2025 Fantasy Baseball: Pitching Streamers for Week of May 12

As we continue through the regular and fantasy baseball seasons, we should be able to more effectively find pitching streamers with advantageous matchups to exploit. That is the idea with this column – identifying various factors that should lead to a positive pitching performance for fantasy managers in need of some productive innings.

Take a look below at some of my favorite targets for the upcoming week.

Pitching Streamers Available in Some Leagues (Over 25% Rostered)

Tony Gonsolin (SP – LAD)

Next Start: Tuesday, 5/13 vs ATH

After a prolonged recovery from multiple issues, Tony Gonsolin looks like he is back to his 2022 self, or at least close to it. In two starts this season, as of writing, Gonsolin has racked up 17 strikeouts to just two walks across 11 innings. He should be able to continue this stretch of success against the Athletics.

While the Athletics have a winning record, they have the ninth-worst run differential. They can put up scores, but have also been outscored quite a bit. This could lead to a few more earned runs than usual for Gonsolin, but at the very least, this should end up as a win.

Gonsolin is typically an average groundball pitcher, but has been below average so far. That could correct as his sample size grows.

On a positive note, Gonsolin’s slider looks excellent. He has thrown it 40 times, and it has yet to be hit. It has induced a 61% whiff rate and a 33% putaway rate. His splitter has also been filthy, rocking a 60% whiff rate and an insane 47% putaway rate. Here is a look:

This is a solid matchup for Gonsolin, and if he is successful in this one, it may be hard to find him on the pitching streamers market, even in shallow leagues.

Dustin May (SP – LAD)

Next Start: Friday, 5/16 vs LAA

Dustin May had a hot start to the season, but has sputtered in his last three starts. During that span, he gave up 14 earned runs across 16 innings, while striking out 14. He also allowed 20 hits and walked eight batters.

Thankfully, May’s next start comes against an Angels team that has been struggling offensively. The Angels own the third-worst run differential, the third-most strikeouts, and the second-worst strikeout rate in the league. Pitching against a team that consistently gets outscored should help May even out his W-L record.

When looking at May’s profile, the most glaring issue is his 60% strand rate. That is well below league average and below his career norm by 12%, so runners are coming around to score more often on him than they usually do. This could be a result of relief pitchers allowing runners after May exits games, or a product of defensive issues that have allowed runs to score. Either way, this issue, combined with a 3.8 BB/9 rate, has resulted in an inflated ERA for May.

May has some electric stuff that should lead to more success. He has a wipeout sweeper that has induced a 31% whiff and 26% putaway rate. I mean, how do you hit this:

He has a 60% groundball rate, which would rank third best in the league if he qualified. The fact that he has such a low LOB% is crazy, considering how many balls get hit on the ground to infielders.

May should see a bit of a bounceback in this one against a bad Angels team. Make him one of your top pitching streamers for this matchup where available.

Widely Available Pitching Streamers (0%-25% Rostered)

Shane Smith (P – CWS)

Next Start: Sunday, 5/11 vs MIA

Despite only making it to six innings twice in seven starts, Shane Smith has been an effective pitcher, and should continue to pitch well in this matchup.

Smith faces Miami, a team struggling to produce at the plate, in his next start. Miami ranks fourth worst in run differential, seventh worst in strikeouts, fifth worst in K%, and sixth worst in groundball rate. This all plays into Smith’s hands, as he has a 45% GB rate and the stuff to induce tons of whiffs.

While his stuff has induced high whiff rates – all six of Smith’s offerings have whiff rates above 20% – but that has only turned into a 7.4 K/9 rate. He had higher strikeout rates in the minors, so this could be a game where his strikeout rate sees a boost. Smith’s best pitch this season has been his curveball. It owns a .167 batting average against, a 55% whiff rate, and a 27% putaway rate. Check it out here:

It is only a matter of time before Smith becomes more widely rostered, especially considering he already owns a 2.41 ERA. If he can go deeper into games and strike out more batters, he will be tough to hit against, and will become a huge fantasy assett.

