There’s been a lot of excitement this week with top pitching prospects being called up (did you see Tanner Bibee’s breaking ball?) and a couple surprisingly getting sent down (we’ll see you again soon, Taj!). Only six of the pitchers on this list are the same as last week’s. Once again, in the early going of the season, I like to prioritize upside in my pitching streamers. Many of the options below are players I would strongly consider holding if they continue to produce. And the coolest thing: most of them are widely available. Here are my 11 favorites in order of their roster percentage.
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Top 11 Pitching Streamer Options For This Upcoming Week
Pitching Streamers Available in Some Leagues (50% – 65% Rostered)
Johan Oviedo SP Pirates
Remaining Start This Week: Sunday, April 30 @ Nationals
1 Start Next Week: Saturday, May 6 vs Blue Jays
OK, fine, Johan Oviedo didn’t get the results you wanted against the Dodgers on Tuesday (4 earned runs in 5.1 innings). But it wasn’t like they were hitting him too hard. There was some shoddy defense (3 errors) and an early jam-shot blooper that cost him two runs. The line looks worse than his game did. What does look good is Oviedo’s Statcast page. The underlying metrics suggest that his solid start (3.03 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 29 Ks in 29.2 innings) is very sustainable. If he’s available, or if anyone in your league gave up on his 99 MPH fastball or 91 MPH slider, you should probably pick him up for tomorrow’s start in Washington in a daily league, or roll the dice against the dangerous Blue Jays next weekend in a weekly-transaction league.
Eduardo Rodriguez SP Tigers
Remaining Start This week: Saturday, April 28 vs Orioles
1 Start: Friday, May 5 @ Cardinals
There was a time when Eduardo Rodriguez was a solid fantasy asset. After pitching to a 2.32 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP in his first five games, including seven shutout innings in his last start at the Brewers, and now quality starts in each of his last three, it might be time to consider him back to that level. He’s on a bad team and won’t get much run support, but with him going deep into games consistently, he’d be particularly valuable in points leagues. He’s pitching tonight after a rainout Friday, so it looks like he’ll line up for a trip to St. Louis next week.
Pitching Streamers Available in Most Leagues (About 30% to 50% Rostered)
Yusei Kikuchi SP/RP Blue Jays
2 Starts: Tuesday, May 2 @ Red Sox + Sunday, May 7 @ Pirates
The underlying metrics aren’t very kind to Yusei Kikuchi, despite his 3.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 28 strikeouts in his 27 quality innings. The data suggests that too many of his pitches are being hit hard and that his ERA should be over a run higher than it is now. So at some point, there’s a decent chance he could regress back to the high-4s ERA we’re used to seeing. But he plays for a really good Blue Jays team who has given him run support, he’s throwing harder this season (which led to 8 Ks in his most recent winning start against the White Sox), and he lines up for two starts this coming week. The regression doesn’t have to happen right away. This might be the time to ride his wave.
Drew Smyly SP Cubs
2 Starts: Monday, May 1 @ Nationals + Saturday, May 6 vs. Marlins
We know who Drew Smyly is at this point, a 33-year-old oft-injured lefty who, when he’s healthy, is a serviceable Major League pitcher. He also happens to be off to a solid start this season, limiting hard contact, walks, and the long ball. He’s not likely to put up big numbers (although he did strikeout ten while only allowing one hit in 7.2 innings against the Dodgers two starts ago), but he lines up for two very favorable starts this upcoming week. If you’re looking for a true, short-term streamer, he might be the best bet this week.
Mackenzie Gore SP Nationals
2 Starts: Monday, May 1 vs. Cubs + Saturday, May 6 @ DBacks
The good appearances are starting to pile up for Mackenzie Gore. He turned in his best start of the season at the Mets on Wednesday, piling up 10 strikeouts, walking only two, and picking up a win against a team known for plate discipline. Some wonder if throwing his fastball too much (61% of the time in his last start) could be a problem long term, but so far so good as 12 of his impressive 19 swinging strikes came using it. If you need some extra incentive, he lines of for two starts next week, albeit against two surprisingly decent lineups (vs. Cubs and at DBacks). If he does well in both, he might not be a streamer anymore.
