The All-Star Game is nearly upon us. #votemoose has nearly driven me out of my mind. To be fair, it’s pretty cool to see Royals fans out and active in Facebook, Twitter and just around town again. One person I talked to today said he’s glad to finally see the organization as something more than a farm team for the big clubs like the Yankees. I’m just glad to see all the young talent come together at the same time. With Hos, Moose, Salvy and Gordo Dyson all hitting like they should, this team can contend for a division title yet again and hopefully make another push for the World Series. Here’s to hoping. Now, for one last time before the break, here are the streaming pitchers for July 12th!
Streaming Pitchers: 7/12/2015
Rubby de la Rosa RHP ARI (@ NYM)
With the season coming to the All-Star Break, I wondered if I should use the time to write a non-streamer article in baseball or fantasy baseball. One idea I’ve thrown around is trying to find fantasy ace pitchers by looking underneath the surface stats. One such pitcher, as I’ve thrown him around before, would be Rubby de la Rosa. His 8.18 K/9, 2.28 BB/9 and 49.8% ground ball rate are all above average, which shows he could be an above average pitcher. If he could keep his HR/FB% down, he would be talked about as a viable option for being a full-time starter for the rest of the year. Whether or not you project him as a full-timer, he’s certainly useful in this start against the Mets. Their offense has been lousy lately, and their home numbers (98 wRC+) are brought down more by their numbers against righties (84 wRC+). In the end, use him for just this start, but don’t be afraid to hold on to him if you are in need a full-time starter.
Andrew Heaney LHP LAA (@ SEA)
Andrew Heaney came to the Angels via the Dodgers via the Marlins. If I remember correctly, those two deals happened in a span of a day or two. The Dodgers traded Dee Gordon and others to the Marlins for Andrew Heaney and others, and then shipped Heaney off to the Angels in order to acquire Howie Kendrick. So after getting tossed across state and then across town, Heaney has finally settled in Anaheim. After toiling in the minors for a few months, Heaney was called up on June 24th to make his first major league start for the Angels. In his three starts, he has put up 7.52 K/9, 1.33 BB/9, and a 42.9% ground ball rate. His tiny 1.77 ERA might be a bit misleading, but I’ll take his 3.12 FIP and 3.14 xFIP any day. He gets a great opponent to continue his solid pitching performances, as he goes to Seattle to face the Mariners. They hit a 98 wRC+ at home and a 94 wRC+ against lefties. It’s not a huge advantage, but with the skills he’s shown, I think he can shut down the Mariners.
Good luck and happy streaming!
