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Welcome back to Streaming Wars, your one-stop shop for streaming the waiver wire all season long. This article, now in its second year, runs seven days a week.
For those who are newcomers to this feature - use this column on a daily basis to improve upon your neediest categories, and target players who may be available on your waiver wire.
Below are your pitcher and hitter streaming targets for Monday, May 21. Let's get to it.
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Agenda
- Check Your Waiver Wire!
- Today's Weather and Updates
- Tomorrow's Picks
1. Check Your Waiver Wire!
This column tends to focus on widely available waiver wire options, but somebody much better could be available in your league. For example, my cousin told me that he recently plucked Whit Merrifield off waivers in a league with a $1,000 buy-in. If a guy as good as Merrifield (88% Owned) was available in that type of high-stakes league, anything is possible.
2. Today's Weather and Updates - Sunday, May 20
If you were hoping that your Sunday would be completely devoid of sun, do I have good news for you! Thunderstorms are invading the entirety of the Northeast, seriously jeopardizing games in Boston and New York. Scattered storms may also interfere with contests in Cincinnati, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and St. Louis. It's not feasible to ignore seven games, so check an updated forecast closer to game time to see which games are most likely to take place.
3. Streamer Picks - Monday, May 21
Pitchers to Use
It's been a tale of two seasons for German Marquez. At home, he's tossed 15 2/3 IP with an ERA of 10.34 and K% of 16.1%. On the road, he has 28 IP of a 2.25 ERA and 25% K%. He's taking on the Dodgers in LA, so the good Marquez is likely to show up.
Alternatively, you could roll with Nick Pivetta of the Philadelphia Phillies. The Braves and Mike Foltynewicz (also a decent option if available) are not an ideal matchup, but Pivetta has a 28.2% K% and 5.9% BB%. His ERA is a solid 3.72, and his 3.27 xFIP is even better. Quite frankly, he shouldn't be eligible for this column.
Other Targets: None
Pitchers to Exploit
There are so many total dumpster fires in big league rotations right now that this section practically writes itself. Elieser Hernandez of the Marlins faces Zack Wheeler and the Mets in what should be a very high-scoring affair. Hernandez has a shiny 2.25 ERA heading into his second MLB start, but his 5.00 xFIP and 9.1% K% (not a typo) reveal that he's actually terrible. Meanwhile, Wheeler has a 5.92 ERA thanks to allowing nearly a homer and a half per nine. His 22% K% just isn't high enough to offset a 9.8% BB%.
The Orioles (Andrew Cashner) and White Sox (Hector Santiago) should also score a bunch of runs between them. Cashner's ineptitude has a nice symmetry to it, as his ERA and xFIP are identical (4.83). Santiago is outperforming his xFIP (6.02), but has been far from good (5.29 ERA). Apparently, consistently running a FB% north of 50% in a hitter's park is a bad idea!
Other Targets: Bartolo Colon
Homers on the Wire
I've never understood the fascination with Bartolo Colon. He throws a mediocre fastball roughly 85% of the time, making him very exploitable by any team with talented hitters. The Yankees definitely fit the bill, but their best available players don't play everyday. Miguel Andujar, Clint Frazier, Tyler Austin, and Aaron Hicks are all strong options to homer in Arlington if they find themselves in the lineup.
Other Targets: Mitch Moreland, Dexter Fowler, Max Kepler, Danny Valencia, Christian Villanueva, Yolmer Sanchez, Adrian Gonzalez, Daniel Palka, Brian Anderson, Michael Conforto
Steals on the Wire
With A.J. Pollock and Steven Souza both on the DL, the D-Backs have no alternative to trotting Jarrod Dyson to the outfield every game. Dyson has speed to burn and uses it at every opportunity, making him a great short term add if you need an infusion of speed. Just remember that he's a Billy Hamilton clone with the lumber in his hands.
Other Targets: Leury Garcia, JaCoby Jones, Franchy Cordero, Cameron Maybin, Lewis Brinson, Travis Jankowski, Jose Reyes, Amed Rosario, Scott Kingery
