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Top daily fantasy baseball streamers and waiver wire adds for 4/21/21. Juan Carlos Blanco identifies MLB hitters and starting pitchers to stream based on matchups.
Baseball is back, and fantasy managers in daily leagues no doubt already have holes to fill with streamers. Fortunately, RotoBaller has you covered with daily streaming picks.
Each day, RotoBaller will provide you with some of the best streaming options to consider in fantasy baseball daily leagues. Additionally, these recommendations can be useful for fantasy managers setting DFS lineups.
We have another all-day slate Wednesday, so don't forget to get those lineups locked in early. In fact, many of the recommendations in this article come from the earlier slate of games, as there are several questionable arms taking the hill. This article will use rostered percentages and position eligibility from Yahoo! leagues.
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Hitter Streamers for 4/21 - Shallow Leagues
Willi Castro (SS, DET) - 15% rostered
Matchup: vs. PIT Pitcher TBD (Game 1)/ RHP Mitch Keller (Game 2)
The switch-hitting Castro has been solid hitting from the left side during his short career, posting a .278 average, .419 slugging percentage and elevated 29.4 percent line-drive rate versus righties. The 23-year-old has gotten the 2021 season off to a rough start (.213/.250/.295), but he offered a glimpse at his upside last season with a .349/.381/..550 slash (140 plate appearances), including a .916 OPS against righties specifically. The Pirates’ Game 1 pitcher is still to be determined as of Tuesday night, but opposing Game 2 hurler Mitch Keller has gotten his season off to an abysmal start. That much is evidenced by a 6.4 BB/9, 1.6 HR/9 and 5.37 xFIP, in addition to an 8.74 ERA (5.71 xERA) and 2.12 WHIP. Moreover, Keller has particularly struggled versus lefty bats, giving up a .470 wOBA, 7.32 xFIP and 27.3 percent line-drive rate surrendered to that handedness of hitter.
Kike Hernandez (2B/SS/OF, BOS) - 32% rostered
Matchup: vs. TOR LHP Anthony Kay
Hernandez has famously blasted left-handers throughout his career, and he’ll have a vulnerable one in his crosshairs on Wednesday in the form of Blue Jays southpaw Anthony Kay. Kay gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits across 3.1 innings in his first start of the season against the Royals, and he pitched to 5.79 and 5.14 ERAs in his first two MLB campaigns as well. Hernandez checks in with a career .346 wOBA and .211 ISO against lefties and he’s opened his Red Sox tenure with an .838 OPS and .231 ISO at Fenway Park, along with a .357 wOBA.
Jonathan India (2B/3B, CIN) - 49% rostered
Matchup: vs. ARI RHP Merrill Kelly
India has cooled off after a red-hot start, but he’s still sporting a solid .283 average and .352 on-base percentage, along with a 23.5 percent line-drive rate. The rookie has also raked against right-handed pitching at Great American Ballpark, posting a .370/.387/.481 slash line and .368 wOBA across 31 plate appearances in that scenario. Meanwhile, D-Backs right-hander Merrill Kelly’s uneven start to the season includes 2.3 HR/9, a 8.44 ERA, a 8.70 xERA and a 5.84 FIP, along with a .351 BAA, 1.022 OPS and .436 wOBA allowed to right-handed hitters (40-batter sample) on the road. Arizona relievers could also be a viable target for India, considering they’d allowed the sixth-highest wOBA (.329) going into Tuesday’s action.
Jesus Aguilar (1B, MIA) - 17% rostered
Matchup: vs. BAL LHP Bruce Zimmermann
Much like Hernandez, Aguilar is another slugger who’s tormented lefties throughout his career and draws a matchup against one he could exploit well on Wednesday in Bruce Zimmermann. The 26-year-old has allowed 2.1 HR/9 over the 17 innings covering his first three starts, and he’s yielded a .378 wOBA and 38.5 percent hard-contact rate to right-handed hitters specifically. Meanwhile, Aguilar entered Tuesday’s action with a .319 average and .411 on-base percentage, and he owns an .825 OPS and .351 wOBA versus left-handed pitching for his career. Aguilar is also striking out at a minuscule 8.9 percent rate this season, and with that degree of consistent contact, he’s certainly bound to break out of the homer-less streak he’s opened the season with in short order.
Hitter Streamers for 4/21 - Deep Leagues
Tommy La Stella (1B/2B/3B, SFG) - 13% rostered
Matchup: @ PHI RHP Zach Eflin
La Stella has yet to get going in the power department in San Fran, but he notably sported a massive .434 xwOBA (.339 wOBA) and .300/.364/.400 slash through 33 plate appearances heading into Tuesday’s action. La Stella was also sporting an .816 OPS and .361 wOBA versus right-handed pitching, along with a 25.0 percent line-drive rate. He’s yet to leave the yard through 33 plate appearances, but just under 28.0 percent of his batted balls are sporting an exit velocity of 95.0 percent or higher. Phillies starter Zach Eflin has gotten his season off to an impressive start, but he’s had trouble with lefty bats throughout his career and sports a 4.17 xERA that's over a full run higher than his standard 3.15 figure in that category. Eflin’s strikeouts are also way down over last season, and he’s been a bit fortunate with a .255 BABIP against him despite surrendering a career-high 53.4 percent hard-hit percentage, per Statcast.
