At this point, many leagues will be in or entering the halfway mark of the fantasy baseball season. This means that it is time to start making moves to set yourself up for the rest of the way. It also makes it essential to find pitching streamers that will win you your matchups each week.
Below, you will find my favorite streamers for the week ahead.
Pitching Streamers Available in Some Leagues (Over 30% Rostered)
Erick Fedde (SP – CWS)
Next Start: Monday 6/10 at SEA
Erick Fedde slowed down a bit in May after a torrid start to the season. He gave up four or more runs in three of his six starts in May but also tossed three quality starts in the other games. Despite some regression, Fedde should be on your radar for his start at Seattle.
His 8.5 strikeout-per-nine rate is still an improvement over 2022, and his best rate since 2021. And he has a career-best walks-per-nine rate of 2.8. Detractors may point to his low BABIP as a sign that more regression is on the way, but Fedde has limited line drives, pulled balls, and hard-hit balls, so a low BABIP should not surprise fantasy managers.
Fedde’s 81% LOB seems high, but he has induced a 47% GB rate and had a similarly high strand rate in Korea last season while inducing a high rate of grounders. He has relied on a sinker and cutter combination to put batters away – both have a 23% putaway rate. Those two pitches and his sweeper also have whiff rates between 20-25%.
This matchup is great for Fedde, with the Mariners posting a league-high strikeout rate. They are also one of the worst at hitting against righty pitchers, with the third-worst average and the most strikeouts against them. Plus, Seattle’s home park is the most pitcher friendly park in the league.
Fedde might not be available in every league, but he should be one of your priority pitching streamers if he is available in your league.
Bryan Woo (SP – SEA)
Next Start: Tuesday 6/11 vs CWS
Bryan Woo has been lights out in his first five starts this season. He is 2-0 with three quality starts, an 18:2 K:BB ratio, a 1.30 ERA, and a 0.58 WHIP.
Surprisingly, Woo has just a 5.8 K/9 rate, which is a career low (by far) including his time in the minors. He has an insane .65 BB/9 rate, though. Woo also has an 83% LOB rate, a 3% HR/FB rate, and a .171 BABIP, and although he has limited line drives, pulls, and hard hits, that all spells regression.
He may be able to avoid some regression in his matchup against the White Sox. Chicago has the 10th-worst strikeout rate in baseball. They are also particularly bad against RHP. They have the worst average and the third-fewest walks against righties, playing into a major strength of Woo’s.
Woo has a great fastball and sweeper combination – they have 25% and 50% whiff rates respectively. Here he is tossing his great fastball (with a little surprise):
Bryan Woo, 96mph ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/uU1AVbIrUe
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 11, 2024
His best pitch, though, may be his slider. It has a 38% whiff rate and a 28% putaway rate. Playing in the most pitcher friendly park in the league should also lead to a good game for Woo in this one.
Make Woo one of your top pitching streamers wherever available in the week ahead and beyond.
Widely Available Pitching Streamers (0%-30% Rostered)
Andre Pallante (P – STL)
Next Start: Sunday 6/9 vs COL
Andre Pallante appeared in nine games as a reliever this season, before making his starting debut against the Reds. In that game, he went six innings and gave up no earned runs, allowing three hits and issuing three walks while striking out four. He picked up a quality start and a win in that game.
As of writing, he has yet to pitch against the Astros, but that result should not matter. As long as he remains in the rotation ahead of his start against the Rockies, he should be a streaming target for that matchup.
Pallante has some flaws that have limited him to the bullpen, or a swing role, for most of his career. One of his biggest issues is a high walk rate. His 4.5 BB/9 rate is a career worst for him in the majors. Thankfully for Pallante, he faces a Rockies team that has the fourth fewest walks against RHP. Colorado also has the third most strikeouts against righties.
The Rockies also just seem to generally struggle offensively. They have the fourth-worst strikeout rate as a team, as well as the fifth-highest groundball rate. Pallante possesses a 62% GB rate this season and a 68% career GB rate.
The Sunday streaming slate looks thin, so if you need one last start to get a win, Pallante should be one of your pitching streamers.
