vs. Cardinals) continue to underperform. Depending if the Rays and Orioles can stay hot at the plate and the Cards can amp up their offensive output, there are some notable players to keep tabs on that are rostered below 50%. They include Isaac Paredes, Christian Bethancourt, Paul DeJong, and Alec Burleson.

Week 5 Fantasy Baseball Hitter Streamers

Mark Canha, New York Mets (15% Rostered)

Canha came out slumping to kick off the season, but his bat has recently begun to stabilize. Over the past seven games, through 23 at-bats, Canha is slashing .348/.407/.435 with three RBI and three walks. He's applying himself more in each at-bat, which is likely the cause of his uptick in offensive output. On the season, the 34-year-old is hitting .240/.337/.400 with a 109 wRC+.

The Mets are poised to stomp over the Nats this week, followed by a division showdown with the seemingly invincible Braves. Canha should be productive, especially since righties have a .750 OPS against Nationals pitching. He's available in most leagues and should be a productive streamer with the plus matchup.

Wilmer Flores, San Francisco Giants (19% Rostered)

Flores was an under-the-radar acquisition for the Giants back in 2020 and has been a valuable source on both sides of the ball ever since. This season, however, Flores has been exceptional at the plate, while going unsung. Through 67 plate appearances, the 31-year-old is slashing .286/.328/.476 with three homers and a .361 wOBA. He hasn't locked in a fielding spot due to the influx of superior defenders, but he's played 15 games at first base.

The Giants are slated to face a pair of scuffling southpaws in the Cardinals rotation, with middling Jake Woodford in between. There's a promising chance that Flores will put up big numbers this week considering his lifetime .812 OPS against lefties. Fantasy managers should stream him this week, especially since his recent uptick at the plate.

Enrique Hernandez, Boston Red Sox (28% Rostered)

Hernandez had quite a disappointing season last year when he filed an appalling .629 OPS. He started off the 2023 season at a similar pace and showed no signs of improvement at the plate up until 15 games ago. Since then, Hernandez is hitting .286/.349/.446 with 16 hits, one HR, and five RBI. Surprisingly enough, his 25% strikeout rate is higher than last year (17.7%), but he's putting more balls in play.

Boston will have two tough matchups when they play three in Baltimore. Tyler Wells has gotten off on the right foot, followed by Kyle Bradish, who has looked sharp in his first two starts. Hernandez isn't available in the majority of leagues. If he can sustain this type of performance at the plate, fantasy managers should certainly stream him for Week 5.

Conner Capel, Oakland A's (0% Rostered)

Based on his 0% rostered mark, it's pretty clear that fantasy managers haven't been on top of their game. Capel debuted last season with the A's before spending time in St. Louis but only made 59 PAs at the major league level. He then returned to Oakland and has been a stud ever since. Through 48 PAs, Capel displays a .296/.354/.364 triple slash line with a 112 wRC+.

Oakland has a -103 run differential, but that won't impact Capel's ability to hit at a high level. The A's will have two tough matchups in Patrick Sandoval and Shohei Ohtani, followed by a below-average Reds rotation to cap off the week. As long as Capel continues to surge at the plate, you should do him a solid by improving his roster percentage.

Oswald Peraza, New York Yankees (7% Rostered)

Peraza was called up in early April when third baseman Josh Donaldson was diagnosed with a hamstring strain. With Donaldson expected to miss a few more weeks, Peraza has a clear path to squirm his way into the everyday lineup. Since being promoted, the 22-year-old is posting a .200/.338/.250 line with two RBI and a .568 OPS. He's only made 15 at-bats and was hitting to the tune of a .357 OPB in Triple-A Scranton before being promoted.

While he hasn't had much success at the plate, Peraza is a more than capable hitter. Although the Yankees will face frontline starters in Sonny Gray and Joe Ryan, he should have some success in hitter-friendly Globe Life Field. Fantasy managers should take a hard look at Peraza, especially if you're down a utility man. If he continues to post impressive discipline numbers (12.5% strikeout rate), then his bat is certainly bound to break out.

Kevin Kiermaier, Toronto Blue Jays (5% Rostered)

It has been a rare occurrence for Kiermaier to stay healthy over the past few seasons. Once he's on the field, he makes a profound impact, though. Yes, he's a three-time Gold Glove winner and one of the most talented center fielders in baseball, but his bat is quite intriguing. He's played 17 games so far with a .310/.322/.448 slash line, with six RBI and a 116 OPS+. He's only missed five games, which is probably for the better considering his health in past years.

Yasmani Grandal, Chicago White Sox (23% Rostered)

Grandal has been obliterated by constant injuries and hasn't played more than 100 games since his 2019 All-Star season. He's played 19 games, 15 of them behind the dish, and he's already hitting like his old self. Through 72 PAs, Grandal displays a .281/.361/.484 slash line, with two homers and a 134 OPS+. He isn't creating loud contact, as demonstrated by his 11th percentile in hard-hit%, but he's putting balls in play and finding more gaps (seven doubles).

The White Sox have a tough slate of games ahead of them but are fortunately facing the middle of the Blue Jays rotation, starting with Chris Bassitt on Monday. They are hosting the Rays over the weekend, who currently have sole possession of the lowest ERA in baseball -- 2.71. Despite the difficult matchup, Grandal is still a viable option to stream for Week 5.

Other Hitter Streamers to Consider

• Jonah Heim, C- Texas Rangers (59% rostered)
• Christian Bethancourt, C/1B- Tampa Bay Rays (10% rostered)
• Connor Joe, 1B/OF- Pittsburgh Pirates (21% rostered)
• Corey Julks, OF- Houston Astros (1% rostered)
• Spencer Steer, 1B/3B- Cincinnati Reds (13% rostered)
• Pavin Smith, 1B/OF- Arizona Diamondbacks (3% rostered)

That's it for Week 5 hitter streamers; come back next for Week 6!

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