This is a fun time of year for fantasy baseball. Well, any time baseball is going on is a fun time. But this is the time when you need to start paying attention to the prospects in the minors. Young guys will come up for spot starts, except for those times when they actually stick. Yesterday, I had Buck Farmer on here, and before that I suggested Noah Syndergaard. The young guys aren’t necessarily always trustworthy, but with the right matchup, their skills can shine through and they can be super useful. That may never be truer than with the first of our streaming pitchers for tomorrow.
Streaming Pitchers: 5/29/15
Lance McCullers RHP HOU (vs CWS)
When in doubt about prospects, I defer to the wonderful Kiley McDaniel of FanGraphs.com. He grades Lance’s fastball and curveball with future grades of 65 on a 20-80 scale. He used those tools along with a developing two-seamer and average changeup to tear apart AA batters. So the Astros decided to let him skip AAA altogether and jump straight to the majors. He’s held his own in two starts against the A’s and Tigers, and now gets to face the White Sox, thankfully outside of the Cell, where they hit a measly 88 wRC+. They also only hit a 89 wRC+ against righties, so this is another good opportunity to show Astros management (and fantasy managers) how good he can be. I’d give him a go.
Chris Capuano LHP NYY (@OAK)
I swear I’m a Red Sox fan. But the Yankees have been getting some prime pitching matchups and this one’s no different. He’s followed the same formula as many of the other pitchers I’ve picked so far: lots of strikeouts, not so many walks, and he’s been unlucky in the BABIP and HR/FB department. He’s also another pitcher who gets to pitch in spacious O.co Coliseum and do so against an A’s lineup that has done terribly versus lefties so far this year (just 70 wRC+ against). If you feel like the bad luck won’t continue, give Capuano a whirl.
Good luck and happy streaming!
Main Photo: TOKYO, JAPAN – NOVEMBER 16: Chris Capuano #26 of the New York Yankees in the first inning during the game four of Samurai Japan and MLB All Stars at Tokyo Dome on November 16, 2014 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images)
