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Welcome to the top hitter streamers column for Week 17 of the MLB season (7/19 through 7/25). This weekly piece should be helpful for anyone looking to gain an edge in their league. If you need a fill-in for an injured player or want to exploit some plus matchups in order to gain an edge on your opponent then you're in the right place. This article aims to keep you informed while helping you stay ahead of the competition so you can get an early jump on those waiver claims before your opponents.
Remember that this piece is forward-looking and a lot can happen over the course of a week. Potential pitching opponents, lineups, and projected number of at-bats are all subject to change so make sure you're following @RotoBallerMLB on Twitter to stay up to date! This will be our first full slate since the All-Star break so nearly half of the league is playing seven games with one team, the Twins, playing eight. We have plenty of streaming options to choose from so it's time to hunker down, get focused, and build some winning lineups.
Disclaimer: I am only highlighting players that are currently rostered in 50% or less of Yahoo! leagues, meaning you should have a decent chance of picking them up on the waiver wire. These recommendations should apply to most league settings and formats as I'm looking for players who can help you across a variety of scoring categories. If the following names aren't available, feel free to read our Waiver Wire Pickups piece that drops every Monday for more ideas. Alright, let's get after it.
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Bats to Stream and Start in Week 17
Seven Game Weeks:
ATL, BOS, CHC, CWS, CLE, DET, LAD, MIA, MIN*, SD, SF, STL, TB, TEX
*eight games
Stream of the Week
Alex Kirilloff (1B/OF, MIN): 32% Rostered
Kirilloff was one of the first high-profile prospects to be called up to the majors back in mid-April and predictably received a lot of attention. He struggled to hit with much consistency over his first 12 games but did swat four homers before hitting the injured list with a left wrist sprain. A lot of his shine wore off as he was sidelined for nearly three weeks due to the injury. He's been solid since his IL activation back on May 21 but he's really come alive over the last 16 games. He's slashing .290/.362/.500 with four doubles, three home runs, 13 RBI, a stolen base, and eight runs scored over that span (62 at-bats). That gives him a .265/.315/.450 batting line with 11 doubles, eight home runs, 34 RBI, and 23 runs scored for the season.
His expected stats are excellent as well with a .292 xBA (95th percentile), .374 xwOBA (89th percentile), and .545 xSLG (94th percentile). He's also registered a 43.1% hard-hit rate and 13.1% barrel rate. He's hit in the heart of the Twins' lineup, typically fourth or fifth over the last few weeks, and should see at least 30 at-bats with Minnesota playing eight games. The Twins are slated to face five right-handed starters and three lefties.
Kiriloff could do some damage against the up-and-down Dylan Cease (6.06 ERA in three starts vs. MIN) and Alex Cobb (4.23 ERA). He's also fared well against left-handed hurlers this year with a .306/.338/.516 batting line to go along with four doubles, three home runs, and 11 RBI over 62 at-bats. That should give him an edge against the likes of Dallas Keuchel (4.25 ERA/4.73 FIP), Andrew Heaney (5.38 ERA/4.14 FIP), and Patrick Sandoval (3.70 ERA/4.31 FIP). Kiriloff has a high ceiling and could be in line for a big second half so snagging him now while he's rostered in just 32% of Yahoo! leagues would be a wise move.
Catcher
Luis Torrens (C, SEA): 6% Rostered
Torrens started the season as the Mariners' primary catcher but got off to an ugly start at the dish. He hit a paltry .178 with a .519 OPS over his first 96 plate appearances before being optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on May 20. He was recalled back on June 15 and has been quietly raking ever since. Over his last eight games, he's slashing a rock-solid .333/.484/.667 with a triple, two home runs, five RBI, four runs scored, and a 6:7 K/BB ratio. Overall, he has a .221/.291/.456 batting line to go along with six doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 20 RBI, and 19 runs scored across 149 at-bats. The lower rate stats have a lot to do with his poor start but his expected stats show he's been better than advertised. He's sporting a decent .253 xBA, .340 xwOBA, and .469 xSLG with a 12.7% barrel rate and 39.1% hard-hit rate.
