Top Hitter Streamers and Starts for Week 8

Welcome to the top hitter streamers column for Week 8 of the MLB season (5/17 through 5/23). 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 to gain an edge on your opponent then you're in the right place. I'm here to help you make some informed decisions to remain competitive in your league. This column aims to help you stay ahead of the game and get an early jump on those waiver claims before your league mates.

Remember that this piece is forward-looking and a lot can happen over the course of a week. Potential pitching opponents, batting orders, 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!

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 that 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 8

Seven Game Weeks:

ARI, ATL, CHC, CIN, LAA*, LAD, MIN*, NYY, SF, TEX, WSH

*Play eight games

Stream of the Week

Starlin Castro (2B/3B, WSH): 11% Rostered

Castro is currently rocking an 11-game hitting streak, picking up four multi-hit performances, four doubles, and four RBI over that span. It's raised his season batting line to .309/.356/.398 with one home run and 16 RBI across 123 at-bats. It's pretty rare to find a legitimate .300 hitter on the waiver wire, especially when .234 is the current league average. At the time of this writing, Castro is rostered in just 11% of Yahoo! leagues.

As noted by the slugging percentage and lack of home runs, power isn't really Castro's game, but he still has a 42% hard-hit rate and a max exit velocity of 111.2 mph. He's got eight doubles on the season so he's not allergic to extra-base hits. The 31-year-old can be a batting average balancer for teams that are struggling in that category, which many are these days. The Nationals visit the Cubs for a four-game set before hosting Baltimore for the Beltway Series. John Means and Adbert Alzolay are the two best pitchers they'll face next week, but Castro should get his against the likes of Jake Arrieta, Zach Davies, Matt Harvey, and Trevor Williams. He should remain in the middle of the batting order, most likely batting fifth, which should lead to plenty of RBI opportunities.

Starlin Castro has extended his hitting streak to 10 games.

He's hitting .364 over that stretch.#NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/Jh2eU7UqZw

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) May 12, 2021

Catcher

Jacob Stallings (C, PIT): 5% Rostered

The Pirates begin the week with a two-game set on the road vs. the Cardinals and finish with a four-game series at the Braves. Pittsburgh should face five right-handed starters in those six games and Stallings has performed best against righties this season with a .794 OPS and .333 BABIP in 81 plate appearances. Overall he's slashing .239/.368/.409 with a pair of home runs and 11 RBI, while mostly hitting in the middle (4th or 5th) of the underrated Pittsburgh lineup. The expected stats grade him out a little better with a .256 xBA, .372 xwOBA, and .472 xSLG.

His batting average isn't great so he gets more of a bump in OBP leagues but he'll be facing some hurlers who rely on their breaking and off-speed stuff and Stallings has hit those types of pitches well. He's registered a .355 xwOBA and .519 xSLG vs. breaking balls in addition to a .500 xwOBA and .647 xSLG against off-speed pitches. John Gant, who has an ugly 17.9% walk rate (4th percentile), also throws a combination of off-speed and breaking pitches 49.3% of the time. Huascar Ynoa throws his slider on 46.3% of his offerings, Ian Anderson uses a combination on 54% of his pitches, and Charlie Morton fires his curveball 30.8% of the time. The ceiling is not very high with Stallings but he should provide a safe enough floor if you're in need of a catcher.

Also Consider: Mitch Garver (C, MIN): 45% Rostered

Corner Infield

Matt Beaty (1B/3B/OF, LAD): 6% Rostered

Injuries have cleared the path for Beaty to soak up everyday plate appearances for the Dodgers and he's made the most of his opportunity over the last month. The 28-year-old is slashing .318/.444/.432 with one home run and 18 RBI over 44 at-bats. The Dodgers play seven games next week, all in the division, with four vs. the Diamondbacks at home and three against rival San Francisco. The good news for Beaty, who bats from the left side of the plate, is that the Dodgers are scheduled to face six right-handed pitchers. He's only had one plate appearance against a southpaw this year so all of his production has come against righties with a .326/.453/.442 batting line.

He doesn't do anything exceptionally well at the dish. He's outperforming all of his expected stats and has limited power upside while hitting towards the bottom of the Dodgers' batting order. However, the prospect of facing Matt Peacock, Merrill Kelly, Riley Smith, and Luke Weaver makes him a worthwhile streamer. He should see RBI opportunities regardless of where he hits and his triple-eligibility gives you some lineup versatility as well.

Pavin Smith (1B/OF, ARI): 18% Rostered

The Diamondbacks hit the road next week for a four-game set in Los Angeles against the Dodgers before heading to the friendly confines of Coors Field for a three-game series. Smith will face some tough arms in the Dodgers' rotation with the likes of Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urias, and Trevor Bauer, but he should pay off in the weekend series against the Rockies. Smith hasn't been a liability vs. left-handed pitching this season (.259 batting average, .815 OPS in 30 plate appearances) so the fact the D-Backs are scheduled to face three southpaws shouldn't cause concern. Smith's intrigue comes in the Colorado series where he'll get to face Antonio Senzatela (5.97 ERA), German Marquez (5.49 ERA), and either Kyle Freeland (shoulder), who will be fresh off the injured list, or Chi Chi Gonzalez (4.79 ERA).

