Fantasy Baseball Streaming Pitchers & Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 17)

It’s a short pitcher streamer list for Week 17. Although your league probably has this current week or next week combined to accommodate the MLB All-Star break. It gives you some extra days for the matchup to get more points or more chances to close the gap in those category leagues.

Trade rumors and prospect promotions are all the buzz right now and will be for the rest of the month. Staying on top of those rumors can be critical in any size league. If you hear about a pitching prospect possibly getting the call, you don’t want to wait for another league owner to make the first move. Even if you stash him for his first start, you might end up having a good option for your rotation in the second half.

Perhaps a streaming pitcher is in the trade rumors, and his possible new destination would be a great fit. If anything, better win probability, being the first to make a move could be a difference maker.

These are just some thoughts as we fantasy owners take a four-day break from setting lineups but never strategizing. Good luck in the second half! Before we take a look into Week 17 pitchers, let’s look at my Week 15 picks.

David Peterson: 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 Ks, No Decision
Mitch Spence: 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 Ks, Win
Trevor Rogers: 3 IP, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 Ks, Loss
Landon Knack: 4 IP, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 Ks, Loss
Cade Povich: 1 IP, 8 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, Loss
Andrew Heaney: 5.1 IP, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7Ks, No Decision
Spencer Arrighetti: 5 IP, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 Ks, No Decision
Totals: 29 IP, 17 ER, 12 BB, 31 Ks, 1-3

Well, this was a forgettable week. I mean, Povich couldn’t pitch much worse. Povich was also my prediction pick for that week. I had predicted 6IP, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 Ks, and the win. A forgettable week for sure.

(used the average of ESPN, YAHOO and CBS for roster percentage)

Fantasy Baseball Streaming Pitchers & Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 17)

Friday, July 19th

Alec Marsh (KC) vs CHW 28%

Marsh is very much an up-and-down starter this year. So, he’s really a perfect streamer, right? The White Sox are hitting just .224 against righties and an OPS of just .653. They also carry a 26% strikeout rate against righties as well. This looks like a good start for Marsh, who could start the second half of the season on the right path.

Marsh started the year off well. In April, he had a 2.70 ERA. May a 3.86 ERA. Then it started to get worse. In June he had a 5.00 ERA and so far in July he has an 8.00 ERA. He has had two quality starts in his last three starts though. Unfortunately, those two were split between a 3 IP, 5 ER appearance.

Despite the sometimes-poor showings, Marsh looks to be an option here. It’s definitely a roll of the dice, but it’s a good matchup, even for an inconsistent pitcher.

Other Option: Frankie Montas (CIN) vs WSH 44%

Saturday, July 20th

David Peterson (NYM) at MIA 26%

Miami is about in the middle of most hitting categories when it comes to facing lefties. They do, however, lead the league in chase%, and Peterson happens to be exceedingly successful in getting teams to chase his pitches. He currently has a 29.9% chase rate. Peterson also has an outstanding 56% ground ball rate.

Peterson probably won’t go deep into a game. His longest start of the season has been 6.2 IP. He averages five innings pitched this season with about five Ks a game. For this start we are going for the possibility of the win and not really the extra categories.

Miami is currently 2-8 in their last 10 games and the Mets are still playing for a playoff chance. The Mets will be looking to start off strong and see if they can possibly make a run in the second half. Those aspirations start in this weekend series.

Other Option: Jake Bloss (HOU) at SEA 3%

Sunday, July 21st

Spencer Schwellenbach (ATL) vs STL 47%

This will probably be the last time Schwellenbach can be considered a streamer. The Cardinals’ lineup isn’t the punching bag it was earlier in the season. They still rank in the bottom 10 in the league for HRs and have the fourth-worst hard-hit percentage.

Schwellenbach has pitched back-to-back quality starts and went seven innings in the majors for the first time in his last start. His StatCast page currently has a good amount of red on it. He has a 46% ground ball rate and a 38% chase rate on his pitches. He has a good BB% and whiff% as well.

Schwellenbach is still a rookie and has a lot to prove, but his numbers show potential. He has a great arsenal of pitches. Of his six pitches, he’s thrown four of them over 100 times. Schwellenbach can give teams trouble with all the different looks, and I could see the Cardinals struggling in this matchup. I’ll go with Schwellenbach for the prediction pick this week. 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 Ks, Win

Other Option: Carson Spiers (CIN) at WSH 13%

MLB Streamers David Peterson Mitch Spence Trevor Rogers Landon Knack Cade Povich Andrew Heaney Spencer Arrighetti Alec Marsh Frankie Montas Jake Bloss Spencer Schwellenbach Carson Spiers