Pitching Streamers Widely Available (About 30% Rostered or Fewer)
Tanner Bibee SP Guardians
1 Potential Start: Tuesday, May 2 @ Yankees (not official yet)
Is it a curve or a slider? No one could agree much during Tanner Bibee’s Major League debut on Wednesday. One thing we all can agree on, though; it made a lot of professional hitters (albeit the Rockies on the road) look really confused. The numbers back it up. Seven swings and misses and 13 called strikes on that one pitch alone. Throw in a fastball averaging 95 miles per hour and eight strikeouts overall, and we have one heck of a prospect. The only question left is, will the Guardians keep him in the rotation? If so, he would line up for a trip to the Bronx. The Yankees lineup has been struggling of late. Hope we get a chance to see what they think of the curve… or the slider?
Brandon Pfaadt SP DBacks
1 Potential Start: Tuesday, May 2 @ Rangers (not official yet)
OK, let’s start with the obvious: Brandon Pfaadt is not currently on the Major League roster. The DBacks, however, optioned Drey Jameson to the minors this week which leaves them with only four starters. Torey Lovullo, the DBacks manager, has stated repeatedly that he has no interest in going with a four-man rotation. They currently have no official starter listed for Tuesday, which happens to be the exact day Pfaadt would pitch on regular rest. So, unless you absolutely need a sure-thing streamer start, using your roster spot on Pfaadt – who had over 200 Ks in the minors last year and made pitching in the PCL look like a day at the Polo Grounds – seems like a worthwhile risk. If you play in a league that updates transactions on Sunday night, chances are you will know for sure anyway. Be on the lookout.
Hayden Wesneski SP Cubs
2 Starts: Tuesday, May 2nd @ Nationals + Sunday, May 7th vs. Marlins
After a very exciting Spring Training, Hayden Wesneski has not been impressive in his first five starts. His ERA is now at 5.24, his WHIP is 1.52, and he’s only accrued 15 Ks in over 22 innings. But two of his last three starts have been good, including Thursday’s win against the Padres during which he only yielded one run over five innings. If you’re not terribly inspired yet, how about I just skip to the part about his two juicy matchups next week: at the Nationals and against the Marlins? It’s worth a shot if you’re looking for some volume.
Logan Allen SP Guardians
Remaining Start This Week: Sunday, April 30th @ Red Sox
1 Start Next Week: Weekend series vs. Twins (not official yet)
There’s been a ton of conjecture this week about whether or not Logan Allen will stick in the rotation after an impressive debut on Sunday. The team confirmed the prospect will get at least one more turn this Sunday but hasn’t officially committed beyond that. The deceptive lefty had an impressive 12 K/9 ratio throughout his minor league career and makes for a good streaming option in a daily-transaction league this week, despite a difficult opponent and venue (at Red Sox). If he sticks in the rotation, feel free to pick him up, start him, and hold him.
Josiah Gray P Nationals
Remaining Start This Week: Sunday, April 30th vs. Pirates
1 Start Next week: Saturday, May 6 @ DBacks
The Mets have a pretty disciplined lineup. They came into Tuesday’s game against Josiah Gray ranked 2nd in the MLB in walks and had the 3rd fewest strikeouts. All the more impressive that Gray, who struggles with control at times, induced 20 swinging strikes, struck out nine, and only walked one batter en route to his first win of the season. His slider was extra impressive with a 69% whiff rate. He’ll pitch again tomorrow against the feisty Pirates. I’d pick him up in daily transaction leagues despite the risk and also in weeklies for next week’s start at Arizona, a team last in the league in walks.
Griffin Canning SP Angels
1 Start: Tuesday, May 2nd @ Cardinals
If you’re looking for a more under-the-radar, deep-league kind of streamer, Griffin Canning is your man. Injuries have kept his profile very low, but he’s quietly put together three decent performances to start his season. His velocity has returned to pre-injury levels and he’s generating whiffs at a higher percentage than ever, 34.7! Next week’s opponent, the Cardinals, get on base a lot, but their average runs per game are in the bottom half of MLB. If pitching in your league is scarce, you’re not going to find a much better option.