Top Hitter Streamers and Starts for Week 22

Welcome to the top hitter streamers column for Week 22 of the MLB season (8/23 through 8/29). This weekly piece should be helpful for anyone looking to gain an edge in their league. If you need a fill-in for an injured player or want to exploit some matchups in order to gain an edge on your opponent then you're in the right place. This article aims to keep you informed while helping you stay ahead of the competition so you can get an early jump on those waiver claims before your opponents.

Remember that this piece is forward-looking and a lot can happen over the course of a week. Potential pitching opponents, lineups, and projected number of at-bats are all subject to change so make sure you're following @RotoBallerMLB on Twitter to stay up to date! There are just five teams playing seven games next week so we have precious few high-volume plays. This is an exciting time in fantasy baseball with the playoffs right around the corner and division races heating up in MLB. Streaming feels like it's been more important than ever this season given the absurd amount of injuries, especially to high-profile players, that we've had. It can help mitigate bad luck and can be the difference between making the playoffs or not. So it's time to buckle up, get focused, and build some winning lineups for Week 21.

Disclaimer: I am only highlighting players that are currently rostered in 50% or less of Yahoo! leagues, meaning you should have a decent chance of picking them up on the waiver wire. These recommendations should apply to most league settings and formats as I'm looking for players who can help you across a variety of scoring categories. If the following names aren't available, feel free to read our Waiver Wire Pickups piece that drops every Monday for more ideas. Alright, let's get after it.

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Bats to Stream and Start in Week 22

Seven Game Weeks:

ARI, CWS, KC, PIT, TOR

Stream of the Week

Nicky Lopez (2B/SS, KC): 6% Rostered

Lopez has put together a solid season at the dish but due to his lack of power--he hit his first home run of the season on Thursday--he's drawn little attention. The 26-year-old infielder is slashing .277/.347/.354 with 12 doubles, five triples, one home run, 30 RBI, 49 runs scored, and 15 stolen bases over 328 at-bats. While he's not as dynamic as the injured Adalberto Mondesi, he's filled in quite nicely for him this year and is a perfect 15-for-15 on stolen base attempts. The Royals are one of the five teams to play seven games next week and Lopez should see some favorable pitching matchups against the Astros and the Mariners. As an added bonus, he'll get to face Luis Garcia again, whom he homered off of on Thursday.

pic.twitter.com/dF8HCOdyVf
Nicky Lopez hits a 2-run shot (1) to give the Royals a 3-0 lead.

— MLB Updates (@MLBNews1234) August 19, 2021

Plate discipline is Lopez's greatest strength as his 13.5% Strikeout Rate (95th percentile) and 9.2 Walk Rate practically cancel each other out. He's also sporting an impressive 14.7% Whiff Rate (96th percentile) and 90.3% Z-Contact Rate. His sprint speed ranks in the 79th percentile and his recent bump to second in the batting order should lead to more run-scoring opportunities.

The Royals are slated to face four right-handers and three left-handed starters next week and while Lopez performs better against righties (.280/.361/.341 over 246 at-bats) he's not a liability vs. lefties (.260/.302/.354 in 79 at-bats). Zack Greinke, Garcia, Lance McCullers Jr., and Logan Gilbert all look like plus matchups for the 26-year-old infielder. He should be a useful asset in OBP leagues and can provide help with runs and stolen bases.

Catcher

Austin Nola (C/1B/2B, SD): 41% Rostered

Volume is key when it comes to streaming, especially with catchers given how many days off they typically get. Well, our options are pretty limited at backstop this week so we're going against the grain with Austin Nola. The Padres are playing just five games, three against the Dodgers at home and two vs. the Angels on the road, so there's not a lot of volume here. The 31-year-old got off to a poor start this season before spraining his knee back in May. He missed nearly two months of the year and was activated from the IL in late July. He's slashing a healthy .353/.393/.451 with five doubles and nine RBI across 17 games since his activation and should keep it going next week.

Overall, he's slashing a solid .289/.383/.392 with one home run and 20 RBI across 97 at-bats this season. That's mainly been buoyed by his recent play and there's not a big disparity between his actual stats and his expected ones (.264 xBA/.331 xwOBA/.372 xSLG). Nola also has a solid 43.8% Hard Hit Rate, 8.7% Strikeout Rate, and 9.6% Walk Rate thus far. The Padres will face two left-handers next week in Julio Urias and Reid Detmers and Nola is slashing a hefty .400/.457/.500 in 46 plate appearances against southpaws. He's been less impressive against right-handed pitching (.649 OPS in 69 PA's) but he's been outplaying Victor Caratini lately and should start against Mitch White and Jaime Barria as well. He hasn't even registered 100 at-bats this season so we should take his numbers with a grain of salt given the small sample size. However, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better catcher option on the waiver wire outside of him or perhaps Carson Kelly.

Also Consider: Carson Kelly (C, ARI): 23% Rostered

Corner Infield

Christian Walker (1B, ARI): 20% Rostered

It's been a disappointing season for Walker from the get-go so he'd been off the fantasy radar all year. He's never really been able to get going at the plate, struggling with injuries and inconsistency. He battled a nagging oblique injury throughout the first half of the season, which required multiple IL stints. Overall, he's slashing an underwhelming .234/.301/.355 with 17 doubles, five home runs, and 31 RBI over 282 at-bats. However, he's picked it up the last seven games with a .263/.440/.421 batting line across 19 at-bats. The Diamondbacks are just one of five teams to play seven games as they hit the road for a three-game set against the Pirates at PNC Park and a four-game series vs. the Phillies.

