Top Hitter Streamers and Starts for Week 21

Welcome to the top hitter streamers column for Week 21 of the MLB season (8/16 through 8/22). 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 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 @RotoBallerMLB on Twitter to stay up to date! There are 12 teams playing seven games next week and one team, the Yankees, playing eight. The dust has officially settled from the trade deadline and we have some solid streaming options to choose from so it's time to buckle up, get focused, and build some winning lineups.

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 them 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 21

Seven Game Weeks:

BAL, CWS, CIN, HOU, KC, LAA, LAD, MIA, MIN, NYM, NYY*, OAK, TB

*play eight games

Stream of the Week

Aledmys Diaz (1B/2B/3B/OF, HOU): 16% Rostered

Diaz missed nearly two months of action with a fractured hand from early June to late July. He's been raking since rejoining the team, slashing .339/.362/.589 with five doubles, three home runs, and 14 RBI over 13 games. He's been hitting between third and sixth in the batting order and has been playing every day with both Alex Bregman and Yuli Gurriel on the injured list. Gurriel is slated to be activated on Friday but that shouldn't affect Diaz's playing time as he's mostly been covering the hot corner. Overall, the super utilityman is batting .289/.348/.485 with six home runs, 32 RBI, and 22 runs scored across 171 at-bats. He hasn't overachieved by any means either with a .288 xBA, .343 xwOBA, and .454 xSLG. He's also posting career-highs in Hard Hit Rate (44.8%) and Barrel Rate (7.7%).

The Astros are playing seven games next week, four at the Royals and three against the Mariners at home. They'll face four left-handed starters and three righties. Diaz's batting splits aren't drastic so he should have a great chance at success against all the probable pitchers that he's going to face. He's slashing .280/.331/.424 with three homers and 16 RBI against right-handed pitching and has a .340/.386/.623 batting line with three long balls, and 16 runs driven in against southpaws. The toughest pitcher that Houston will face next week is Yusei Kikuchi but the Astros should have a field day besides that. Carlos Hernandez, Daniel Lynch, Brady Singer, Mike Minor, and Logan Gilbert have all shown vulnerability this year. The Astros are capable of inflicting a lot of damage and Diaz, who's been a multi-hit machine, figures to be right in the middle of it. His multi-position eligibility gives you a ton of lineup flexibility as well.

Aledmys Díaz evens this one up at 1! #ForTheH

Plenty of baseball ahead of so... schedule another meeting or two. 😉

Or just be honest and say work can wait, I need to watch the @Astros game. pic.twitter.com/tJgIMzaAev

— AT&T SportsNet SW (@ATTSportsNetSW) August 11, 2021

Catcher

Carson Kelly (C, ARI): 21% Rostered

Kelly was a hot commodity at the start of the season as he got off to a blazing start. He hit .338/.491/.613 with six home runs and 19 RBI over the first 28 games of the year before fracturing his toe in mid-May. He was activated in late May and struggled at the dish (.519 OPS over 77 plate appearances) before hitting the injured list again with a fractured wrist. He returned from that injury in late July and got off to a sluggish start but has hit .381/.435/.524 with three RBI over the last seven contests. Overall, the 27-year-old backstop is slashing .261/.386/.440 with eight home runs, 29 RBI, and 28 runs scored over 184 at-bats. He's been slow to regain his footing after missing so much time but he could get back on track next week.

The D-backs host the Phillies for three games before heading to the friendly confines of Coors Field for a three-game set. They'll face a few tough pitchers in Zack Wheeler and Ranger Suarez but Kyle Gibson shouldn't be too difficult of a matchup. Kelly has a .327 OBP with three home runs and 12 RBI against righties this season but he's excelled against left-handers. He's slashing .328/.474/.655 with five homers and 15 RBI over 76 plate appearances vs. southpaws. He gets a bump in OBP leagues but the Rockies series should be good for Kelly as he's shown career success against both Kyle Freeland (two home runs in nine at-bats) and Jon Gray (.286 BA/.375 OBP in seven at-bats). Despite his recent struggles, Kelly has a .259 xBA, .374 xwOBA, and .455 xSLG. He's also sporting a career-best 15.7% Walk Rate and 9.5% Barrel rate. He has a low floor but the catcher options on the waiver wire are pretty limited this time of year. You could do much worse.

Also Consider: Max Stassi (C, LAA): 26% Rostered

Corner Infield

Brandon Belt (1B/OF, SF): 47% Rostered

Belt has put together a solid season so far but has dealt with a few nagging injuries that have limited him to just 61 games played. He's slashing .255/.360/.552 with 15 home runs, 35 RBI, 36 runs scored, and three stolen bases over 192 at-bats. But he spent time on the injured list with an oblique strain in late May and missed over a month from late June to early August with right knee inflammation. He was activated from the IL on August 5 and has gone 6-for-22 (.273/.333/.864) with four home runs and seven RBI in six games since then. He's looked no worse for the wear since rejoining the team and he should continue to keep it rolling next week against the Mets and the Athletics.

The Giants will face two left-handed starters and four righties next week and Belt, who bats left-handed, is capable of holding his own against both. He's got a .872 OPS with 12 home runs and 25 RBI against righties this season and is slashing a surprising .343/.455/.629 with three bombs and 10 RBI in 44 plate appearances against southpaws. He's sold out for more power this season as evidenced by his 31.1% Strikeout Rate but he's still posting a solid 13.3% Walk Rate. His 47.2% Hard Hit Rate is the highest mark of his career while his 16.3% Barrel Rate is the second highest. Belt has been a quality fantasy bat for a long time and he typically hits in a prominent spot in the San Francisco lineup. His floor is pretty safe with his on-base skills and he should see plenty of chances to drive in runs for the loaded, first place Giants.

