For the second week in a row, I found it very difficult to limit my recommended pitching streamers to just 10 names. Also for the second time, a lot of the young pitchers I’ve often recommended didn’t make the cut because they will find themselves with difficult opponents (e.g. Tanner Bibee with one start against the Red Sox, Logan Allen with one start against the Astros, Mackenzie Gore with one start at Atlanta, Taj Bradley with one start against the Rangers). In standard 12-team leagues, especially points leagues, none of those pitchers should still be available. If they are, I will again recommend picking them up, especially Allen and Bibee who strengthened their hold on rotation spots with solid outings and with Cal Quantrill’s anticipated trip to the IL. I would, however, prioritize Eury Perez (listed below) over all those names.
But ultimately, this is a pitching streamers article. Below I have listed the 10 most likely to help your fantasy baseball team heading into Week 10. As always, I have arranged them is roster-percentage order.
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Top 10 Pitching Streamer Options For This Upcoming Week
Pitching Streamers Available in Some Leagues (About 50% to 65% Rostered)
Eury Perez SP Marlins
Last start: Sunday, May 28 @ Angels – 5IP W 0ER 2H 4BB 3K
Next start: Saturday, June 3 vs. A’s
1 start next week: Friday, June 9 @ White Sox
Maybe it’s because he’s not going deep into games, but I’m still stunned that Eury Perez is eligible for this article. Ok, fine, none of his first four starts have yielded a ‘quality start,’ but three of the four have given fantasy managers quality. His only blemish was a trip to Colorado (who can blame him?) and his latest start against the Angels was more than solid – five shutout innings! He only had three strikeouts (including Trout and Ohtani!), but still induced 11 swinging strikes on 79 pitches. You want some extra incentive? Check out his next two opponents. Tonight’s matchup is a no-brainer against the A’s and, for weekly transaction leagues, the White Sox are not too far from the bottom in most categories. They also rank 29th in walks which has been Perez’s only hiccup so far. Grab and hold, folks.
Michael Kopech SP White Sox
Last start: Monday, May 29 vs. Angels – 4.1IP L 4ER 5H 2BB 10K
Next start: Sunday, June 3 vs. Tigers
1 start next week: Saturday, June 10 vs. Marlins
The final line against the Angels on Monday isn’t going to look good, but Michael Kopech essentially had a bad first inning and settled down. He still had his fastball and slider working well as they generated 13 of the 17 swinging strikes he complied. Overall, he struck out 10. I know his overall numbers aren’t too great either, but with 29 Ks in his last 19.1 innings, it is very possible things have clicked for the one-time top prospect. With two very nice matchups on the horizon – home starts against the Tigers tomorrow and the Marlins next week – and with his roster percentage down slightly from last week, this seems like a good time to take the chance.
Dane Dunning SP/RP Rangers
Last start: Wednesday, May 31 @ Tigers – 5IP L 3ER 7H 1BB 6K
1 start next week: Tuesday, June 6 vs. Cardinals
After the birth of his child (congrats!), Dane Dunning’s start was pushed back to Wednesday at Detroit. Things went better than his line would indicate, as he left with two runners on in the sixth and both came around to score. Otherwise, another solid outing. In his five starts, he’s yet to yield more than three runs. The Cardinals are a bit of a step up in difficulty, but as long as Jacob Degrom remains sidelined (would you believe he had to pause his rehab because his wife is having a kid too?), Dunning remains a very useful streaming option in standard 12-team leagues.
Bobby Miller SP Dodgers
Last start: Monday, May 29 vs. Nationals – 6IP W 1ER 4H 1BB 4K
Next start: Sunday, June 4 vs. Yankees
1 start next week (tentative): Saturday, June 10 @ Phillies
Two starts and two wins now for the beginning of Bobby Miller’s career. He’s only given up two runs total and looked in charge against the Nationals on Monday. His swinging strikes were a little low again (eight on 87 pitches), but the Nationals, despite not being ranked very high offensively, strike out the least of any team in baseball. With Gavin Stone being sent down this week and Julio Urias not likely to return until after next week, Miller should get at least a few more starts. If he continues to pitch this well, the Dodgers could find a way for him to stick around. The Yankees and Phillies, his next two opponents, will be a test for him, but given the 99-MPH fastball and 5-pitch arsenal, he’s got the tools to pass it.
Pitching Streamers Available in Most Leagues (About 30% to 50% Rostered)
Mike Soroka SP Braves
Last start: Monday, May 29 @ A’s – 6IP L 4ER 5H 2BB 3K
Next start: Sunday, June 4 @ DBacks
Next week: Saturday, June 10 vs. Nationals
This week we welcomed back Mike Soroka who, due to a variety of injuries, made his first Major League start since August of 2020. The results were mixed. Obviously giving up four runs to the A’s doesn’t sound great, but all the damage was in one bad inning, the fifth, and he managed to go right back out in the sixth and shut things down. Going six after such a long absence (and only needing 83 pitches) could mean the Braves will let him pitch deep into games. Plus, his velocity was up across the board since we last saw him. I can’t recommend him tomorrow at Arizona unless you already lost ratios and just need volume, but the Nationals next week? Sure, I’d like to see if he’s still got it.
