“And DOWN the stretch they come!” That familiar refrain echoes throughout fantasy baseball leagues everywhere as we approach the final week of the 2020 season. Hopefully, you have enough reliable starters to get you through this final week unscathed. Odds are, however, that you will need one or two (or five) pitching streamers to make it across the finish line. As has seemingly been the case throughout the season, this week’s pitching streamers list is a bit tentative. Playoff teams are likely to alter their rotations in advance of the best-of-three first-round series. Pitchers like Shane Bieber, Lucas Giolito, and Gerrit Cole may see shortened starts next weekend. Teams that are out of contention may sit a veteran hurler scheduled for the final week and stage a glorified audition for a prospect.
When it comes to pitching streamers for the season’s final week, it all depends on your specific team needs. Pitching streamers are not a “one size fits all” commodity. In one of my 12-team leagues, I am dead last in ERA and eighth in wins. I will try to string a bunch of starters together and hope to steal a couple of wins with a healthy dose of strikeouts. In other leagues, I am desperately trying to protect my ratios. I may not mind grabbing starters who are likely to throw only three or four innings if they are of good quality. Keep these things in mind when making your final set of waiver claims or FAAB bids this weekend. Without further ado, here are the streaming options for the final week of the 2020 baseball season.
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Week 10 Pitching Streamers
Alex Young (Wednesday v. Texas, 24 percent rostered in Fantrax leagues)
Alex Young was lit up by the Angels for six runs in just 2.2 innings pitched in his most recent start. Before that, however, he had been pitching well. Young had gone at least five frames in four straight games, allowing no more than three runs in any outing. He should get back to that form in his final appearance of 2020 when he squares off against the Texas Rangers. The Rangers have the worst offense in the Major Leagues. They have a team wRC+ of just 63 on the season, and 61 in September. To put that into perspective, there are 148 qualified hitters per Fangraphs heading into Friday’s action. Of those 148, 143 of them have a wRC+ higher than 63. The matchup does not get much better, so stream Young with confidence this week.
Kris Bubic (Thursday v. Detroit, 30 percent rostered)
Kris Bubic’s season-long numbers (1-5, 4.50 ERA, 1.35 WHIP) may not seem earth-shattering or overly inspiring. However, the now 23-year-old has allowed two earned runs in six of eights starts and has really turned it on down the stretch. In his last three starts, Bubic has pitched to a 2.60 ERA with a healthy 24 percent strikeout rate. Two of the three outings came against the Chicago White Sox, making his recent stretch even more impressive. Bubic will cap his rookie season with a home date against the Detroit Tigers. Detroit has really fallen off as a team offensively after a hot start. Collectively, Detroit has a paltry .217/.274/.341 triple-slash line over the last two weeks. Fantasy managers should not hesitate to use Bubic in this matchup, and he should be considered one of the safer pitching streamers on the board this week.
Logan Webb (Wednesday v. Colorado, 37 percent rostered)
In his last three starts, Logan Webb has allowed five, one, and six earned runs. Welcome to the streaming life. His most recent performance came on Friday night when he failed to make it out of the fourth inning against Oakland. Despite that outing, I would feel reasonably comfortable streaming Webb this week. Webb offers a bit more strikeout potential than most streamers, with a strikeout rate of just over 20 percent. He will also face a Colorado team that figures to be freshly eliminated from postseason contention by the time Wednesday rolls around. The Rockies will likely head west with their heads down and their tails between their legs, which could make them ripe for the picking. I believe Logan Webb could be one of the more under the radar pitching streamers during the season’s final week.
Martin Perez (Wednesday v. Baltimore, 44 percent rostered)
One final writeup for my boy Martin Perez. Cue the montage of me poring over his Statcast page as blurbs from past articles hover above me while a ballad plays in the background and I scream, “Martin!” ala Gabriel Iglesias and look off into the distance. Perez and I have been on quite the journey together over these two months. We have had our ups and our downs, but through it all, he has remained the ultimate streamer. Slightly above replacement level, and continuously available in just over half of Fantrax leagues. Perez pleasantly surprised even his most ardent supporters when he held the white-hot Yankees scoreless for six innings on Friday night. That upside is what makes him such a tantalizing streamer, regardless of matchup. Needless to say, I would not shy away from using him against Baltimore in his final start. Godspeed, Martin.