Walker hasn't had the best luck at the dish this year with a .247 xBA, .306 xwOBA, and .367 xSLG. Granted, those numbers aren't great but they're a jump up from his actual batting line and his .286 BABIP is also a three-year low. In case you didn't figure it out by now, the 30-year-old first baseman has a low floor. It's likely that that the oblique issue bothered him for the majority of the season and that would help explain why he's seen declines in his Hard Hit Rate, Barrel Rate, Max Exit Velocity, and xSLG.

This hasn't exactly been a ringing endorsement but streaming Walker is all about volume and the pitchers that he'll face. He's got a chance to right the ship, to some extent, against the Pirates (.336 wOBA allowed) and the Phillies, two underwhelming pitching staffs. Wil Crowe, JT Brubaker, Mitch Keller, Matt Moore, Kyle Gibson, and even Aaron Nola look like plus matchups for Walker. Despite his struggles, he'll still hit between fourth and sixth for a D-Backs team that's won 6-of-7 games entering Friday's action.

Also Consider: Miguel Cabrera(1B, DET): 9% Rostered; Jeimer Candelario (1B/3B, DET): 30% Rostered

Middle Infield

Josh Rojas (2B/SS/OF, ARI): 46% Rostered

Rojas hit the injured list on July 24 after dislocating his pinkie finger while sliding into second on a stolen base attempt. It was an unfortunate injury at the time considering that he was raking at the dish in the month leading up to his injury. From June 23 through July 21 he hit .321/.444/.444 with one home run, seven RBI, four stolen bases, and a 21:18 K/BB ratio over 1oo plate appearances (23 games). The good news is that he picked up right where he left off since being activated from the IL on August 10. He's rocking a .483/.516/.793 batting line with four doubles, one triple, one home run, and five RBI in eight games since his activation and currently has a seven-game hitting streak. Overall, the dynamic 27-year-old is slashing .287/.370/.467 with 11 home runs, 33 RBI, and seven stolen bases on the year.

3-3 and Josh Rojas ties the game 🔥@Dbacks | #RattleOn pic.twitter.com/Dcx9JLAbOa

— Bally Sports Arizona (@BALLYSPORTSAZ) August 18, 2021

Next week, Rojas checks all three boxes that we like to see for our hitter streamers. First of all, he's in the midst of a hot streak at the plate, which is always a plus. Secondly, he's going to see a lot of at-bats as the D-backs are playing seven games. And finally, the pitching matchups are overwhelmingly favorable.

Arizona will see five right-handed starters in seven games and Rojas is batting .298/.382/.476 with 19 doubles, seven home runs, and 26 RBI over 248 at-bats vs. righties on the season. Wil Crowe, JT Brubaker, and Mitch Keller look like the easiest matchups on paper but Kyle Gibson has been shaky in a Phillies uniform and Aaron Nola has a 4.32 ERA since the All-Star break. Rojas should be considered the "co-streamer" of the week along with Nicky Lopez as the schedule sets up perfectly for him.

Also Consider: Brendan Rodgers (2B/SS, COL): 20% Rostered; Miguel Rojas (SS, MIA): 18% Rostered

Outfield

Brandon Nimmo (OF, NYM): 22% Rostered

Nimmo, who's never been the model of health, has battled numerous injuries so far this season. He's dealt with shoulder and hamstring issues in addition to a detached hand ligament that put him on the injured list for nearly two months from May to July. He's been healthy for the most part in August but hasn't really been lighting the world on fire. Nimmo is batting a decent .261/.333/.370 with a pair of doubles, a home run, four RBI, and a 6:5 K/BB ratio over his last 11 games. Overall, he's slashing .276/.399/.379 with three home runs, 19 RBI, and a pair of stolen bases over 214 at-bats. The Mets play six games at home next week, three against the Giants and three vs. the Nationals. The 28-year-old holds a solid .312/.423/.468 batting line in 109 at-bats at Citi Field this season.

Nimmo's strengths lie in his on-base skills and plate discipline. He's got a 16.5% Walk Rate (99th percentile), 15% Chase Rate (99th percentile), and also ranks in the 90th percentile in sprint speed. His .263 xBA and .343 xwOBA are both solid marks as well. Next week sets up nicely for him based on the probable pitchers that he's going to face. He's batting .301 against fastballs and .289 against breaking pitches this year and will be facing some pitchers that rely heavily on both types of offerings.

Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood, Johnny Cueto, Erick Fedde, and Josiah Gray all use a combination of their fastballs and breaking pitches over 75% of the time when they're on the mound. The Mets may be struggling as a team but Nimmo still holds value as the leadoff man and will see plenty of at-bats next week. He's more useful in OBP leagues but will be serviceable in most formats for his run-scoring potential.

Also Consider: Seth Brown (1B/OF, OAK): 1% Rostered; Andrew Vaughn (1B/OF, CWS): 37% Rostered

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