Make Smith one of your top pitching streamers for this week, and consider holding onto him beyond Sunday.

David Peterson (SP – NYM)

Next Start: Monday, 5/12 vs PIT

Despite his 3.52 ERA, David Peterson should be more widely rostered. He has pitched well this season, allowing more than two earned runs in a game just twice. Peterson has allowed just three homers in seven starts this year, while notching 36 strikeouts across 38.1 innings.

Peterson’s next start comes against one of the worst offenses in the league in the Pittsburgh Pirates. They have fifth fifth-worst run differential in baseball. They also rank ninth worst in strikeouts, seventh worst in groundball rate, and have the fourth fewest homers. This is all excellent news for Peterson, who limits runs, strikes batters out at an above-average rate, has the fourth-best GB% in baseball, and limits home runs.

Peterson’s sky-high GB% is due in part to having four pitches with single-digit launch angles, including his sinker’s -3 degree LA. He also has an incredible slider, changeup combination that are extremely effective against lefty and righty batters, respectively. Peterson’s slider is arguably his best pitch, with a .208 BAA, a 38% whiff rate, and a 34% putaway rate. He can even get righty hitters to miss with that slider, even though he throws it mostly to lefty batters:

Peterson is one of the top pitching streamers for the upcoming week, and could be someone to hold onto in fantasy leagues going forward.

Jameson Taillon (SP – ChC)

Next Start: Wednesday, 5/14 vs MIA

Another pitcher who should be more widely rostered is Jameson Taillon. Taillon has four quality starts on the season, and after a six-run clunker against Arizona in his debut, has pitched extremely well. He has faced some tough opponents, so his start against Miami should be a walk in the park.

As mentioned previously, Miami has one of the worst offenses in the league. They struggle to score, they strike out a bunch, and they hit a ton of grounders. Those factors should help boost some of Taillon’s numbers across the board and lead to some positive regression for the veteran. His GB% is 9% lower than his career norm, with his strikeout rate sitting lower than his career norm as well. Both could improve after this game.

Taillon will not blow anything by batters – his fastest pitches are his 92 MPH fastball and sinker – but he can fool them with top-notch breaking and offspeed stuff. His sweeper and changeup have 39% and 37% whiff rates, respectively. While his sweeper’s BAA is a bit high at .300, his expected BAA is .251. The issue for Taillon may be location or sequencing related, so if he can figure that out, it could lead to a major improvement overall. Here is a look at his sweeper in action:

Taillon owned a 3.27 ERA last season, his best since 2018. This could be another great season for the veteran if he can make a few tweaks to repeat what he did last season. Make Taillon one of your priority pitching streamers for the upcoming week, and consider holding onto him, especially in deep leagues.

Nick Martinez (P – CIN)

Next Start: Thursday, 5/15 vs CWS

The White Sox did not start the season terribly, but have gradually seen a decline in their offense. This coincides with an improving Nick Martinez, who has two back-to-back quality starts.

The White Sox own the eighth-worst run differential in baseball. They have also struck out the 10th most in the league and have the seventh highest strikeout rate. They also have the second-fewest home runs as a team. This bodes well for Martinez, who has allowed just four home runs in seven games, including one in his last five. Three of his five homers have come at home, but with Chicago hitting so few, fantasy managers should not be too concerned about streaming Martinez in this one.

Martinez is not known for his strikeouts, so he may get some help in that department from the White Sox. However, Martinez induces an incredible amount of whiffs. Four of his six pitches possess a whiff rate over 20%, including a 39% whiff rate on his changeup and a 43% whiff rate on his slider. That slider also has a 31% putaway rate, which is second to his cutter’s 43% putaway rate.

Martinez should definitely be on every fantasy manager’s radar as one of the main pitching streamers for the coming week.