Brandon Crawford (SS, SFG) - 4% rostered
Matchup: @PHI RHP Zach Eflin
Going to go against the grain here, but then again, these are deep-league streamers, so some of that is to be expected. In this case, I’m picking on Eflin again with another left-handed bat, albeit one that’s struggled a lot more thus far than La Stella. However, just as Eflin has some numbers underneath the surface that imply he may be getting a bit fortunate, Crawford has some that indicate he may have been on the wrong side of luck a bit more than normal thus far. The veteran shortstop did lace a pair of singles Tuesday, but he still sports an ugly .196 average and .250 OBP. However, he’s been saddled by a minuscule .162 BABIP going into Tuesday despite a career-high 15.0 percent barrel rate per Statcast, as well as an xSLG of .551 and an xwOBA of .359. In addition to the numbers already cited for Eflin in LaStella’s entry, it’s also worth noting the Phillies right-hander is giving up a .351 wOBA, 6.74 xFIP and 2.8 HR/9 to the first 26 lefty bats he’s faced this season, and .367, 5.12 and 2.2 figures in those categories for his career.
Josh Harrison (2B/3B, WAS) - 7% rostered
Matchup: vs. STL RHP Carlos Martinez
Harrison is now slashing .429/.500/.607 following Tuesday’s action, and he entered the contest with a .492 wOBA (.411 xwOBA) and zero strikeouts through 28 plate appearances before going down on strikes once. He’ll be set up for success again Wednesday against Carlos Martinez, whose avalanche of unfavorable numbers includes a 7.80 ERA, 8.38 xERA, 4.91 xFIP and 49.5 LOB percentage. Martinez is also allowing a .913 OPS, .394 wOBA and 2.3 HR/9 to the first 38 right-handed hitters he’s faced, while Harrison owned a .476 average and .537 wOBA in his first 21 PAs against righties going into Tuesday’s game.
Freddy Galvis (2B/SS, BAL) - 3% rostered
Matchup: @MIA LHP Trevor Rogers
Galvis faces a talented left-hander in Trevor Rogers, but the switch-hitting veteran has a solid track record in his career against southpaws and is starting to come around with the bat after a slow start. Galvis launched his second homer of the season Tuesday and is now slashing .268/.339/.482 across 63 plate appearances. Galvis boasted a .286 average and .353 wOBA against lefties coming into Tuesday, and Rogers checks into Wednesday’s matchup allowing a .331 wOBA and 1.7 HR/9 to right-handed hitters thus far in his career, despite impressive figures thus far this season. The lefty is also still working himself into trouble frequently with poor control (5.4 BB/9) and does have a 3.63 xFIP that’s notably higher than his 2.89 FIP. Moreover, Statcast readings indicate Rogers is allowing some solid contact, as it tracks him with a 62.1 hard-hit percentage allowed, along with a sharp increase in average exit velocity surrendered over last season (94.6 mph, compared to 87.3 mph in 2020).
Pitcher Streamers for 4/21 - Shallow Leagues
Anthony DeSclafani (SP, SFG) - 42% rostered
Matchup: @ PHI RHP Zach Eflin
DeSclafani has opened his Giants tenure in impressive fashion, posting a 1-0 mark, 1.06 ERA and 1.06 WHIP, along with a 16:4 K:BB. The right-hander is going to naturally experience a degree of regression at some point based on his prior track record, but thus far, he’s been an abyss for those he’s put on, posting an elite 96.4 LOB percentage. There is a notable gulf between his aforementioned tiny ERA and his xERA (3.49), yet he’s also lowered his barrel percentage allowed from last season’s career-high 11.4 percent to 8.0 percent and has boosted his K/9 from 2020’s 6.7 to 8.5. The Phillies did score seven runs Tuesday, but they checked into the contest averaging the fifth-fewest runs per game (3.6) while sporting a 25.6 percent strikeout rate, -2.8 wRAA and .299 wOBA against right-handed pitching.
Pitcher Streamers for 4/21 - Deep Leagues
Adrian Houser (SP, MIL) - 5% rostered
Matchup: @ SDP RHP Dinelson Lamet
Houser isn't exactly the most exciting fantasy option, but those in deep leagues needing a Wednesday fill-in can consider the Brewers' right-hander, who's posted sub-4.00 ERAs in three of his first four seasons and carries a 3.14 ERA over his first three starts of 2021. Houser also has a lower xFIP (4.00) than FIP (4.98) and is yielding a mediocre 83.1 mph exit velocity. Finally, despite the fact that the Padres are loaded with big name hitters, the Padres have scored all of one run over the first two games of the series versus the Brewers and have been shut out twice in the last four contests. Houser does have some control concerns and doesn't miss many bats (6.3 K/9), but San Diego went into Tuesday's 6-0 loss with just a .239 average and .137 ISO versus righties.
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