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Welcome to the top hitter streamers column for Week 10 of the MLB season (5/31 through 6/6). This weekly piece should be helpful for anyone looking to gain an edge in their league. If you need a fill-in for an injured player or want to exploit some plus matchups to gain an edge on your opponent then you're in the right place. I'm here to help you make some informed decisions to remain competitive in your league. This article aims to help you stay ahead of the game and get an early jump on those waiver claims before your opponents.
Remember that this piece is forward-looking and a lot can happen over the course of a week. Potential pitching opponents, lineups, and projected number of at-bats are all subject to change so make sure you're following the @RotoballerMLB on Twitter to stay up to date! Over half the league plays seven games next week so there should be plenty of options in case any of the players mentioned below are not available in your league.
Disclaimer: I am only highlighting players that are currently rostered in 50% or less of Yahoo! leagues, meaning you should have a decent chance of picking these guys up on the waiver wire. These recommendations should apply to most league settings and formats as I'm looking for players who can help you across various scoring categories. If the following names aren't available, feel free to read our Waiver Wire Pickups piece that drops every Monday for more ideas. Alright, let's get after it.
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Bats to Stream and Start in Week 10
Seven Game Weeks:
ARI, ATL, BOS, CHC, CWS, CIN, CLE, HOU, MIN, NYM, NYY, SD, SEA, STL, TB, WSH
Stream of the Week
Ty France (1B/2B/3B, SEA): 24% Rostered
France was activated from the 10-day injured list back on May 24 after a wrist injury sidelined him for 11 days. The 26-year-old infielder had gotten off to a fantastic start this season during April. Over his first 27 games, he was slashing .289/.386/.464 with eight doubles, three home runs, and 13 RBI (114 plate appearances). He started to slow down at the dish in May, though, going just 2-for-34 (.059/.179/.088) with one RBI over the first 10 games of the month before hitting the IL with the wrist injury. He's now gone 7-for-18 since being activated so it appears the time off did him some good.
The Mariners host the A's for a three-game set to start the week off before heading to Anaheim for a four-game series vs. the Angels. None of the pitchers he's scheduled to face apart from Chris Bassitt and Shohei Ohtani should make you steer clear of France as a streamer. France should continue to hit out of the five spot, which should create RBI opportunities despite the fact that the Mariners lineup has looked more like a Triple-A squad rather than a Major League one due to injuries. His floor is higher than his ceiling but he's not going to kill you with strikeouts (21.3% K rate) and his average launch angle of 15.2 degrees and 86.8% z-contact rate shows us he's capable of making quality contact. France has always been a good hitter and with low roster shares (24% in Yahoo! leagues), he could end up being more than a streamer in 12-15 team leagues.
Ty France extends his hitting streak to 5 games, batting .438 (7x16) in that span.
France is batting .324 (12x37) with runners in scoring position this season.
— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) May 29, 2021
Catcher
Mitch Garver (C, MIN): 44% Rostered
With the number of injuries sweeping the league, games played and at-bats matter now more than ever. It's the first thing you should consider when looking at potential streamers, particularly when it comes to the catcher position. There are quite a few backstops playing seven games next week but Mitch Garver's schedule sets up nicely. The Twins hit the road for a three-game set with the Orioles and a four-game series with the Royals. The 30-year-old's season batting line is far from elite with a .227/.320/.509 but he's slugged eight home runs and driven in 17 runs. There's not much variance in the expected stats with a .226 xBA, .344 xwOBA, and 491 xSLG.
Garver battled shoulder inflammation in late April/early May, which could have attributed to his slow start to this season. In April he hit just .172/.213/.431 with four home runs and a 27:3 K/BB ratio over 58 at-bats. He's picked it up in May, slashing .288/.422/.596 with four home runs and a much improved 16:12 K/BB ratio over 52 at-bats. The power should always be there with Garver but he's still striking out at a 35.5% clip (4th percentile in MLB). He's rocking a 15.6% Barrel rate (93rd percentile), .499 xwOBAcon, and 11.6% BB rate, which can help mitigate the strikeouts. He's slated to face some pitchers, particularly in Baltimore, that are prone to giving up the long ball in Jorge Lopez, Matt Harvey, and Bruce Zimmermann. He's working on an eight-game hitting streak entering Saturday's action, which will make him a trendy FAAB selection wherever he's available.
