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Welcome to RotoBaller's weekly article of two-start pitcher streamers for 2020! Successfully streaming pitchers can literally be a game-changer when it comes to fantasy baseball. When it comes to daily leagues, two-start streams aren't that important, since you can stream every day. But when it comes to weekly leagues, two-start streams become exponentially more important.
With that said, what do we look for when it comes to streaming pitchers? Well, there are a lot of aspects. When looking at the actual pitcher, how have they performed lately? Have they made a pitch-mix change? Have they had a recent velocity bump? Reviewing pitchers every day on your own time will be very useful.
You also want to play matchups by looking at recent trends of the pitcher's opponent. How does their lineup perform when at home versus away? What has their wRC+ been in the last week or two? Have they been striking out a lot? Matchups are key when it comes to streaming. With all of that said, let's take a look at our picks, which we are going to rank in order with corresponding tiers. Also, note that all options below are under 30% owned.
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Stream With Confidence
Brett Anderson, MIL (2% rostered)
vs CIN, vs PIT
Analysis: This might seem like a weird one but Brett Anderson in his last 35 starts holds a 3.87 ERA. He knows how to get it down and while the strikeouts won't be there the ratios certainly will be. The Reds and Pirates haven't been bad against left-handed pitchers and the start against the Reds will be a tough one. But with his high floor, I think he escapes without doing too much damage. The main reason he is in this section is that I think he skates by with the Reds and then draws this beautiful matchup at home against the Pirates. The Pirates have a 66 wRC+, .131 ISO, and .260 OBP in the last seven days. All of those stats are bottom five in the league.
Tommy Milone, BAL (6% rostered)
@TB, @TOR
Analysis: Is Tommy Milone on the verge of a breakout? At age 33 he actually might be! His 4.13 ERA comes with a 3.19 FIP, 21.0 K-BB%, and 13.0 SwStr%. His changeup has been masterful and his four-seam has some added movement. As for matchups, this pick is kind of like Brett Anderson matchups. If Milone can skate by the Rays you will be rewarded with his next matchup. The Blue Jays are without Bichette and their offense isn't that scary without him. Sure they have been hot in the last seven days but they should come back to earth. They also swing and miss a ton so Milone should see a bunch of strikeouts.
Stream With Some Risk
Austin Voth, WSN (6% rostered)
vs MIA, @BOS
Analysis: A lot of people liked Voth coming into 2020, but the reason was due to his newly found velocity in 2019. That velocity is nowhere to be found in 2020. His fastball is back to 91 MPH and is back to be an underwhelming pitch. He did add a fancy new splitter but has barely used it. He probably isn't comfortable with it yet. The matchup against the Marlins is a nice one but going to Boston against the Red Sox might be a disaster.
Patrick Sandoval, LAA (7% rostered)
@HOU, vs SEA
Analysis: Sandoval has been more than frustrating this year. He has a ton of potential and a changeup that could be one of the best in the league. Unfortunately, he just can't seem to put it together and holds a 5.40 ERA in 4 starts. With confidence lost he will probably get hit around in Houston. The Mariners game is more intriguing as Sandoval will be pitching at home and the Mariners are a free-swinging team. If Sandoval's changeup is on, expect a big game from him.
Ryan Castellani, COL (4% rostered)
@ARI, vs SD
Analysis: Castellani has been impressive through three starts this year. In 14.1 innings he holds a 3.77 ERA, but it comes with a 5.38 FIP and lackluster 12.5 K-BB%. Castellani's most thrown pitch (his fastball) seems to be his Achilles heel and unless he starts throwing it less the regression bug should be hitting him soon. With all that said I like the matchup in Arizona as they have been bottom ten in the league in terms of offense overall. The Padres start at home is where Castellani's season will likely fall apart.
Do Not Stream
Tanner Roark, WSN (5% rostered)
@TB, @BOS
Analysis: Tanner Roark is possibly the most boring pitcher in baseball. Every year the guy has a mid four ERA and does nothing in terms of strikeouts. Both of these matchups aren't appealing and you don't want any part of Roark.
Daniel Castano, MIA (1% rostered)
@WAS, vs TB
Analysis: Castano had a really good outing against the Braves in his second start as he produced a quality start. Unfortunately, he seems to be getting very lucky and he is another pitcher who has limited strikeout upside. The Nationals and Rays could certainly beat him up in these starts, especially since he is a rookie. These offenses feast on rookies.
Jake Arrieta, PHI (25% rostered)
@WAS, vs ATL
Analysis: The once CY Young winner just doesn't have the stuff anymore. He has been on a steady decline since 2017 and shouldn't be on anyone's roster. His sinker isn't what it once was and so far hitters are killing this pitch with a 174 wRC+ against. With no sinker and a declining slider, Arrieta will be hard to start against anyone.
Steven Brault, PIT (1% rostered)
@CHW, @MIL
Analysis: Brault is not a pitcher to look out for, grab his teammate Chad Kuhl if he is still out there. I know Brault sports a 3.00 ERA but that is because he has been piggybacked most of the year. He doesn't possess a single swing and miss pitch, in fact the highest SwStr% on any of his pitches is 7.4%. That is just plain horrible. Now he draws the White Sox who have been crushing left-handed pitchers and a Brewers team that is starting to heat up.