The M's begin the week with a two-game set against the Rockies in Coors Field before heading home to host the Athletics for a four-game series. They will be facing two of the Rockies' best pitchers in German Marquez and Jon Gray but both hurlers rely on their four-seam fastballs 45% and 47% of the time, respectively. Torrens has a .299xBA and .631 xSLG against fastballs this season, which also favors him in his matchups against Oakland's James Kaprielian (53% fastball usage) and Frankie Montas (62.8% fastball usage).
Something to keep an eye on is the fact that Seattle called up catcher prospect Cal Raleigh right before the All-Star break and he remains on the roster at the time of this writing. As of now, the M's are rostering three catchers between Torrens, Raleigh, and Tom Murphy. However, Torrens is slashing .308/.372/.692 with four home runs, seven RBI, and seven runs scored while serving as Seattle's designated hitter (43 plate appearances). He should be locked into regular at-bats behind the plate in Colorado and is capable of serving as the DH in Oakland if necessary. Murphy and Raleigh are more likely to compete for playing time given Torrens' recent performance at the plate.
Luis Torrens since rejoining the Mariners:
16G, .269/.377/.692/1.069, 14H, 1 2B, 7HR, 12R, 13RBI, 9BB, 13K. #Mashing— Mariners Minors (@MiLBMariners) July 10, 2021
Also Consider: Max Stassi (C, LAA): 26% Rostered
Corner Infield
Andrew Vaughn (1B/OF, CWS): 33% Rostered
We've recommended Vaughn as a streamer in the past and we're going back to the well this week. The 23-year-old was on fire before the All-Star break, slashing a monstrous .395/.417/.744 with three doubles, four home runs, and nine RBI with 10 runs over the last 12 games. He's battled inconsistency, as one would expect with a rookie slugger, but he's put together a decent campaign overall. He's batting .253/.320/.452 to go along with 18 doubles, 10 home runs, 26 RBI, one stolen base, and 38 runs scored over 241 at-bats. The slugging percentage certainly stands out and it shouldn't be surprising with his 50.3% hard-hit rate (89th percentile), 115 mph max exit velocity (95th percentile), and 91.8 mph average exit velocity.
His expected statistics (.249 xBA/.343 xwOBA/.450 xSLG) aren't far off his real stats so what you see is what you get. He's had his ups and downs as mentioned earlier but he's just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential. He hits the ball to all fields with a 31.5% pull rate, 34.8% straight rate, and 33.7% oppo rate and there are RBI opportunities aplenty in the loaded White Sox lineup. Vaughn entered the season with a tremendous amount of hype but was cast aside when he didn't start producing immediately. His roster shares have ticked up recently given how he ended the first half of the season but the getting is still good. He's worth a test drive against the Twins pitching staff, which ranks in the bottom 10% in wOBA, wOBAcon, xBA, xwOBA, xSLG, and xwOBAcon.
Andrew Vaughn - Chicago White Sox (10) pic.twitter.com/805nsaXH1L
— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) July 11, 2021
Also Consider: C.J. Cron (1B, COL): 35% Rostered; Jace Peterson (1B/2B/3B/OF, MIL): 40% Rostered
Middle Infield
Leury Garcia (2B/3B/SS/OF, CWS): 21% Rostered
Garcia has been logging more regular playing time than expected due to all of the injuries the White Sox have had this season. He's battled shoulder and knee issues himself but he's been putting up solid numbers over the last month. Across the last 22 games, he's slashing .338/.424/.549 with five extra-base hits, three home runs, 20 RBI, and a 17:12 K/BB ratio. On the year, he's batting .263/.330/.369 with 10 doubles, three triples, three home runs, 39 RBI, two stolen bases, and 36 runs scored. He is posting a 23.3% strikeout rate, his worst mark in three seasons, but is also posting a career-best 9.3% walk rate. He's also registered a career-high in hard-hit rate (33.5%) and fly ball rate (19.2%) for the year.
