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Hitters to add from the waiver wire and stream in Week 14 of the 2021 fantasy baseball season. Jon Mathisen analyzes the top batter streamers to pick up.
Welcome to the top hitter streamers column for Week 14 of the MLB season (6/28 through 7/4). 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 plus 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 the @RotoBallerMLB account on Twitter to stay up to date! Over half of the league is playing seven games next week so there are streaming options aplenty.
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 these guys 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 14
Seven Game Weeks:
ARI, BOS, CWS, CIN, CLE, COL, HOU, KC, LAA, MIL, MIN, NYM, NYY, PHI, PIT, STL, WSH
Stream of the Week
C.J. Cron (1B, COL): 44% Rostered
Cron has been on fire over the last 10 games and the only reason he wasn't a recommended streamer last week was that the Rockies played just five games, all of which were on the road. Well, this upcoming week they're at home for a full seven-game slate. Colorado hosts Pittsburgh for a three-game series starting on Monday before taking on the Cardinals for a four-game series. Cron got off to a slow start this season, particularly in the power department, hitting just five home runs with a .754 OPS over his first 50 games. He's flipped a switch since June 13, though, and is slashing .375/.474/.906 with five home runs, 11 RBI, and a 5:6 K/BB ratio over his previous 10 games (32 at-bats).
Cron's home/road splits are what you'd expect from someone who plays half of their games in high altitude. He's slashing .299/.385/.607 at home versus .235/.354/.333 on the road. The Rockies are facing some pitchers that have a propensity to give up the long ball and/or have just plain struggled this season. Chase De Jong (1.9 HR/9), Chad Kuhl (1.3 HR/9), Wil Crowe (2.0 HR/9), and Johan Oviedo (1.4 HR/9) have all been vulnerable to the home run. Adam Wainwright should pose the stiffest test for Colorado but John Gant (3.74 ERA) and Carlos Martinez (6.62) don't exactly strike fear. This is a good week to stream your Rockies, including Cron, Brendan Rodgers, and Yonathan Daza (who is mentioned below).
C.J. Cron breaks it open early!
Entering tonight, Brandon Woodruff hadn't allowed more than 3 runs in a start all season.#Rockies | #ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/IIG1fxP3l6
— Inside Edge (@IE_MLB) June 18, 2021
Catcher
Tucker Barnhart (C, CIN): 22% Rostered
Cincinnati is one of many teams to play seven games next week, all at home. The Reds start the week off against the Phillies for a makeup game and then host the Padres for a three-game set and the Cubs for another three-game series. They're slated to face six right-handers with San Diego's Blake Snell being the lone southpaw. Barnhart is slashing .285/.376/.437 over 151 at-bats against right-handers this season, which gives him the slight edge over fellow catcher Tyler Stephenson, who's been a solid streamer in his own right. Barnhart has also edged out Stephenson in playing time this year and that extra volume matters when it comes to streaming.
On the year, Barnhart is batting .266/.350/.422 with 15 doubles, four home runs, 25 RBI, and 29 runs scored. He's greatly outperformed his expected stats (.214 xBA, .289 xwOBA, .347 xSLG) and also has a .385 BABIP, so that's a bit concerning. He appears to be selling out for more power as his 32.7% hard-hit rate and 28.3% flyball rate are both career-highs. He's also sporting an average launch angle of 13.9 degrees, which is the second-best mark of his career. If we dig a little deeper we'll also see that he's batting .357 and slugging .536 against offspeed pitches this season and he's facing a trio of pitchers that rely on their changeup as their secondary offering. Chris Paddack (28.6% Changeup use), Kyle Hendricks (26.3%), and Zach Davies (33.4%) all use their offspeed stuff quite often. It's always worth stacking Reds when they play at Great American Ball Park.
