At this point, all Major League teams have played for at least a week. With that in mind, we can start to make some early judgments on how good, or bad, some teams are. Those in weekly matchup leagues might find themselves in need of a late push to bring home a victory. That is exactly where this Fantasy Baseball Top Weekend Streamers will help.

All of the pitchers featured here have excellent matchups this weekend. Equally as important, they are widely available in many leagues. For reference purposes, the roster percentages are taken from ESPN. Consult your local listings for those on other platforms. With that out of the way, let’s see who qualifies.

Garrett Crochet, Chicago White Sox

As bad as the Chicago White Sox have looked at times this season, it may be hard to believe one of their starters is the top recommended streamer this weekend. Yet, that is exactly where we find Garrett Crochet. He has made two starts already this season and each has been stellar, especially his last one.

In that game, Crochet faced down the gauntlet that is the Atlanta Braves. All he did was post one of the best pitching lines a pitcher facing the Braves will have this entire season. How does seven innings with only a single earned run sound? Further, what if we throw in eight strikeouts and only three hits and a single walk allowed? Are you interested yet?

In his first start, Crochet faced the much improved Detroit Tigers. He almost was as impressive: six innings with one run, five hits, no walks and another eight strikeouts. Coming out of those two starts, Crochet has an impressive 1.38 ERA and a 0.69 WHIP. Certainly, I am not proposing he will pitch like that all season.

Having said that, though, he faces Kansas City on Sunday. The Royals rank 17th so far in team BA, 21st in OBP, 18th in hits and 20th in RBIs. Of course, that sets up Crochet for another excellent afternoon. Despite all of the above, he is only rostered in 21.3% of leagues. If available, Crochet immediately places highest on this Fantasy Baseball Top Weekend Streamers edition list.

Note: Just as I am ready to submit this, I see that Crochet’s roster percentage is surging. Check immediately to see if he is still available and react with much speed if he is.

Andrew Abbott, Cincinnati Reds

For those looking for a challenge, may I suggest a Reds pitcher that will be pitching in Cincinnati? Usually, that is not a recipe for success, but this weekend may be different. In this instance, that pitcher is Andrew Abbott. This Sunday, He will face off against the Mets.

There is no way that New York can be as bad as they have looked so far, is there? Until they improve, though, using starters against them is a solid strategy. After all, Abbott went up against the Phillies on the road. No question, it doesn’t get much tougher than that. Even so, Abbott came out of that game with 5.1 innings pitched. He allowed just two runs on three hits while adding in four strikeouts and two walks. Not too shabby.

It’s not like Abbott wasn’t a success last season, his first in the majors. He finished 2023 with a 8-6 record with a 3.87 ERA. Abbott made 21 starts adding up to 109.1 innings. His ERA+ was 118, FIB 4.20 and WHIP 1.317. The 3.6 BB9 is high and merits close attention.

However, that shouldn’t be a big issue against the Mets. There are only two teams worse at offense so far in 2024 than New York. At 19% rostered, Abbott can well deliver some nice counting stats for a manager needing them for a win this scoring period.

Ranger Suarez, Philadelphia Phillies

Next up on the Fantasy Baseball Top Weekend Streamers edition is Ranger Suarez. No question, Suarez opened his season with one of the toughest assignments imaginable: the Braves. His line doesn’t look that great until you consider who he did it against. In five innings, Suarez allowed three earned runs on just three hits with seven Ks and a single walk.

On Saturday, Suarez faces much easier opposition: the Washington Nationals. Washington is a middle of the road or worse offense in every conceivable category. As for Suarez, last season he had a 4.18 ERA, but it was 3.65 in 2022. His career ERA+ (122), FIB (3.72), H9 (8.6) and WHIP (1.305) indicate he is a worthy streaming pitcher.

In the end, if you add in the opponent Suarez faces and the fact that he is widely available (11.6% rostered), that makes this an easy call this weekend. Get him on the roster.

Michael Wacha, Kansas City Royals

Fortunately, we have one more pitcher that faced a tough opener but has a great matchup on the horizon. In this case, that player is Michael Wacha. Best for all fantasy managers, he is more available than the previous mentioned starters. As of this writing, Wacha is only on 8.0% of rosters. To begin with, though, in his first start, Wacha had to face down the Baltimore Orioles.

As you might imagine, it wasn’t all peaches and cream for Wacha in that game. In five innings, he allowed three earned runs. Even so, he kept the damage to a minimum, giving up just three hits and a single walk while striking out five. Even more impressively, he did it on the road.

In his next start, Wacha faces the sad offensive team that is the White Sox. Chicago ranks dead last in AVG and OBP, 29th in BB, 23rd in SLG and 27th in OPS. As for Wacha, pitching for San Diego last season, he was 14-4 with an excellent 3.22 ERA. He fashioned a 127 ERA+, 3.89 FIB,1.161 WHIP, 5.4 H9 and 1.8 BB9. No question, all of those stats are well above average.

As noted earlier, Wacha is widely available. As such, he is well positioned to help a manager needing that extra boost to come out a weekly winner. Whether Wacha is worth having on a roster after this weekend is something that can argued later. For the time being, rescue him from the waiver outpost.

The Final Word

Thank you for joining me for this Fantasy Baseball Top Weekend Streamers edition! As always. debate and discussion are highly encouraged. Agree or disagree with the selections? Have a pitcher that I missed? Let’s talk about it.

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