He's been hitting the ball hard and limiting his strikeouts, which has made him a solid leadoff hitter for the D-Backs. There is not a chasm between his real batting line (.276/.319/.441) and the expected one (.277/.334/.453) so what you see is what you get with Smith. He's a volume play and could get over 30 plate appearances next week. You may not want to roster him in OBP leagues, but he won't be a batting average liability either.

Also Consider: Austin Slater (1B/OF, SF): 6% Rostered; Travis Shaw (1B/3B, MIL): 14% Rostered

Middle Infield

Gavin Lux (2B, LAD): 41% Rostered

Lux's early-season struggles have been well documented. He's slashing .234/.267/.319 with one home run, 12 RBI, and one stolen base. There's no way to sugarcoat it, that isn't great. But he's kicked things up a notch in May, hitting .316 with a .771 OPS, one home run (his first of the year), and six RBI in 10 games. He fell flat on his face in April, which saw his roster shares plummet. As of now, he's available in 59% of Yahoo! leagues but that may not be the case for long.

He's failed to live up to his highly-touted prospect pedigree but he's still just 23-year-old. The schedule sets up nicely for him next week as the Dodgers will face six right-handers. Lux is batting .257/.300/.365--better than his regular slash line--in 74 at-bats vs. righties this season. He's got a .308 xBA and .334 xwOBA against off-speed pitches in addition to a .281 xBA off fastballs and will be facing some pitchers that rely heavily on those types of offerings. Luke Weaver, Riley Smith, Merrill Kelly, and Brandon Webb are all solid matchups for Lux. He also ranks in the 96th percentile in spring speed so the steal numbers should start to tick up as he gets on base more consistently. He should be a quality streaming option next week and represents a very intriguing buy-low player moving forward.

#Dodgers Gavin Lux showing signs of life in May

Slashing .316/.350/.421 with 1 HR and 6 RBI (10 games)

5 multi-hit games, including two consecutive in Seattle series

Trending up ?⚾️#FantasyBaseball #MLB

— EazyMath (@EazyMath) May 13, 2021

Also Consider: Freddy Galvis (2B/SS, BAL): 10% Rostered; Adam Frazier (2B/OF, PIT): 40% Rostered

Outfield

Manuel Margot (OF, TB): 19% Rostered

Margot has been struggling at the dish of late, currently mired in a 3-for-35 slump. His season batting line of .222/.262/.352 (122 at-bats) has been really dragged down as a result of the recent drought. He's got a great chance to right the ship next week, though, starting with a three-game series in Baltimore, followed by a four-game set against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, FL. Camden Yards and TD Ballpark are two of the more hitter-friendly stadiums in baseball. The Rays have kept Margot batting second or third in the lineup, despite his issues.

His expected stats, while admittedly not great, show he's been getting unlucky. He's got a .261 xBA, .312 xwOBA, and .421 xSLG. His .247 BABIP is the lowest mark of his career while his 17.6% strikeout rate is the second-best. He's got a 42.7% hard-hit rate and ranks in the 92nd percentile in sprint speed. There's a definite risk to streaming him, especially if his slump continues through this weekend. However, the Rays get to face some uninspiring arms next week like Matt Harvey, Dean Kremer, Jorge Lopez, Ross Stripling, and possibly Anthony Kay. That could be just what the doctor ordered for Margot to snap out of his slumber.

Avisail Garcia (OF, MIL): 22% Rostered

The Brewers only play five games next week but the matchups set up well for Avisail Garcia, who's quietly hitting .265/.341/.419 with five home runs, 20 RBI, and three stolen bases over 117 at-bats. The Brewers will face two southpaws in their two-game set with the Royals and Garcia is rocking a .846 OPS (29 plate appearances) against lefties this year. He's also 14-for-41 (.341) in his career vs. Danny Duffy while rookie Daniel Lynch has looked vulnerable. The Brew Crew then travels to Cincinnati where they'll face Jeff Hoffman, Sonny Gray, and the struggling Luis Castillo.

Garcia has been crushing the ball through the first month and a half of the season, which has always been his M.O. His 54.3% hard-hit rate ranks in the 93rd percentile and his average exit velocity of 92.5 mph is in the 88th percentile. He's also in the 88th percentile in sprint speed. He may not register as many at-bats as some of the other streaming candidates but he should produce against the mediocre pinching that he's set to face.

Also Consider: Adam Duvall (OF, MIA): 18% Rostered; Harrison Bader (OF, STL): 6% Rostered

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