Also Consider: Daulton Varsho (C/OF, ARI): 8% Rostered
Corner Infield
Ty France (1B/2B/3B, SEA): 43% Rostered
France, who had a solid month of April, began to slump in May before hitting the injured list with a wrist injury. He was activated on May 24 and started to turn things around but has really flipped a switch over the last 11 contests. He's slashing .359/.422/.692 with four doubles, three home runs, and seven RBI in 39 at-bats over that span. The Mariners start the week on Tuesday with a three-game set against the Blue Jays in Buffalo before heading home to host the Texas Rangers for another three-game series. France and the suddenly hot Mariners (8-2 over their last 10) have some solid matchups on the slate.
The 26-year-old falls into the high floor/low upside category of streamers but sometimes that's exactly what you need. He's an asset in OBP leagues with his stellar plate discipline. He's sporting career-bests in strikeout rate (21.3% ), walk rate (8.4% ), barrel rate (8.9%), max exit velocity (111.1 mph), and z-contact (87.7%). The M's will face a pair of lefties in Robbie Ray and Steven Matz next week but will also get cracks at Mike Foltynewicz and Jordan Lyles. France is rocking a .790 OPS vs. lefties and a .762 OPS against right-handers so there's not much variance in his splits. He's more of a "boring" pick but he shouldn't come up empty for you.
Ryan O'Hearn (1B, KC): 2 % Rostered
If France is the safe, "low-risk" option at the corner infield spot then O'Hearn is the opposite. There's no denying that the 27-year-old is a flawed hitter. He didn't make the club out of Spring Training and struggled so much during his first stint with the big league club this year (.189/.246/.371 with three home runs) that they optioned him down to Triple-A after 20 games. He must have been motivated after being shipped off to Triple-A Omaha because all he did was crush the ball there. He slashed .375/.451/.931 with 12 home runs and 25 RBI over 72 at-bats for the Storm Chasers. The Royals recalled him once more on June 21 after Adalberto Mondesi (oblique) hit the injured list for the second time with an oblique issue.
He's only been up for two games but O'Hearn has gone 4-for-9, smashed two bombs, and driven in five runs. He should operate as the Royals' designated hitter whenever they see a right-hander and they're slated to face five righties next week between their four-game set in Boston and three-game series at home vs. the Twins. 30 of O'Hearn's 33 career home runs have come against righties, including all five this season. There is some major downside with O'Hearn but if you need home runs and are looking for a free dart throw, then he just might be your guy.
Also Consider: Wilmer Flores (1B/2B/3B, SF): 12% Rostered; Nate Lowe (1B, TEX): 46% Rostered
Middle Infield
Tony Kemp (2B/OF, OAK): 12% Rostered
Tony Kemp has quietly been having a great season for the A's. Entering Friday, he's slashing a rock-solid .292/.408/.467 with 26 runs, eight doubles, two triples, four home runs, 17 RBI, four stolen bases, and an impressive 25:28 K/BB ratio across 137 at-bats. He's been particularly hot over the last seven games, swatting two homers and driving in five runs to go along with a .400 batting average and a 1.270 OPS. Kemp is probably the last player you think of when it comes to power but he's actually posting career-highs in hard-hit rate (23.1%) and average launch angle (20.3 degrees) with a career-low 35.9% groundball rate.
We shouldn't be trusting the recent power surge (two homers in his last six games), though. The reason we like Kemp is that he stays true to that old "Money Ball" adage, he gets on base. He's posting a career-best 15.9% walk rate and a 14.7% strikeout rate, which ranks in the 90th percentile in MLB. He's only swiped one bag over the last 30 games but he should provide some decent value if he's batting atop the Oakland lineup, which he has over his last three games. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him hitting leadoff against right-handers Mike Foltynewicz, Dane Dunning, Garrett Richards, and Nick Pivetta next week. He should be a solid source of OBP and runs while sneaking in a few extra-base hits and a stolen base or two.
Stop us if you've heard this before...