Jack Flaherty SP Cardinals
Last start: Saturday, May 27 @ Guardians 7IP 1ER 7H 1BB 4K
Next start: Saturday, June 3 @ Pirates
1 start next week: Friday, June 9 vs. Reds
It’s now two good starts out of the last three for Jack Flaherty, who was very effective in Cleveland this past weekend. Though he only struck out four and had a modest six swinging strikes out of 101 pitches, he only walked one (compared to four his last time out) and just yielded one run. Granted, this came against a team that is last in runs per game and very close to last in ratio categories. But his next two opponents – the Pirates tonight and the Reds next week – aren’t a ton better. And for what it’s worth, they both strike out more than the Guardians. Flaherty might not be all the way back to must-start status, but for a streamer, you can do a lot worse.
James Paxton SP Red Sox
Last start: Wednesday, May 31 vs. Reds – 5IP 1ER 4H 1BB 8K
2 starts next week: Tuesday, June 6 @ Guardians + Sunday, June 11th @Yankees
What year is this? It’s feeling a lot like 2016 for James Paxton right now. That was the last time he had this much life on his 4-seam fastball, a pitch he’s been dealing at 96 MPH since returning last month. It’s effective too. He generated 12 of his very impressive 22 swinging strikes with it on Wednesday and struck out eight. No one knows when his next injury will be, but while he continues to throw back the clock, you might want to take advantage of a two-start week coming up. The Guardians are last in runs per game, and though the Yankees are no slouch, they hit far fewer home runs against southpaws (0.46 per game vs. 1.22 HRs per game against RHPs). That’s good news for Paxton who has a suspect 1.9 HR/9 rate this season.
Pitching Streamers Widely Available (About 30% Rostered or Fewer)
Louie Varland SP Twins
Last start: Wednesday, May 31 @ Astros – 7IP W 0ER 4H 1BB 5K
2 starts next week: Tuesday, June 6 @ Rays + Sunday, June 11th @ Blue Jays
The quality starts are becoming contagious for Louie Varland. He had a wonderful outing on Wednesday, keeping the Astros scoreless for seven innings and generating 13 swinging strikes on 86 pitches. This makes four quality starts in his last five appearances, during which he’s substantially lowered his ERA and WHIP despite some very tough opponents (Astros, Blue Jays, Angels, Cubs). His propensity to allow hard contact might limit his ERA upside, and there’s a decent chance he gets demoted once Kenta Maeda returns from the IL (likely in two weeks), but for now there are very few streamers I’d rather have that are this widely available. He’ll draw two more heavyweights next week, but he’s proven he’s capable of handling it.
Kyle Bradish SP Orioles
Last start: Wednesday, May 28 vs. Rangers 6.2IP 1ER 4H 1BB 4K
Next start: Saturday, June 3 @ Giants
1 start next week: Friday, June 9 vs. Royals
OK, Kyle Bradish isn’t the most exciting pitcher. He doesn’t miss bats a ton (35 percentile whiff rate and 28% K rate), and he doesn’t necessarily limit hard contact (15% average exit velocity allowed and 16% hard hit rate). But considering that seven of the nine teams he’s faced so far are over .500, and that really he’s only had one bad start, I’d call his 3.89 ERA and four quality starts a big success. He’s on this list because of his next two opponents. The Giants, tonight’s matchup, are a league-average offense that hits for less power at home (.396 SLG vs. .442 on the road and .714 OPS vs. .765) and the Royals are in the bottom five in just about all offensive categories. He’s very available, so if all the other names above are gone, might as well go for it.
Braxton Garrett SP Marlins
Last start: Wednesday, May 31 vs. Padres 5.1IP 1ER 2H 1BB 7K
2 starts next week: Monday, June 5 vs. Royals + Sunday, June 11 @ White Sox
Braxton Garrett has given up two runs or fewer in each of his last four starts. If you go back further in his game logs, you’ll see he’s really just had two outings out of 11 where he’s yielded more than two. One of those was a disastrous 11-earned-run start against the Braves. He’s another young pitcher that is pretty good at missing bats, doesn’t hurt himself with walks, but tends to give up some hard contact. The good news is, the White Sox and Royals, his opponents in a two-start week, don’t make a ton of contact (towards the bottom of the league in batting average) and certainly not a lot of hard contact (28th and 29th in team OPS). He’s a great streamer option in deep leagues based on his availability.