Jaime Barria (Wednesday at San Diego, 15 percent rostered)
Jaime Barria was my favorite streaming option this week. He responded in kind by picking up a victory against the Texas Rangers. Barria allowed two runs in 6.1 innings while striking out eight. Thank you, Mr. Barria. The check is in the mail. The right-hander gets a much more difficult test on Wednesday when he will square off against the San Diego Padres. The Friars are among the best teams and most prolific and well-rounded offenses in all of baseball. However, Barria could be catching them in what will essentially be a meaningless game. The Padres will have clinched a playoff berth by Wednesday, yet have virtually no chance of catching the Dodgers for the division crown. I try to avoid pitchers against the Padres in most cases, but the timing of this game and Barria’s recent performances have me comfortable with him as a streamer this week.
Wes Benjamin (Wednesday v. Arizona, 1 percent rostered)
Texas has used Wes Benjamin as a piggyback option twice in the last week. In each instance, he pitched four innings, allowed two runs, and struck out four hitters. He picked up a win in the first of those two outings, and a loss in the other. I would expect Benjamin to have a similar role in the season’s final week, presumably Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. That role should lead to a higher win potential than your typical streamer. He also has a bit of strikeout upside, with a rate of nearly 25 percent. These factors make Benjamin a sneaky pickup that is available in virtually every league. I like the idea of streaming him this week, especially if you are in a daily league or a league that limits starts.
Vince Velasquez (Friday at Tampa Bay, 34 percent rostered)
If Martin Perez is the patron saint of streamers, Vince Velasquez might be a close second. Velasquez has struck out 14 hitters over his last two starts. The flip side is that he has also allowed 14 hits during that span. His strikeout potential is much greater than most pitching streamers. That makes him an intriguing option for those chasing strikeouts during the final days of the season. There is the potential for Joe Girardi to have a quick hook with Velasquez in this game. The Phillies are desperately fighting for a Wild Card spot with just over a week remaining. Girardi may not have the luxury of giving Velasquez a few innings to get it together in a game they will desperately need. That lowers Velasquez’s floor a bit, but his ability to rack up punchouts makes it worth the risk for fantasy managers playing catchup.
Eric Fedde (Wednesday v. Philadelphia, 10 percent rostered)
Eric Fedde picked up his first win in over a month when he shut out the Miami Marlins for six innings on Friday. And yet, the zero in the runs allowed column was not the most eyebrow-raising part of his line, at least not for me. Instead, it was the six strikeouts. Fedde has now struck out 11 batters over his last two starts. That is in stark contrast to his 10 total punchouts over his first five starts. He appears to be using his slider and split-fingered fastball more in recent weeks. That adjustment could result in Fedde becoming a more consistent option moving forward. Of course, he only has one more chance this season to showcase his altered arsenal. That will be Wednesday against Philadelphia. I am intrigued enough by his pitch mix to tempt fate and throw him out there, even in a difficult matchup.
Alex Cobb (Thursday at Boston, 22 percent rostered)
Alex Cobb enjoyed a strong start to the season. But instead of it becoming a career renaissance, it was just a solid stretch for the veteran. Since then, he has pitched more like, well, Alex Cobb. Cobb has an 0-4 record with a 6.31 ERA and 1.60 WHIP over his last five starts. He did toss a quality start on Friday night against Tampa Bay, so it is not all bad. Cobb is simply a very pedestrian pitcher at this stage of his career. He does provide more length than most streamers do, having completed five innings in six of nine starts. That may be enough to use him depending on your needs, so I would not haphazardly cast him aside. However, I would not expect him to set the world on fire against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.
Tanner Hauck (Friday at Atlanta, 14 percent rostered)
Tanner Hauck won his Major League debut on Tuesday by pitching five scoreless innings in Miami. He struck out seven in the victory while walking three. He had high strikeout and walk rates throughout his Minor League career, so those numbers were not terribly out of the ordinary. The former first-rounder will pitch this weekend before making his final start in Atlanta to face the Braves. Atlanta was bound to come back to earth offensively, though it was still a bit surprising to see them total just seven runs in a three-game set in Camden Yards. With the division crown almost certain to be locked up by Friday, Braves skipper Brian Snitker may rest a player or two for this contest. I would not bank on that, of course, but it could tip the scales in Hauck’s favor when deciding between streaming options.
Nick Margevicius (Wednesday v. Houston, 18 percent rostered)
Nick Margevicius has averaged five innings pitched and three runs allowed in his six starts. That is basically a streamer special, and it is exactly what he offered up to fantasy managers in his last outing against the San Francisco Giants. Expect more of the same when he faces the Houston Astros on Wednesday. Houston has had a reputation as an explosive offense in recent years, but that reputation belongs in the trash can they are so fond of using. The Astros have been decidedly average offensively in 2020. They rank 19th among 30 teams in wOBA and 17th in wRC+. Those numbers improve slightly versus southpaws (18th and 13th respectively), but not enough for me to fear using Margevicius in this matchup. If another five-inning, three-run performance suits your fancy, feel free to run him out there.
