Pitching Streamers to Target in Week 20 of Fantasy Baseball

By the time you read this, your fantasy baseball trade deadline has likely passed. That means the only way to acquire assets and upgrades is through the waiver wire. Any fantasy managers in the playoff hunt need to find the best pitching streamers available, and below you’ll find some of them.

Take a look at the top Week 20 pitching streamers below.

Pitching Streamers Available in Some Leagues (Over 30% Rostered)

Kyle Gibson (SP – STL)

Next Start: Thursday 8/8 vs TB

Kyle Gibson has been a bit up and down recently. He had a spectacular outing against Atlanta where he only allowed one earned run while striking out six and walking two. He also has two wins in his last five games. But he has not earned many quality starts, so he is a bit of a risk in quality starts leagues.

Against Tampa, the righty should perform well. Tampa has one of the worst offenses in the league. They have the eighth-lowest run differential, the eighth most strikeouts, the ninth-highest strikeout rate, the fifth fewest home runs, and the seventh-highest groundball rate. Against righty pitchers, Tampa has the third-worst batting average, the ninth-most strikeouts, and the second-fewest home runs.

That all lines up great for Gibson, whose 8.1 strikeout-per-nine rate is his best since 2019. He also has a 47% GB rate that ranks 16th among qualified starters. His sinker has been a key asset in inducing a high GB%, with its three-degree launch angle allowed.

St. Louis’ offense has a chance to help Gibson to a win in this outing against Tampa, and the matchup looks very much in Gibson’s favor on paper. Make him one of your top pitching streamers for the week ahead.

Widely Available Pitching Streamers (0%-30% Rostered)

Michael Wacha (SP – KC)

Next Start: Sunday 8/4 at DET

Michael Wacha is underrostered in fantasy leagues. Since the beginning of May, he has started 13 games, seven of which resulted in quality starts. He has a 7-2 record and has issued more than two walks in just two games during that span. On the season he has a 3.58 ERA and his next start comes against a Detroit team that has struggled recently.

Overall, Detroit has the 10th highest K%, and while Wacha has just a 7.5 K/9 rate, he should be able to pitch well in this game. His changeup has a 33% whiff rate and his slider’s whiff rate sits at 41%. He also possesses a cutter with a 37% putaway rate. Here is a look at his changeup in action:

Michael Wacha, Filthy Changeups. 👌 pic.twitter.com/srfs5lGFC1

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 20, 2024

Against RHP, Detroit has the fifth-worst AVG and the third most strikeouts, which plays right into Wacha’s hands. Plus, Kansas City owns one of the best run differentials in baseball, so their offense should help hand Wacha a win.

Wacha should be on your radar as one of the top pitching streamers for the week ahead.

Jonathan Cannon (SP – CWS)

Next Start: Monday 8/5 at OAK

Jonathan Cannon owns a modest 4.11 ERA, and although his last four results have been losses, he has pitched well. Cannon has three quality starts in his last five outings and in five of his last nine. This means he is a better streaming selection in leagues that favor quality starts rather than wins. Here he is talking about some of his recent successes and why he’s been able to pitch well lately:

Jonathan Cannon. pic.twitter.com/XkUrZMcoIB

— Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) July 31, 2024

This game lines up well for Cannon, as he faces a lackluster Oakland offense. The Athletics have the fifth-worst run differential, the third-most strikeouts, and the third-highest K% in baseball. Against righties in particular, Oakland has the sixth-worst AVG and the second-most strikeouts.

Cannon needs to face a team like the A’s to improve his 5.9 K/9 rate closer to the mid-8 range from his minor league career. Even with a low strikeout rate, great swing-and-miss stuff. His sweeper, cutter, changeup, and fastball all have whiff rates between 20-29%. His sweeper and cutter each also have a .222 batting average against. If he leans on those pitches against Oakland, he should excel.

He is a bit off the radar, but this is too good of a matchup to pass up, so consider Cannon among your pitching streamers for the upcoming week.

Matt Waldron (SP – SD)

Next Start: Tuesday 8/6 at PIT

Matt Waldron is in the middle of a breakout season with San Diego. He sports a 3.89 ERA with 10 quality starts on the season, all coming in 12 games since May 28. He faces a middling Pittsburgh team in his next matchup.

On the season, the Pirates have the fifth most strikeouts and the seventh highest K%, the fourth fewest homers, and the third highest GB%. Waldron has an 8 K/9 rate and a 38% GB rate, both of which are below league average. That is okay for Waldron in this matchup because Pittsburgh performs so terribly in those areas. Pittsburgh also has the fourth-worst AVG and the fourth-fewest homers against RHP and Waldron ranks tied for 10th in fewest home runs allowed.

Waldron has relied on a ridiculous knuckleball for swings and misses. It has a 27% whiff rate on top of a 22% putaway rate. Take a look at it here:

A Corkscrew Knuckleball from Matt Waldron. 🤪 pic.twitter.com/A0qUoPjjYe

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 31, 2024

He plays that off a fastball that has a 21% whiff rate and owns a .250 BAA or better on his knuckleball, fastball, sweeper, and cutter.

Even though Pittsburgh has a winning record, Waldron should still be one of your priority pitching streamers for the upcoming matchup.

Andrew Abbott (SP – CIN)

Next Start: Wednesday 8/7 at MIA

Since the start of May, Andrew Abbott has pitched in 15 games and allowed three or more runs in four of those starts. He has an 8-4 record during that span, with six quality starts. He goes up against Miami in what should be a prime matchup for him.

Miami has trouble scoring, in general, with the third-worst run differential in the league. Two major reasons for their scoring woes are that they have hit the third-fewest home runs, while also posting the league’s worst GB%. The Marlins have also struggled this season against lefty hurlers in particular. They have the third worst AVG, the sixth most strikeouts, the tenth fewest walks, and the sixth-fewest home runs against LHP.

Similar to Waldron, Abbott’s K/9 and GB% both rank below league average, though he has a solid track record in both categories in the minors. Also similar to Waldron, Abbott’s opponent should not be able to take advantage of his weaknesses due to their own struggles.

Instead, Abbott will likely rely on a filthy sweeper/changeup combination in this outing. His sweeper possesses a .196 BAA and a 26% whiff rate; his changeup has a .181 BAA and a 28% whiff rate. Take a look at this absolutely wicked changeup:

Andrew Abbott, Nasty 85mph Changeup. 👌 pic.twitter.com/sm7GGcldNt

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 15, 2024

This has the makings of a great matchup for Abbott, so he should be considered as one of the best pitching streamers for the week ahead.

Jameson Taillon (SP – ChC)

Next Start: Friday 8/9 at CWS

Simply put, the White Sox are terrible and should be targeted every week if you can find streamers to go against them. If you look a little deeper under the microscope, you can see why. They have the worst run differential, the ninth most strikeouts, the eighth-highest K%, the second-fewest home runs, and the ninth-highest GB% in baseball. Start Jameson Taillon against them if he is available in your league.

Not only do the White Sox have one of the worst overall offenses, but they have one of the worst offenses against righty pitchers too. Against RHP, the White Sox have the worst AVG, the fourth most strikeouts, the fifth fewest walks, and the second-fewest home runs.

Taillon has some really top-notch stuff that should help him in this matchup against a terrible offense. His sweeper is particularly noteworthy. It has a .212 BAA, a 33% whiff rate, and a 20% putaway rate. His cutter has an even better putaway rate at 24%.

The White Sox also have one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in baseball, which should lead Taillon to an excellent outing. If he is available in your league, he should be among the top pitching streamers for the week ahead.