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The calendar turns over to May this week, and fantasy baseball managers are already looking for healthy bodies to plug into their lineups as the injury bug continues to zap pitchers and hitters across the league.
Our hitter streamers fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups column will identify hitters with good matchups and can be considered waiver wire streamers ahead of the Sunday night waiver wire runs for leagues with weekly transactions.
In this piece, every week I'll look to find hitters playing in most games and who have the most favorable matchups to help you plug those gaps and fill those holes in your roster. You can also check out the rest of our fantasy baseball streamer content here at RotoBaller.
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What Teams Offer The Most Streaming Value?
This week we have six teams playing seven games between Monday, April 29, and Sunday, May 5:
- Baltimore (vs. NYY, @CIN)
- Chicago Cubs (@NYM, vs. MIL)
- Miami (vs. WAS, vs. COL, @OAK)
- New York Mets (vs. CHC, @TB)
- New York Yankees (@BAL, vs. DET)
- Washington (@MIA, @TEX, vs. TOR)
Park Factor Upgrades and Downgrades:
- Colorado plays all six games on the road this week - DOWNGRADE
- Baltimore plays a four-game series at home against the Yankees and then three games in Cincinnati - UPGRADE
Week 6 Fantasy Baseball Hitter Streamers
I'll recommend only players who are 40% rostered or lower and all roster percentages are from Yahoo!
Alex Verdugo, OF - NYY (39%)
Verdugo has found his power stroke this weekend, hitting home runs in back-to-back games in Milwaukee. He moved up to the cleanup spot in the lineup, too, which is a positive trend for his chances at sustaining production in RBIs.
Alex Verdugo - New York Yankees (4)
pic.twitter.com/zi5d4B8XzS— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) April 27, 2024
With seven games this week, the Yankee slugger looks like the top add under 40%. We know he can hit for average based on what he did in Boston over multiple seasons.
Ryan Jeffers, C - MIN (36%)
There aren't too many catchers with the type of offensive skills that Jeffers has. He is hitting for power (five HR) and average (.286) and has been arguably the most consistent bat in a very inconsistent Twins lineup so far this season. He has been hitting in the top third of the lineup all season, even leading off a few times against LHP.
The Twins start the week in Chicago against the White Sox, where they will get at least a few favorable matchups against one of the worst starting pitching staffs in baseball.
Andy Pages, OF - LAD (24%)
The Dodger rookie has fit in just fine, hitting .282 through his first 10 games in the majors with two home runs. He's played every day since coming up, so there hasn't been anything to worry about (for now anyway) in terms of him having to platoon with another outfielder.
He has yet to draw a walk and has whiffed nine times, but he's making quality contact with the baseball when he does and has been very productive for a hitter who is consistently hitting in the bottom third of the lineup. As long as he's starting every day, he's going to have value as he's surrounded by good hitters in this elite lineup.
Brent Rooker, OF - OAK (19%)
After a stint on the 10-day IL, Rooker returned to action last week and quickly found his power stroke. He has hit three of his five home runs over his last nine games and most importantly, hasn't been sitting out against RHP.
Brent Rooker CRUSHED this one.
*HR No. 5
*111.2 mph
*418 feet
*.980 xBA
*Out in all 30 parkspic.twitter.com/UGOKihNkZR— Karl Buscheck (@KarlBuscheck) April 25, 2024
Oakland needs his bat in the lineup, it's that simple. And Rooker has responded with some clutch extra-base hits. He's going to strike out plenty, but the home run upside here is substantial. We saw last season that he can hit them in bunches when he gets hot.
Josh Smith, 3B/SS/OF - TEX (15%)
Smith is a repeat from last week. His rostership crept up only a few percentage points this week, despite hitting safely in five of six games and contributing a home run, two runs, and three RBI. The kid just keeps hitting and has eligibility at three different lineup spots, including shortstop. He's a great utility man in real life for Texas and to have on your fantasy baseball roster.
Max Kepler, OF - MIN (15%)
After missing the first half of April on the IL, Kepler is back in the lineup, hitting over .400 during the last week with one home run and seven RBI. He could be platooned with Manuel Margot this season, but not if he continues to hit and he should only face one lefty (Garrett Crochet) this week as the Twins have the White Sox and then Boston as their opponents.
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF - CHC (13%)
With Cody Bellinger on the IL, Crow-Armstrong is up from Triple-A and has already made three straight starts for the Cubs. While he has a lot of swing-and-miss in his bat yet, he also has shown some pop as he homered in his first game and has collected five hits total in his first 10 at-bats.
He swiped 10 bases at Triple-A last season, so there is some steals upside here as well. Grab him here in the short term and see what he can do, as he's regarded by the Cubs as one of their top hitter prospects.
Blake Perkins, OF - MIL (13%)
Perkins cooled off a bit this week but is still a guy who I think holds a lot of value, even once Christian Yelich returns. He's a switch hitter, so I think Milwaukee will favor him over Sal Frelick when they face lefties and he's shown that he can hit RHP just fine, too. He's still far too lightly rostered for his skill set.
Deep League Hitter Streamers to Consider
Some widely available hitters (under 10% rostered) could be worth a look this week.
- Willi Castro, 2B/3B/SS/OF - MIN (10%)
- Johan Rojas, OF - PHI (8%)
- Mike Tauchman, OF - CHC (7%)
- Jo Adell, OF - LAA (6%)
- Gavin Sheets, 1B/OF - CHW (5%)
- Trevor Larnach, OF - MIN (3%)
- Tommy Pham, OF - CHW(3%)
- Josh Rojas, 2B/3B - SEA (3%)
Good luck this week and choose those streaming options wisely!
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