Jorge Lopez (Friday at Toronto, 7 percent rostered)
Like most streamers, Jorge Lopez has had a mixed bag of results this year. He has alternated good outings and bad through four starts. The two good starts took place at home, while his struggles have been on the road. But with such a small sample, it is hard to discern whether that is a trend or merely happenstance. His splits versus lefties and righties are more bankable, as he has been awful against lefties dating back to last season. The Blue Jays usually only include three or four lefties in their lineup, so the opportunity is there for Lopez to navigate his way through the order. There is some risk here. Then again, that is par for the course when it comes to streaming pitchers. Lopez is a decent bet to make it through five innings without a ton of damage inflicted against him.
Dean Kremer (Wednesday at Boston, 40 percent rostered)
Dean Kremer has been impressive in each of his three Major League starts. Each time out, he has allowed exactly one run and has tallied at least six strikeouts. And he has done so while facing the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays in all three starts. I feel it necessary to note that his 1.69 ERA comes with a fair amount of luck. Both his xFIP and xERA sit north of 4.00, and it is impossible over the long haul to allow a 47.2 percent flyball rate without giving up any home runs. His 30.8 percent strikeout rate also seems unsustainable given his 9.9 percent swinging-strike rate. However, he has had a knack for keeping hitters off balance. Fantasy managers may feel a bit uneasy about using a pitcher who is playing a dangerous game of chicken with the regression monster, but Kremer has proven trustworthy so far.
Ryan Castellani (Wednesday at San Francisco, 11 percent rostered)
I have been dogging Ryan Castellani in this space for the last couple of weeks. It is nothing personal. I simply cannot get behind throwing any pitcher at Coors, much less one with limited potential who is only getting one start. To his credit, Castellani made me look silly last week when he held the Angels without an earned run in 5.2 innings of work on September 13. Then the Dodgers came into town and tattooed him for seven earned runs in just 4.1 innings. Expect him to split the difference this week when the Rockies head to San Francisco. If given the option, I prefer Castellani’s probable opponent, Logan Webb as a pitching streamer this week. However, given the disparity in rostership, I do not mind using Castellani depending on the choices available in your league.
Chad Kuhl (Thursday v. Chicago Cubs, 24 percent rostered)
After getting obliterated for nine runs in just 2.1 innings on Sunday against the Royals of all teams, Chad Kuhl had a bit of a bounceback performance on Friday night against the St. Louis Cardinals. Kuhl allowed just one earned run in five-plus innings, but took the loss when three unearned runs crossed the plate in the sixth inning. Despite the loss, it was a good sign to see him put last week’s drubbing behind him. Kuhl will face the Chicago Cubs in his final outing of 2020. Chicago has not exactly been an offense to avoid, but I would not label them a plus matchup either. That is sort of how I feel about Kuhl as a streamer in general. I would not go out of my way to avoid him, but I do not necessarily feel compelled to grab him for this start.
Kyle Wright (Friday v. Boston, 40 percent rostered)
It has been a rough 2020 campaign for Kyle Wright. The former fifth overall draft pick has an ugly 7.20 ERA in 25 innings, which is dwarfed only by his 8.46 xERA. He did record his first Major League victory on Sunday, but it was far from a stellar performance. Wright allowed three earned runs and 10 baserunners over six innings. If he pitches well against the Mets on Sunday, I suppose fantasy managers can consider streaming Wright against the Red Sox on Friday. However, if he reverts to the pitcher who had allowed 12 runs in 13 innings over his previous three starts, those managers would be best served to go without him. The Red Sox have an above-average offense despite bringing up the rear in the AL East. Sorry, I just wanted to say that last part out loud. Feels good.
Michael Fulmer (Thursday at Kansas City, 21 percent rostered)
Michael Fulmer had surrendered nine runs and 13 hits over his last two starts, which totaled just five innings. He managed to get it together on Friday against Cleveland, holding the Indians scoreless. However, he still only lasted three innings and threw 44 pitches. Fulmer will face the Kansas City Royals in his final start of the 2020 season. The Royals have an offense that ranks in the bottom third of the league in most relevant categories. Those seeking some assistance with ratios may be able to use Fulmer as one of their pitching streamers this week. However, he will not qualify for a win or quality start under even the best of scenarios. Fulmer has made eight starts this year and has yet to last more than three innings in any of them. The decision on whether to stream him is team specific and depends on what your needs are over the final week.