Brandon Belt hits his 4th HR in the past 3 games to tie it! pic.twitter.com/Qa93vtRaA3

— MLB (@MLB) August 8, 2021

Also Consider: Tyler Wade (2B/3B/SS/OF, NYY): 3% Rostered; Miguel Sano (1B/3B, MIN): 42% Rostered

Middle Infield

Joey Wendle (2B/3B/SS, TB): 49% Rostered

The Rays are playing seven games at home next week between the Orioles (four) and the White Sox (three). They're slated to face five right-handed starters, which bodes well for Joey Wendle. The 31-year-old utility man is slashing .311/.359/.496 with 21 doubles, seven home runs, and 35 RBI against righties this season. He's got a .278/.330/.435 batting line with seven homers, 38 RBI, 55 runs scored, and six stolen bases across 313 at-bats overall this year. He's put up a solid .290/.308/.371 mark with four extra-base hits and five RBI in 62 at-bats since the All-Star break as well. His statcast profile is pretty ugly but he's outperformed his expected stats all season. He's got a subpar .238 xBA, .281 xwOBA, and .338 xSLG but he's posting a solid 83.4% Z-Contact Rate, 61.4% O-Contact Rate, and 23.7% Whiff Rate.

He's been getting platooned against lefties since the trade deadline but that should only affect him when the Rays face John Means and Dallas Keuchel next week. Wendle should see action against the Orioles poor pitching staff, which will feature Matt Harvey, Spenser Watkins, and Jorge Lopez. He's also fared well against Lucas Giolito (.250 BA in eight at-bats) in the past and is 5-for-12 in his career against Lance Lynn. Wendle is one of the last few pieces of the Tampa Bay lineup that you can scoop up off the waiver wire. Streaming a player from the first-place Rays, who have looked formidable since the trade deadline by averaging 7.5 runs/per game, is usually a good call.

Also Consider: Cesar Hernandez (2B, CWS): 41% Rostered; Amed Rosario (SS/OF, CLE): 42% Rostered

Outfield

Connor Joe (1B/OF, COL): 6% Rostered

Joe has been called up, optioned, and recalled on three separate occasions this season through no fault of his own. He's been a productive player in his limited at-bats this year but has often been the odd man out when the Rockies had to clear a roster spot. He was called up for the final time on July 20 and appears to be here to stay as he's slashing .340/.368/.679 with five home runs and 16 RBI since then. Most recently, he's got a .348/.385/.739 batting line with three homers and eight RBI over the last seven contests (23 at-bats). Overall, the 28-year-old journeyman is rocking a solid .291/.363/.473 triple-slash line with five long balls, 22 runs batted in, and 10 runs scored over 110 at-bats. He's been remarkably consistent at the plate despite receiving sporadic at-bats throughout the year.

Joe has a .284 xBA, .354 xwOBA, and .458 xSLG to go along with a 10.7% Barrel Rate and an impressive 113.5 mph Max Exit Velocity. The Rockies host the Padres for three games next week before the D-Backs come to town. They're slated to face three right-handed pitchers and three lefties. Joe has had more success against right-handers (.311/.378/.500 over 74 AB's) but has a solid .740 OPS in 33 at-bats against southpaws this year as well. He's already homered off Ryan Weathers once this season and Blake Snell has been remarkably inconsistent this year. Yu Darvish, Zac Gallen, and Merrill Kelly have all looked particularly vulnerable over their last few starts, too, so this should be a profitable week for Joe. Teammate Raimel Tapia hit the injured list at the beginning of this week and Joe has been batting leadoff in his stead. He should see plenty of volume and production in Tapia's place.

Connor Joe - Colorado Rockies (2) pic.twitter.com/Z4VBLVI9Ju

— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) July 31, 2021

Lewis Brinson (OF - MIA)

Brinson has been optioned and recalled eight separate times this season but similar to Connor Joe above him, he's been raking since his last call up. Over the last 20 games, he's slashing a hefty .349/.406/.698 with seven doubles, five home runs, 18 RBI, and 12 runs scored across 20 games. Overall, the former top-prospect is slashing .282/.319/.514 with 10 doubles, seven home runs, 23 RBI, and 15 runs scored over 138 at-bats. The 27-year-old is finally experiencing some sustained success after struggling for much of his major league career prior to 2021. He was a career .189/.242/.304 hitter across 821 plate appearances between the Brewers and Marlins from 2017-2020. He's mostly been batting cleanup for Miami since his last call-up on July 19 and has taken full advantage of the opportunity.

He's registered a 44% Hard Hit Rate and a 9.9% Barrel Rate over the last 20 games to go along with a solid .269 xBA. He's also posted a 29% Strikeout Rate and an unsustainable .436 BABIP over that same span. There's always the chance that Brinson could turn back into a pumpkin but streaming is all about striking while the iron is hot. The Marlins are playing seven games next week, three against the Braves and four at the Reds. There are a few tough pitchers on the slate, including Charlie Morton, Luis Castillo, and Wade Miley. But Touki Toussaint, Vladimir Gutierrez, and Sonny Gray don't pose nearly as big of a challenge. It's hard to ignore Brinson's past struggles but he's a former first-round pick and was once the centerpiece of the Christian Yelich trade between the Brewers the Marlins. His floor is very low but he's worth a speculative stream at this point in the season. Why not?

🎶This is a public service announcement
Sponsored by Lewis Brinson and the good folks at the Miami Marlins. 🎶 pic.twitter.com/Fbn2tSpwYH

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) August 11, 2021

Also Consider: Rafael Ortega (OF, CHC): 50% Rostered; Yadiel Hernandez (OF, WSH): 7% Rostered

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