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Welcome to Streaming Wars, your one-stop shop for streaming the waiver wire. Use this column to improve upon your neediest categories in this, the final week of the season.
Below are your pitcher and hitter streaming targets for Monday, September 25.
Let's get to it.
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Agenda
- This Is It
- Today's Weather and Updates
- Tomorrow's Picks
1. This Is It
Can you believe it? We've made it to the final week of the season. It's time for desperation plays, chasing categories, and using every trick in the book. Have a safe saves total and stable pitching ratios? Consider dropping your ace reliever for a slugger. Need steals? Banged up Jay Bruce is only going to get in your way. Audible to Delino DeShields. When the season is reduced to one week, no move is too bold. The unlikeliest player could become your hero.
Do note, the Mets and Braves have a doubleheader tomorrow. It's a good opportunity to grab some waiver wire run production.
2. Today's Weather and Updates
The Rockies game could be a problem tomorrow. Everywhere else is scheduled to be dry both today and tomorrow.
3. Tomorrow's Picks - Monday, September 25
Pitchers to Use
Including the doubleheader, there are 12 games on the docket tomorrow. CC Sabathia is easily the top option opposite Jake Junis at Yankee Stadium. The Royals offense has proven to be rather tepid. Sabathia has had a successful season - he's been particularly adept at inducing soft contact. There's a decent chance he'll earn the victory. He probably won't help or hurt you in any other category.
Junis is a decent alternative if you're hunting a chance for a victory with a chance for some ratio help. The potent Yankees offense could ruin his evening, making him a rather risky play. Junis has a quality slider that he uses over one-third of the time. Unfortunately, his fastball is average at best - and that's being charitable. The other options listed below are even riskier.
Other Targets: A.J. Cole, Rafael Montero, Tyler Chatwood
Pitchers to Exploit
Odrisamer Despaigne has a kitchen sink approach to pitching. None of his offerings are better than adequate. He survives by using three different fastballs and a couple breaking balls. The Marlins are headed to Denver tomorrow. Coors Field has ruined far better pitchers than Despaigne.
Other Targets: Lucas Sims, Seth Lugo, Max Fried, Brett Anderson, Ricky Nolasco, James Shields, Daniel Gossett, Travis Wood
Homers on the Wire
I did say Justin Bour would start hitting home runs again. He's hammered one in each of his last four games as part of a fiery hot streak. A visit to Coors Field should aid in the continuation of his offensive onslaught. He's up to 50 percent owned. Overall, he's batting .299/.374/.564 in 398 plate appearances with 25 home runs - a 41 homer pace. Derek Dietrich and Brian Anderson aren't nearly as talented as Bour, but they're also well placed to take advantage of the elevation.
Other Targets: Enrique Hernandez, Mitch Haniger, Jed Lowrie, Chad Pinder, Matt Chapman, Matt Joyce, Stephen Piscotty, Jose Martinez, Yoan Moncada, Luis Valbuena, C.J. Cron, Asdrubal Cabrera, Brandon Nimmo, Dominic Smith, Amed Rosario, Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson, Teoscar Hernandez, Nick Williams, Aaron Altherr
Steals on the Wire
This is a rare opportunity to squeeze some value from Brandon Phillips. He has a valuable matchup against a homer prone pitcher at a homer prone park opposite a stolen base prone catcher. Yep, the White Sox are very "prone." Phillips has supplied 11 home runs and 11 stolen bases this year. There's a decent chance he'll find number 12 of one or both categories while batting first or fifth.
Other Targets: Yolmer Sanchez, Tim Anderson, Delino DeShields, Shin-Soo Choo, Jose Reyes, Kevin Pillar
Skill Positions
Austin Barnes will have the platoon advantage tomorrow against Wood. Barnes has performed like a top five catcher on a rate basis. It'll be interesting to see how his role evolves next season. Overall, he's batting a luck neutral .284/.407/.471 with a high rate of contact. The Dodgers may prefer his high floor production to volatile Yasmani Grandal.
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