Not Even with Your Team or Pitching Streamers to Avoid
Trevor Williams (Wednesday v. Chicago Cubs, 38 percent rostered)
To say that Trevor Williams is limping towards the finish line is a bit of an understatement. Williams was tagged for five more earned runs in 4.1 innings on Friday night against St. Louis. He suffered his Major League-leading eighth loss in the outing, and now sports a 9.59 ERA over his last five starts. His final start will take place on Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs. Williams is not the worst available pitcher out there on the waiver wire. But with the way he is pitching, there is really no reason to justify streaming him this week. That is especially true with Kyle Hendricks on the bump against him. The Cubs’ righty has been on fire of late, making this feel somewhat of a mismatch. Williams has precious little upside here.
David Peterson (Thursday at Washington, 44 percent rostered)
David Peterson bounced back after a rough outing against the Phillies last week. He went five innings against Toronto this past Sunday, allowing just two runs. Peterson has walked 16 hitters in his last 25 innings of work, while only striking out 15. That ratio tends to get him in trouble and leads to short outings. Peterson will face the Washington Nationals in what should be his final game of the year. Washington is one of the best offenses against left-handed pitchers this year. They also will have Patrick Corbin on the hill in this game. Corbin has not been as dominant as he has in seasons past, but he is still a quality pitcher. Many pitching streamers are safer than Peterson this week, and most are more readily available than Peterson is.
Ljay Newsome (Tuesday v. Houston, 14 percent rostered)
The slumping Seattle Mariners still have a faint heartbeat in the race for the Wild Card spot in the AL West. Realistically, however, they will be making vacation plans by this time next week. I point this out because Ljay Newsome is scheduled to take his final turn in the rotation on Tuesday against Houston. It would not shock me, however, to see him pitch in what figures to be a meaningless game next Sunday in Oakland. I would not hang my hat on that happening, but the possibility exists. Of course, a second start could mean more damage inflicted considering Newsome’s 1.034 OPS allowed. It is not as if the 23-year-old is a budding strikeout artist, either. Simply put, there is little reason to consider Newsome as one of your pitching streamers this week, regardless of whether he gets the additional start.
Kyle Cody (Friday v. Houston, 9 percent rostered)
The Texas Rangers have the unofficial lead in the all-important category of pitchers with two first names. Unless your fantasy league tracks that category, there is really no reason to use Kyle Cody this week. I do not fear the matchup against Houston per se. But Cody (if that is, in fact, his real name) has yet to exceed three innings in any of his three starts and sports a minuscule 3.7 percent K-BB rate on the season. I would rather grab a middle reliever who could backdoor a win or rack up a few strikeouts than rely on Kyle Cody as a streamer this week.
Chi Chi Gonzalez (Thursday at San Francisco, 2 percent rostered)
Speaking of names, how can a guy named Chi Chi only be rostered in two percent of leagues? I suppose it could be the 8.68 ERA, the .404 xwOBA, or the .446 xwOBACON. Never mind. Answered my own question. At least he will be away from Coors Field for this start. And as a Rockie, his road ERA is down to… 6.21. Hmmm… But the Giants’ wRC+ in September is only… 147. Yeah, I got nothing. Sorry, Chi Chi, but you are no longer worthy of such a sweet nickname. I am calling you Alexander from now on, and you no longer belong on any list of potential pitching streamers. Good day.
Julio Teheran (Saturday at Los Angeles Dodgers, 47 percent rostered)
The fact that fantasy managers still roster Julio Teheran in nearly half of all fantasy leagues would be funny if it weren’t so sad. Teheran has name value from his tenure in Atlanta, but he has been a train wreck all season long. The veteran enters the weekend with an 0-3 record and an ERA of 8.90. He has incredibly allowed 10 home runs in just 29.1 innings. If he had pitched enough innings to qualify, he would have the highest HR/9 and batting average allowed in the Majors, while having the lowest K-BB rate. An upcoming matchup with the Dodgers does not figure to reverse Teheran’s fortunes. Los Angeles boasts one of the best offenses and deepest lineups in the sport. Even if Dave Roberts benched half of his offensive starters, I would not be surprised if they put up a crooked number against Teheran.
If you liked Mick’s pitching streamers this week you might also want to check out Chris Clegg’s breakdown of the two-start pitchers for the last week of the season.
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