RADIO
I like to consider myself a pioneer of the streaming approach. I won a league about seven years ago by completely ignoring saves and just stacking up the starts each week. While streaming is undoubtedly more directly associated with pitching, there's plenty of value in streaming for offense as well.
Maybe you have a stacked roster and you can't drop anyone. But for those of us with a couple of guys on the roster fringes, it's never too early to look into targeting a specific player or two to gain an edge in a particular category. This season, I will be making weekly recommendations for extreme short-term category specialists every week in three offensive areas: speed, power, and average; and three pitching areas: strikeouts, wins, and ratios (ERA/WHIP).
Below are my Week 22 category streamers for fantasy baseball. All position eligibility and ownership percentages are based on Yahoo! fantasy leagues.
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Head-to-Head Category Streamers to Consider
Speed
Greg Allen (OF, CLE) - 9% Owned
Over the past two weeks, do you know who leads the league in steals? It's Greg Allen! In just 202 plate appearances, Allen has swiped 11 bags, including five over the past two weeks. He's playing every day and displayed tremendous speed during his time in the minors.
Rafael Ortega (OF, MIA) - 1% Owned
We're digging deep with this one! Rafael Ortega has somehow been in MLB since 2008, but only saw a little taste of big league action in 2016. Still just 27 years old, Ortega has burst out the gate with the Marlins this season, stealing four bases in his first 11 games. He has multiple 30+ steal seasons on his resume in the minors. The speed is legit.
Power
Kendrys Morales (1B, TOR) - 19% Owned
Traditionally a streaky hitter, I am admittedly hoping to catch him while he's hot. Morales has four home runs over the past two weeks including a two-homer game. He's on pace for a 25 home run season. The power has always been there. It's the consistency that is problematic. Hopefully, this doesn't backfire.
Hunter Renfroe (OF, SD) - 13% Owned
I always thought Hunter Renfroe would be more than he turned out to be. I liked him a lot more as a prospect. He's not great, but he's still useful for his power. His 2018 power numbers extrapolate to about a 30 home run season. He's been hitting the ball well recently. Give him a try.
Average
Harrison Bader (OF, STL) - 32% Owned
Since taking over the regular starting job after the departure of Tommy Pham, Harrison Bader has done nothing but hit. He's over .280 on the season and his two opponents next week, the Reds and the Pirates, are 27th and 21st in batting average against.
Jeff McNeil (2B, 3B, NYM) - 10% Owned
The hot-hitting rookie continues to hit. Jeff McNeil is off to a .326 start to his career. The Mets' opponents next week, the Cubs and Giants, are 10th and 20th in batting average against. I think McNeil stays hot.
Strikeouts
Derek Holland (SP, SF) - 20% Owned
The veteran left-hander owns a K/9 over 9.00 and will start against the hapless Mets offense next week. The Mets strikeout a little more than the average team, which, combined with Derek Holland's strikeout rate, should mean at least a strikeout per inning pitched.
Tyler Anderson (SP, COL) - 31% Owned
Tyler Anderson strikes out just under a batter an inning and faces the Padres on the road next week. The Padres strikeout the second most often in all of baseball.
Wins
Brett Anderson (SP, OAK) - 16% Owned
Since his return from his 9,000th trip to the DL in his career, Brett Anderson has been pitching quite well. Next week, he has a road matchup against the Twins. The A's should be favored in that contest and if Anderson continues pitching as well as he has, will have a great opportunity to pick up a win.
Tyler Chatwood (SP, COL) - 15% Owned
It may not look pretty, but Tyler Chatwood and his ERA over 5.00 will still have a great shot at a win in a home matchup against a Mets team that sits 15 games under .500. The Rockies, meanwhile, are 11 games over .500.
Brian Johnson (SP, BOS) - 8% Owned
A bonus stream! Brian Johnson is just too good of a stream to pass up for next week. He has a home start against the last-place Marlins. The Red Sox have the best offense in baseball. This should be an easy one.
ERA/WHIP
Mike Leake (SP, SEA) - 28% Owned
Mike Leake has never been a sexy option. He's as boring as they come. He doesn't really strike anyone out, but he's historically performed well in favorable matchups. A road start against the Padres in PETCO Park qualifies as a favorable matchup. Leake has a sub 4.00 ERA and the Padres are fifth to last in runs scored.
Matt Boyd (SP, DET) - 24% Owned
The Padres' offense is bad, but the Royals' offense is worse - worst in all of baseball, in fact. That's who Matt Boyd faces off against next week. Boyd carries an ERA slightly over 4.00, but pitched very well in his last start against the Royals (6 innings, 2 earned, 1.17 WHIP). He should be good for another quality start.
