We’re at the All-Star Break! For the week of July 18th, we have an abbreviated four-game slate from Thursday, July 21, to Sunday, July 24. It’s hard to believe the All-Star Game is Tuesday, July 19th.
So let’s look back at the first several months of the season. For fun, the list below includes pitchers in the top-150 Yahoo season rankings. We streamed these pitchers (or could have streamed during a short window of time) earlier in the season. Of course, we’d love to have several of these pitchers on our teams now.
- Tony Gonsolin (LAD)
- Nestor Cortes (NYY)
- Tyler Anderson (LAD)
- Miles Mikolas (STL)
- Kyle Wright (ATL)
- Spencer Strider (ATL)
- Cristian Javier (HOU)
- Taijuan Walker (NYM)
- Martin Perez (TEX)
- Jeffrey Springs (TB)
It’s a good reminder of that old fantasy baseball adage, “You should draft hitting and manage pitching.” Every season we can find solid pitching help on the waivers if we’re vigilant early in the season.
But let’s turn our attention to life after the break. Just a quick reminder. There are two rules that I follow for choosing pitchers to stream. First, the pitcher must be rostered in less than 30% of Yahoo leagues (though I occasionally break the rule if it’s close). Second, I must stream a starter every single day.
Here we go.
Thursday, July 21
Alex Cobb (SP – SF) at LAD 33%
Jon Gray will most likely face the Marlins today, and he’s a top play that might be available in several leagues. But he’s rostered in 67% of Yahoo leagues and outside the required 30% rostership or lower. If we follow my first rule, that leaves us with one viable pitcher against an elite team, so nobody would blame you for taking the day off from streaming. Rule #2 of this article stipulates that I must choose a pitcher, so here we are again with Alex Cobb. He’s a streamer darling, skating around the edges of any fantasy manager’s comfort zone. For the last 25.1 IP, he’s managed a 2.84 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. This is solid, and we know he’s dealt with bad luck in the first half of the season. His most-used pitch (that sinker) has been hovering around 95 mph, and in his last outing, it achieved a 37.5% CSW.
Other option: Let’s leave it.
Friday, July 22
Domingo German (SP – NYY) at BAL 9%
On Friday, July 15th, German hurled six innings in a rehab outing in Triple-A. True, he only struck out one hitter, but he also limited the opposition to three hits and no runs. In fact, he’s only allowed one run in five rehab appearances. German has been on the injured list for the entire season due to right shoulder impingement syndrome. He throws his curveball and fastball the most, and in 2021 he managed a 46.2% GB% on the curve (with a CSW of 39.4%). His fastball has been known to cause problems, generating an xAVG of .284 last year. He has a 4.60 ERA for his career, so he’s far from a sure thing. Baltimore does not have a measly offense anymore, but if German can manage five innings for that New York offense, maybe we can get a Win.
Other option: Cole Irvin (OAK) vs. TEX 16%
Saturday, July 23
Max Meyer (SP – MIA) at PIT 26% or Braxton Garrett (SP – MIA) at PIT 6%
Right now, it could be Meyer or Garrett going next Saturday. Let’s start with Meyer. Widely considered a top-25 prospect, Meyer was a first-round pick by the Marlins in 2020. Time will tell whether or not his upper-90s fastball and high-grade slider will lead to a reliever or starter role. For the Triple-A affiliate this year, he has pitched 58 innings, resulting in a 3.72 ERA (3.68 xFIP) and a 10.09 K/9. That all comes with a 50% GB% too. If he does get to pitch against the Pirates, it might be worth picking him up and holding for now. As for Garrett, the man went six innings and punched out eleven Pirates in his last outing. He has been a solid force. Over the last 32.1 innings, he has a 3.62 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Once the Marlins decide who takes the bump, Meyer or Garrett, choose your weapon. Heck, you might just pick both up if you have the space. You could get two good starts against the Pirates.
Other option: None
Sunday, July 24
Jake Odorizzi (SP – HOU) at SEA 34%
You could go with Gonzales below, but let’s face it: He had a rough outing in Texas, and Odorizzi plays for the stronger team. In 42.2 IP this season, the 32-year-old Odorizzi has a 3.38 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP, planting him squarely on our streaming radar. He struggled against Kansas City on Independence Day but followed up with a strong outing against Oakland, punching out seven over seven shutout innings. So far, he’s more than doubled the use of his cutter (he throws it 20% of the time), which has resulted in more groundballs (from 30% to 50% from 2021 to 2022). It has also gone from an xAVG of .317 in 2021 to an xAVG of .185 in 2022. It has a bit more movement, and hitters are whiffing. Let’s see if he can give us a Win.
Other option: Marco Gonzales (SEA) vs HOU 33%
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
Beyond our fantasy baseball content, check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Baseball Tools as you prepare for your draft this season. From our free mock Draft Simulator, which allows you to mock draft against realistic opponents, to our Draft Assistant, which optimizes your picks with expert advice, we’ve covered this fantasy baseball draft season.