Hello all! Fantasy baseball can be hard, especially with all of the pitching injuries that occur in a year. With that in mind, streaming pitchers can be a viable strategy, even with the risk involved. That’s why I look at splits to minimize the risk and determine the best two starters in any given day that are owned in less than half of fantasy baseball leagues. Here are your streaming pitchers for Saturday, July 25!
Streaming Pitchers: 7/25/2015
Marco Estrada RHP TOR (@ SEA)
Marco’s been a surprise so far this year, as he’s had his issues with home runs, and he’s moved from one home run park to another. The one thing he’s kept consistent is that his changeup is awesome. Eno Sarris wrote about standout pitches earlier this year and this excerpt from his article will explain what’s going on with him a little better:
Admit it, you’re surprised that Estrada has the fourth-best changeup among starters by whiff rate. But if you look at his overall line, you can see he’s doing the same thing as ever — showing a great whiff rate, a decent walk rate, a low BABIP… and a turrible home run rate. Here’s what’s crazy… what he’s doing now looks utterly sustainable when seen in this light. Of course, it’s of borderline worth in many leagues, but the deeper you go, the better Estrada looks.
So the home runs could still be a problem, but pitching Saturday in Seattle should help. The Mariners only have a 95 wRC+ at home and an 87 wRC+ against righties. As Eno said, he should be able to continue doing what he does and hopefully sustain the success along with it.
Ian Kennedy RHP SD (vs. MIA)
What’s up with Ian Kennedy? He’s had some issues so far this season, to say the least. Sure, the strikeouts are down (9.27 K/9 last year, 8.17 this year), but so are the walks (3.13 BB/9, 2.69). The ground ball rate is still low, though not much different than last year. His home run per fly ball rate is way up, though (oddly, so are many other Padres pitchers). He’s managed to keep the damage to a minimum as he has a 2.98 ERA in his last 51.1 IP. He should be able to keep the good vibes going against a struggling Marlins offense, whose 86 wRC+ on the road and 81 wRC+ against righties shouldn’t scare anyone away. I’d say give him a go here.
Good luck and happy streaming!
