Top Hitter Streamers - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups and Starts for Week 22

August 20, 2023

Fantasy baseball hitter streamers and starts for Week 21 of the 2023 season. Dawn Tepper analyzes the top batter streamers to pick up.

Welcome to another week of sifting through top hitter streamers, RotoBallers! We are looking ahead at the top hitter streamers and starts for fantasy baseball Week 22 -- Monday, August 21 through Sunday, August 27. For those new to this series, each week, our fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups column will identify hitters with good matchups and can be considered waiver wire streamers ahead of the Sunday night waiver wire runs for leagues with weekly transactions.

When you find yourself with a hole in your roster due to injury or otherwise, you need to find a week's worth of solid production from a new addition to your roster. That's where streaming comes in. Today, we will review potential hitters to stream in Week 21. Let's see which ones make the list.

We look into some hitters playing in most games and have favorable matchups to help you stay at the top as the season progresses. As always, check out the rest of our fantasy baseball streamer content after you read this piece!

What Teams Offer The Most Streaming Value?

There are seven teams playing seven games between Monday, August 21, and Sunday, August 27:

• Oakland Athletics
• Pittsburgh Pirates
• Chicago Cubs
• Cincinnati Reds
• Houston Astros
• Chicago White Sox
• Boston Red Sox

Best Sub-50% Rostered Hitters For This Week

There are no games at Coors next week, but there are six at Camden Yards, where the temperatures will be in the mid-80s to mid-90s all week, and the Mariners will play three games on the South Side of Chicago, all of which will be versus right-handed pitchers. In the last 30 days versus righties, Seattle is slashing .260/.335/.478 with a .814 OPS. In another great set of matchups, the Pirates will play all seven games next week at home in hitter-friendly PNC Park.

The Marlins have six games next week: three at home and three in San Diego. Miami has recently snuck back onto my radar, slashing .261/.317/.405 for the season and winning six of their last 10 games.

Miami Marlins Versus Right-Handed Pitchers At Home (2023)

They are currently fourth in the league in batting average with a .260 BA, and in the month of August, they are .239/.293/.426. They have three games at home next week, where they are slashing .274/.326/.408 with a .547 win percentage.

Fantasy owners can utilize streamers between teams under 50% rostered.

• MIA @ SD, Aug 21 -Aug 23
• SEA @ CHW, Aug 21 -Aug 23
• PIT vs. CHI, Aug 23 -Aug 27
• CHI @ PIT, Aug 23 -Aug 27
• OAK @ CHI, Aug 24 -Aug 27
• STL @ PIT, Aug 21 -Aug 23

Week 21 Fantasy Baseball Hitter Streamers

Bryan De La Cruz, OF - Miami Marlins (41% Rostered)

Right-hander De La Cruz will be facing all right-handed pitchers at home versus the Nationals next week, where he is slashing .251/.300/.436 versus righties. De La Cruz and the Marlins start the week off on the road in San Diego, where in three games versus the Padres this year, he is slashing .364/.462/.636.

In 2023, De La Cruz is batting .294/.340/.461 at home, with seven home runs and 35 RBI. The Marlins have a .190 ISO for the season and are just above .500 in wins and losses. De La Cruz will be able to help the Marlins continue their upward trend this week with great matchups in San Diego and at home versus Washington.

Mike Tauchman,  OF, Chicago Cubs (29% Rostered)

Lefty Tauchman and the Cubs face five right-handed pitchers next week, three out of four, in hitter-friendly PNC Park versus the Pirates. For August, Tauchman is .295/.407/.500, and post All-Star break, he is batting .319/.404/.532.

Versus right-handed pitchers this season, he is .275/.373/.425 with six home runs and 35 RBI. In six games versus the Pirates this year, he has a .400 batting average with 10 hits, a home run, six RBI, and eight runs scored. Pick up this guy while you can!

Andrew McCutchen, OF - Pittsburgh Pirates (21% Rostered)

The Pirates have seven games at home next week, four versus left-handed pitchers. In the right-hander's current season with Pittsburgh, he has a .253 batting average with 11 home runs, 36 RBI, and a 114 wRC+.

McCutchen has had a cold streak, having not hit a home run since June 30. Saturday night in Minnesota, he blasted a three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning, propelling the Pirates to a 7-4 win over the Twins. McCutchen and the Pirates have great matchups next week; roster him confidently.

Brent Rooker, OF - Oakland Athletics (14% Rostered)

Rooker has gone .389/.421/.500 in his last five games, and in games on the road, he is batting .261/.346/.511 with 14 home runs and 35 RBI. Rooker has been a standout for the A's this season, with a .333 batting average and three extra-base hits over his last seven games.

The A's play seven games next week, four of which are on the road versus the White Sox. In 18 games versus the AL Central, the A's are slashing .237/.310/.404 with 19 home runs and 89 RBI. They are batting .228/.294/.405 for August, with their highest slugging percentage of the season. Count on Rooker to make some noise this week and roster him with confidence.

Ryan O'Hearn, 1B, OF - Baltimore Orioles (11% Rostered)

Lefty O'Hearn is facing two out of three right-handed pitchers at home next week, versus whom he is slashing .300/.336/.484. For the season, O'Hearn is batting .300/.339/.509 with ten home runs and 40 RBI. In 102 plate appearances against right-handed pitchers at home this season, the left-hander has a .283 batting average with three home runs and 18 RBI.

O'Hearn did not make it onto the 26-man roster after spring training, but since being called up on May 9 from Norfolk, he has bloomed into a .300 hitter with 69 hits in 77 games. Look for this trend to continue and roster him with confidence.

Other Hitter Streamers to Consider

• Spencer Torkelson, 1B - Detroit Tigers (49% Rostered)
• Austin Hays, OF - Baltimore Orioles (43% Rostered)
• Royce Lewis, SS, 3B - Minnesota Twins (38% Rostered)
• Harold Ramirez, 1B, OF - Tampa Bay Rays (24% Rostered)

That's it for Week 21 hitter streamers; see you next week!

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