Something has clicked over the last month though, as he's posted a 39% hard-hit rate, 20% strikeout rate, and 14% walk rate, which all outpace his season numbers. The White Sox are playing seven games next week, four vs. the Twins at home and three at the Brewers. The switch-hitting Garcia performs relatively well against both right-handers (.702 OPS) and lefties (.689 OPS). He's homered off of Michael Pineda (1.118 OPS in 17 career at-bats) and Jose Berrios as well. He offers a ton of versatility in most fantasy formats with his multi-position eligibility, which makes him easier to roster. He also ranks in the 82nd percentile in sprint speed. He's not flashy but he should provide a solid batting average, on-base percentage, and can get you some runs.
Josh Harrison (2B/3B/OF, WSH): 11% Rostered
Harrison has been a reliable hitter for the Nationals this year but it's mostly gone under the radar in the fantasy community. "J Hay" is a known commodity at this stage of his career so that could be why he's received little attention but his numbers may surprise you. Heading into the All-Star break, he was slashing .271/.348/.375 with 13 doubles, five home runs, 32 RBI, five stolen bases, and 29 runs scored across 269 at-bats. His rate stats have been solid and his expected stats are not far off with a .269 xBA, .333 xwOBA, and .407 xSLG. The 34-year-old utility man is also posting career-highs in hard-hit rate (32.9% ), average exit velocity (87.1 mph), max exit velocity (108.2 mph), and walk rate (6.9%).
The Nats host the Marlins for a three-game series before heading to Baltimore for a three-game set next week. The only reliable starter they're slated to face is Sandy Alcantara as the Marlins are likely to throw out Jordan Holloway and possibly Ross Detwiler in a bullpen game in that series. The Orioles pitching staff ranks in the bottom 1% in baseball in wOBAcon (.407), xBA (.262), xwOBA (.344), and xSLG (.450). Harrison has a career .471/.500/.588 slash line in 17 at-bats against Matt Harvey and Keegan Akin has posted a 7.54 ERA over 45 1/3 innings. He's got a pretty safe floor, logging the majority of his plate appearances while batting second (88 AB's), fifth (51 AB's), or sixth (51 AB's). The ceiling is higher than many realize as Washington should tee off on the lowly O's.
Also Consider: Jed Lowrie (2B, OAK): 18% Rostered; Brad Miller (1B/2B/3B/OF, SEA): 7% Rostered
Outfield
Josh Rojas (2B/SS/OF, ARI): 40% Rostered
Rojas has been a streaky hitter throughout the season for the D-Backs. He started the year as the primary leadoff man but got off to a brutal start, hitting just .146 with a .520 OPS over the first 17 games of the year. He was dropped in the batting order after his early struggles but then proceeded to hit .369 with a 1.074 OPS over the next 17 games. He's had hot and cold streaks ever since and has his season batting line up to a respectable .256/.337/.424 with 18 doubles, 10 home runs, 26 RBI, five stolen bases, and 45 runs scored across 297 at-bats.
He slashed .279/.389/.377 with three doubles, one home run, five RBI, and two swipes over the last 17 games leading up to the All-Star break and could spark another hot streak given the favorable pitching matchups the D-Backs will see next week. They'll host the Pirates at home for three games before heading to Wrigley Field for a three-game set with the Cubs. They're slated to face six right-handers and Rojas, who bats from the left side, is batting .255 with a .744 OPS against righties.
His rate stats are nothing special vs. right-handed pitching but the majority of his counting stats have come against them with 13 extra-base hits, six home runs, 19 RBI, and three stolen bases. On top of that, Chase De Jong (5.59 ERA), Wil Crowe (6.05 ERA), Zach Davies (4.37 ERA), Jake Arrieta (6.30 ERA), and Alec Mills (4.84 ERA) don't pose much of a threat. Rojas has been locked in as Arizona's leadoff man and will get plenty of cracks at the leaky Pittsburgh and Chicago rotations.
Also Consider: Robbie Grossman (OF, DET): 36% Rostered; Avisail Garcia (OF, MIL): 50% Rostered
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