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For many, the fantasy baseball playoffs are in full swing. That makes every decision much more critical in head-to-head leagues. Furthermore, for those in roto leagues, the streaming picks will be focus primarily on a player's categorical boost. Things can be very challenging at this time of the year. Fortunately, RotoBaller has you covered with daily fantasy baseball streaming picks.
Each day, RotoBaller will provide you with some of the best streaming options to consider in fantasy baseball daily leagues. Additionally, these recommendations can be helpful for fantasy managers setting MLB DFS lineups.
We have an 8-game slate Thursday, with some weather concerns. The Twins and Cleveland have the greatest chance of a postponement, with the rest of the games looking good. Luckily, there are quite a few streamable players, with 16 teams taking the field. This article will use rostered percentages and position eligibility from Yahoo! leagues.
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Hitter Streamers for 9/9 - Shallow Leagues
Anthony Santander (OF, BAL) - 35% rostered
Matchup: vs. RHP Carlos Hernandez
Santander has been a little cold as of late(7-for-45 with only two RBI). However, he is significantly better against right-handed pitching. Against southpaws, he is striking out over 31% of the time but carries less than 18% K-rate vs. right-handed pitchers. So, he makes far more contact against right-handed pitchers and with some pop(.240 ISO and .320 wOBA). If you're looking for HRs and RBI, Santander is a must-play for today.
Andrew Benintendi (OF, KC) - 42% rostered
Matchup: at LHP John Means
This streaming pick has much more to do with the park factors. Camden Yards is a very favorable park for hitters, and it won't take a well-struck ball to scrape over the fences-good news for Benintendi because he doesn't tout mammoth exit velocities.
On the flip side, Means is a solid pitcher but struggles to strike out left-handed bats consistently(20% K-BB rate vs. RHH, 13% K-BB rate vs. LHH). While Means has given up much less power to left-handed bats, this could be a good spot for Benintendi to pick up a couple of hits and chip in counting stats.
Travis d'Arnaud (C, ATL) - 44% rostered
Matchup: vs. RHP Erick Fedde
d'Arnaud projects as one of the best catchers(not named Salvador Perez) today. While the production has been lighter than season-long managers would like, you can't ignore a catcher with his power potential in a very potent lineup. The matchup is also quite favorable as Fedde allows a .190 ISO and .410 xwOBA to right-handed bats this season.
Miguel Sano (1B/3B, MIN) - 46% rostered
Matchup: @ CLE Cal Quantrill
Let's make no bones about it; Sano is a boom-or-bust for power. Although, he is crushing right-handed pitching as always, as shown by his 20 HRs in 258 ABs and .508 SLG%. However, all that thump comes with a .213 BA and .301 OBP. Sano gets a decent matchup against Quantrill, who doesn't have a blow-by-you fastball. So, if Sano gets ahold of just one pitch, it could go into the seats.
Hitter Streamers for 9/9 - Deeper Leagues
Andres Gimenez (2B/3B/SS, CLE) - 19% rostered
Matchup: vs. RHP Randy Dobnak
If you're looking for lighting in a bottle for speed, Gimenez is your play of the day. With a right-handed pitcher on the mound that relies supremely on inducing ground balls for outs. Gimenez can try to sneak on base with his blistering 28.9 ft/sec sprint speed. From there, Cleveland gives him the green light anytime he reaches, and that's why he's stolen three bags in his last five games.
Brad Miller (1B/2B/3B/OF, PHI) - 9% rostered
Matchup: vs. RHP Antonio Senzatela
Let's start with the matchup against Senzatela, who isn't marginally better on the road than inside of Coors Field. And this game is playing in Citizens Bank Park in Philly. Although, Senzatela relies on balls in play for outs, as shown by his 16% walk rate. Additionally, Miller has feasted on right-handed pitching and showcases a .505 SLG and .861 OPS. He will likely bat towards the back half of the lineup, so consider him a streaming option for RBI and HRs.
Pitcher Streamers for 9/9 - Shallow Leagues
Jesus Luzardo (SP, MIA) - 37% rostered
Matchup: vs. New York Mets
Against LHP in the previous two weeks, the Mets have the ninth highest K%(23.7%) to go along with a 95 wRC+ and .138 ISO. What does that tell us? Well, they are 5% worse than MLB average, strike out a bit too much, and aren't putting many pitches over the fences. That's a pretty sweet formula to stream against, even if the Mets are healthier than recent.
Luzardo has been able to strike out batters from each side of the plate(24% vs. LHH, 21% vs. RHH). However, what's caused a problem is his 10% walk rate. For a successful stream today, we need Luzardo to try and pound the zone and keep the basepaths clean.
Reynaldo Lopez (SP, CWS) - 30% rostered
Matchup: at Oakland Athletics
Forget your preconceived notions about ReyLo for a moment. Let's step back and look at him since returning to the starting rotation. Lopez is striking out right-handed bats over a 30% rate and only walking 4%. So, we see a dramatic improvement in command. Against lefties, he continues a solid control of his arsenal by walking less than 8% of batters. However, he dips a bit to only an 18% K-rate.
When you take a look at the Oakland lineup, it's heavily right-hand dominant. After the powerhouse lefty-bat known as Matt Olson, the Athletics will rely on Tony Kemp and Jed Lowrie. Sure, there is plenty of power in this Oakland lineup, so it's more than just pitching around Olson. But this is a sneaky spot for Lopez to toss five innings and pick up the win if his offense can get him the lead.
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