Ryan Weathers (SP – NYM)
Next Start: Wednesday 6/13 vs LAA
Ryan Weathers has had a relatively quiet but solid season so far. He has a 3.41 ERA, and although he only has a 3-5 record, half of his 12 appearances have resulted in quality starts.
Weathers has posted career bests in his 8.3 K/9 rate and 2.6 BB/9 rate. He has a modest 74% LOB rate, and his 51% GB rate ranks seventh among qualified starters this season.
The most noticeable changes that have led to Weathers’ improvement seem to be the addition of a slider and the fact that he has thrown his sinker more and fastball less than in past seasons. He only throws his slider about 1% of the time, but it has a 50% whiff rate and a 25% putaway rate. Those changes to his pitch mix likely have led to some sequencing changes, so his sweeper and changeup have performed remarkably well too.
Weathers’ changeup has a .174 batting average against, a 40% whiff rate, and a 27% putaway rate. His sweeper is even better – it has a .132 BAA, 55% whiff rate, and a 30% putaway rate. Among pitchers who have thrown a sweeper in at least 25 plate appearances, only Colin Holderman and Bryan Hudson appear among the top 12 in BAA, whiff%, and putaway% with Weathers. Here he is tossing it, along with his fastball, to get a few strikeouts:
Ryan Weathers, 9th, 10th and 11th Ks. pic.twitter.com/Qswb46nIsh
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 1, 2024
The Angels actually perform relatively well against lefty pitchers; however, they have faced lefties the least among all offenses in baseball.
This lines up to be a solid matchup for Weathers, and you should trust him as one of your top pitching streamers for the week ahead.
Brandon Pfaadt (SP – ARI)
Next Start: Thursday 6/13 vs LAA
Brandon Pfaadt’s season has been a mixed bag so far. He has five quality starts in his last seven outings but has allowed at least one earned run in each game. His last two starts were each four-run clunkers at the hands of the Rangers and the Mets. His next appearance, as of writing, comes against a slightly more palatable opponent in the Angels.
For fantasy managers worried about Pfaadt from last season – he is a different pitcher:
3) Brandon Pfaadt has been effective om May, posting a 3.66 ERA and 2.93 FIP in 32.0 IP. He has employed an approach change which looks very encouraging
He has begun to utilize his 4-Seam to get ahead in the count early, and comes in with his nasty sweeper to put away batters pic.twitter.com/LweTNWlZej
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) May 31, 2024
Arguably the biggest concern from last season was his home run rate, which has dropped to .86 HR/9 this season. Pfaadt has also cut his BB/9 rate down to an impressive 1.7. He still has some issues to address, including a subpar 38% GB rate, and an 8.7 K/9 rate that is a far cry from his high strikeout numbers in the minors.
Pfaadt has also suffered from a lack of support this season, likely resulting in higher-than-they-should-be runs against. His 59% LOB rate is extremely low, and thankfully his walk rate is so low, or his ERA could be even higher. You can tell Arizona’s defensive woes have played a part in Pfaadt’s inflated ERA when you look at pitcher-centric metrics like his 3.58 xFIP and 3.49 SIERA. Those are nearly a run lower than his ERA.
Pfaadt should have a better outing against the Angels than his last couple of starts, considering the Angels have the 10th-worst strikeout rate overall. They also possess the sixth worst AVG, the fourth most strikeouts, and the 10th fewest walks against RHP. All of that should help get Pfaadt back on the right track.
He carries some risk, but the good outweighs the bad, and Pfaadt should be one of your top pitching streamers for the week ahead.
Backup Plan Streamers for Week 12
- CLE Triston McKenzie at MIA – Sunday 6/9
- BAL Dean Kremer at TB – Monday 6/10 (if healthy)
- NYM Tylor Megill vs MIA – Tuesday 6/11
- ChC Javier Assad at TB – Wednesday 6/12
- NYM Luis Severino vs MIA – Thursday 6/13
Desperation Streamers for Week 12
- MIN Chris Paddack vs COL – Monday 6/10
- ChC Jameson Taillon at TB – Tuesday 6/11
- NYM David Peterson vs MIA – Wednesday 6/12
- MIN Simeon Woods Richardson vs OAK – Thursday 6/13