Hello all! Fantasy Baseball can be hard, especially with all of the pitching injuries that occur every 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 is the Streaming Pitchers report for August 6.
Streaming Pitchers: 8/6/2015
Jeremy Hellickson – ARI (@ WAS)
Ever since his days with Tampa Bay, Jeremy Hellickson has seemed to be nothing more than a solid innings eater in real baseball and not all that exciting (to me anyway) in fantasy baseball. In fact, he has been, by xFIP- standards, just a pinch worse than average for the past few seasons. Consider his xFIP- for the past few years:
| Year | xFIP- |
| 2012 | 107 |
| 2013 | 105 |
| 2014 | 109 |
| 2015 | 103 |
That’s a whole lot of meh. But even meh can be useful in fantasy baseball, since pitching is all about the matchups. And the Nationals provide a sneaky-good opportunity to stream against. Even with one of the best hitters in baseball, the Nationals’ lineup just isn’t that scary here. They only have an 89 wRC+ at home and a 95 wRC+ against righties. Stream away.
Matt Wisler – ATL (vs. MIA)
After years in the Padres’ system, Matt Wisler was traded to Atlanta last winter. Since coming to the Braves, he made 12 starts with their AAA affiliate, posting decent results; 6.78 K/9, 1.80 BB/9, and 0.69 HR/9, all adding up to a 3.31 FIP. Well, since coming to the majors, it’s been a different story. Wisler’s K/9 has all but shriveled up, currently sitting at 5.59 K/9. Chris Mitchell’s article on Wisler doesn’t leave much room for hope either (http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/tempering-expectations-for-atlantas-matt-wisler/). But he does have both a fastball and a slider that flash plus. His stuff is enough to take on weaker opponents and beat them. His next start against the Marlins looks like a good opportunity. The Fish only have an 86 wRC+ on the road and a 78 wRC. If you’re willing to take a chance, I’d say that he would be worth it.
Good luck and happy streaming!
