Tuesday, June 25, 2024

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Fantasy Baseball Monday Streamers

Welcome to the month of June! We are more than two months into the baseball season. Is that hard to believe, or what? Yet, here we are. Just like real baseball, the fantasy season has been rolling along at a blistering pace. As this is the end of one fantasy scoring period, managers may be looking ahead to next the next. With that in mind, may I submit this Fantasy Baseball Monday Streamers edition?

When looking at this coming Monday, we immediately see that there are only seven games on the schedule. It is readily apparent right off the bat that there aren’t going to be many choices when it comes to streamers. After all, not only does a pitcher have to be valuable enough to be streamed, but also have to be available. Even so, there is no reason to be dismayed. In fact, there are two pitchers who definitely qualify. FYI, all roster percentages are taken from ESPN. Without taking another second, let’s dive right into those players, shall we?

Chris Paddack, Minnesota Twins, 4.9% Rostered

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The first pitcher who should come to the minds of fantasy managers on this day is definitely Chris Paddack. He meets every criteria, despite a less than desirable result his last time out. When it comes to facing the Yankees, as Paddack did in his last start, especially on the road, a pitcher gets a pass. In that game, he allowed seven earned on six hits and two walks in four innings. There will be no further discussion regarding that start.

Putting it bluntly, when looking at Paddack’s last five opponents, it is amazing that we are discussing him at all. He has faced, in order, the Yankees, at Guardians, Texas, Kansas City and the Yankees again. Except for New York, Paddack has been excellent against all of them. In between the Yankee starts, he pitched 18.1 innings, allowing eight runs on 12 hits with 13 Ks and two BBs.

Paddack’s Season to This Point

Certainly, his season stats (4-3, 5.26 ERA, 1.42 WHIP) aren’t that impressive, but look past that. In 65 innings, Paddack has 61 Ks and 14 BBs. His FIP (4.15) is well below his ERA. His ERA+ (74) would be much more impressive if not for New York. He has been extremely unlucky, as his .337 BAbip is well above the league average. Granted, his SO% (21.3) isn’t what you’d like, but his BB% (4.9) is far below the norm.

Even better, Paddack generated over 20 fantasy points twice in the month of May. However, we haven’t even gotten to the best news. His Monday opponent is the Colorado Rockies, whom he will face in Minnesota. When it comes to hitting on the road, there are only eight teams who do it worse than Colorado. There are only four teams worse than hitting road homers than the Rockies. Their other stats are nothing to write home about.

Paddack’s Monday Bottom Line

Paddack is set to excel Monday. He is available in most every format and he has about the best opponent a pitcher could ask for. If this week’s matchup is already in the bag, one way or the other, look ahead and get Paddack on the roster. You’ll be glad you did.

Spencer Arrighetti, Houston Astros, 2% Rostered

Photo Courtesy Getty Images

Right up front, let me say this Fantasy Baseball Monday Streamers edition selection comes with risk. The issue for Spencer Arrighetti is his health. In his previous start against St. Louis, his start was cut short due to being struck with a line drive. He was diagnosed with a left calf contusion. Fortunately for all concerned, the injury does not appear to be a major one.

In fact, Arrighetti himself was not concerned, saying: “It’s not bad. I think that I’ll be just fine.” If he is indeed good to go, he will take the mound Monday against the Giants in San Francisco. At home, the Giants are not a great hitting club, as they are dead last in homers, next to last in steals, 26th in walks, and 20th in RBIs. It certainly helps that Oracle Park is one of the best pitching parks in the majors.

As for Arrighetti, he was coming off his best pitching performance of the year going in to the Cardinals start. Pitching in Seattle, he held the Mariners to no runs on just two hits with eight strikeouts in six innings. On the season, he is 3-5 with an unimpressive 5.79 ERA. One of his problems, like Paddack, was the Yankees, surrendering five runs in five innings against them May 8.

However, Arrighetti has had to fight to get his ERA down since his first start, as he gave up seven runs in three innings to the Royals. The sun has been shining brighter for him since, as he has allowed two or fewer runs in five starts. Also like Paddack, his FIP (3.97) tells an entirely different story than his ERA. In 46.2 innings, Arrighetti has 55 Ks. His 26 BBs are far too high and need immediate attention from him. He has been absolutely unlucky on the mound, as his .370 BAbip is almost 100 points higher than the league average. That will balance itself going forward.

Arrighetti’s Monday Bottom Line

As long as he is the starting pitcher Monday, Arrighetti is worthy of a streaming start. He has pitched better than his numbers indicate and has an attractive opponent matchup in a pitcher’s environment. Clearly, it is advisable to wait until he is the pitcher of record for that game. Once that is confirmed, get him onto your fantasy roster.

The Last Word

Thank you for joining me for this Fantasy Baseball Monday Streamers edition! As always. debate and discussion are highly encouraged. Agree or disagree with anything in the article? Let’s talk about it.

Follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @kevin62wilsea. Please feel free to share this article. Be sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy Sports for all the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL happenings and the latest sports news!

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One thought on “Fantasy Baseball Monday Streamers

  1. Kevin Wilson’s writing helped me get into sports for the first time in my life. He brings sports alive. Thanks Kevin!

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