?? ?????? ?@tonykemp | #RiseAndGrind pic.twitter.com/7YxBhJ2x89
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) June 24, 2021
J.P. Crawford (SS, SEA): 25% Rostered
Crawford has been on fire since taking over at the leadoff spot back on June 1. Over his last 21 games (85 at-bats), he's slashing a cool .365/.411/.576 with nine doubles, three home runs, 18 RBI, and a stolen base. He's been locked in at the dish and is currently riding a 10-game hitting streak. He's been aggressive at the plate but is also showing discipline with a solid 66.2% z-swing rate, 88.2% z-contact, 20.8% o-swing, and 17.4% whiff rate. The latter two statistics rank in the 86th and 89th percentiles, respectively. His 8.1% walk rate is a career-low but he's been collecting hits in bunches, garnering nine multi-hit performances over the last 21 games.
He's slashing .337/.363/.480 in 98 at-bats against left-handers this season and the M's will start the week off with Robbie Ray and Steven Matz. He'll be facing four starters that rely on a combination of their fastball and offspeed pitches over 50% of the time in Matz, Alek Manoah, Jordan Lyles, and Mike Foltynewicz. Crawford is batting .310 (.286 xBA) against fastballs this year and .333 (.269 xBA) versus offspeed pitches. The 26-year-old should continue to rake and will provide a ton of at-bats out of the leadoff spot, which will make up for the Mariners playing six games instead of seven.
J.P. Crawford - Seattle Mariners (5) pic.twitter.com/r3x4Tcoffs
— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) June 20, 2021
Also Consider: Luis Urias (2B/3B/SS, MIL): 20% Rostered; Amed Rosario (SS/OF, CLE): 46% Rostered
Outfield
Yonathan Daza (OF, COL): 7% Rostered
Daza has taken advantage of his opportunity to play every day and is putting together an excellent season for the Rockies. He's slashing .321/.362/.409 with 20 runs scored, nine doubles, one triple, two home runs, 21 RBI, and a pair of stolen bases across 193 at-bats. He wasn't expected to stick around for long but his stellar play forced the team's hand, who decided to stick with him and option the struggling Sam Hilliard to Triple-A back in May. He's formed a formidable 1-2 punch with Raimel Tapia since he's moved up to second in the batting order 10 games ago. He's batting a solid .333/.381/.487 over that span 10 game stretch.
The Rockies are playing all seven games at home next week and Daza is rocking a .371/.388/.500 batting line with seven doubles, a triple, two homers, and 16 RBI over 116 at-bats at Coors Field. Colorado is expected to face all right-handed starters and Daza owns a solid .749 OPS against righties. the 27-year-old doesn't have a ton of pop but whenever he's connected for an extra-base hit, it's been at home. Chase De Jong, Chad Kuhl, Wil Crowe, John Gant, and Carlos Martinez should all have struggles in the (un)friendly confines of Coors Field.
Myles Straw (OF, HOU): 18% Rostered
Straw is your classic "strike while the iron is hot" play. The speedy outfielder is slashing .339/.400/.482 with a pair of doubles, two home runs, six RBI, and three stolen bases over the last 15 games (56 at-bats). Houston is slated to face six right-handed starters in seven games between the Orioles and the Indians next week and that will benefit Straw, who's batting .269 with a .702 OPS against them. He ranks in the 95th percentile in sprint speed and has nine swipes on the season as well.
Houston is 18-3 over their last 21 games and is averaging a hefty 7.1 runs/game in that span. The Astros will face a terrible pitching staff in Baltimore (.405 xwOBAcon allowed) and a middling one in Cleveland and Straw is one of the last starting pieces of the Houston offense that can be scooped up off the waiver wire. He does bat towards the bottom of the lineup but he's been getting four to five at-bats a game during the team's winning streak. The run-producing opportunities increase when a team is hot and Straw is an excellent stream if you're in need of RBI, runs scored, and stolen bases.
Also Consider: Akil Baddoo (OF, DET): 15% Rostered; Steven Duggar (OF, SF): 20% Rostered
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