Also Consider: Yan Gomes (C, WSH): 20% Rostered
Corner Infield
Garrett Cooper (1B/OF, CIN): 31% Rostered
Cooper has been hotter than a firecracker over the last two weeks. In 11 games, he's posted a .459/.512/.865 batting line (17-for-37) with four doubles, three home runs, and 11 RBI. He gave fantasy managers quite the scare when he was scratched from the Marlins' game vs. the Phillies on May 26 with oblique tightness. Thankfully, it appears to just have been a precautionary move as he appeared as a pinch-hitter on Thursday, May 27, and started Friday's contest in right field while hitting cleanup against Boston. If you're thinking about picking him up, it would be prudent to keep an eye on him this weekend in case he experiences any type of setback with his oblique.
The recent hot streak has Cooper batting cleanup for the Fish, which should afford him plenty of RBI opportunities next week. He had his 11-game hitting streak come to an end on Friday but he still managed to reach base with a walk. His current 50% Hard Hit rate (97th percentile) is the highest mark of his career and his average launch angle of 9.8 degrees is his best mark since 2017. The Marlins play six games next week, two against the Blue Jays and four against the Pirates. Mitch Keller, JT Brubaker, Chad Kuhl, and Wil Crowe don't strike fear into the heart of their opponents. This sets up nicely for Cooper and the Marlins.
100 mph ain't enough to get it past Garrett Cooper pic.twitter.com/raEDOe09zW
— Fish Stripes (@fishstripes) May 27, 2021
Also Consider: Hunter Dozier (1B/3B/OF, KC): 18% Rostered; Tyler Stephenson (C/1B, CIN): 5% Rostered
Middle Infield
Nick Madrigal (2B, CWS): 45% Rostered
The White Sox play eight games next week as Monday begins with a doubleheader against the Indians in Cleveland. They finish off that series with another two games before heading home to host Detroit for another four-game set. Madrigal is the ultimate volume play and should north of 30 plate appearances. He's mainly hitting out of the nine-hole, which hurts his upside, but he's hit second twice and leadoff in back-to-back contests over his last 10 games.
We all know Madrigal's deal by now, he's an elite contact hitter, who rarely strikes out. His 6.4% K rate is in the 100th percentile and his 96.6% z-contact and 80.9% chase contact rate are both elite. The 24-year-old doesn't possess home run power, he hit his first career bomb earlier this month, but he does have eight doubles and three triples on the season along with 15 runs driven in. He's only got one stolen base despite ranking in the 81st percentile in sprint speed.
He's hit both lefties and right well, posting a .306/.353/.413 batting line on the season. He has a .441 batting average and 1.189 OPS over his last 39 plate appearances as well. He may find himself hitting atop the batting order more, especially if he keeps this hot streak going. More plate appearances plus more opportunities to reach base could mean more stolen base attempts. Many fantasy managers believe he's just an empty batting average but he's worth a test run next week to prove he can be much more.
First career MLB home run for Nick Madrigal! ?
(via @whitesox) pic.twitter.com/OB0YT0kzrk
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 18, 2021
Jorge Polanco (2B/SS, MIN): 41% Rostered
There's quite a gap between Polanco's rate stats and his expected stats this season. Entering play on Friday he was slashing an underwhelming .226/.298/.371 with nine doubles, four home runs, and 19 RBI over 178 at-bats. But his .271 xBA, .348 xwOBA, and .465 xSLG are much more in line with his career .274/.332/.429 batting line. His .262 BABIP this season is also the lowest of his eight-year career. Polanco has had some poor luck and has also been bothered by his surgically repaired right ankle.
He's got a good chance to get right next week as the Twins visit the Orioles (three games) and the Royals (four games). The Orioles pitching staff ranks 25th in team wOBA allowed (.333) and 28th in team wOBAcon (.394). While the Royals staff as a whole has outperformed the Orioles, they rank 25th and 28th, respectively, in xwOBA (.333) and xwOBAcon (.400). Both series look like prime spots for Polanco to get right and jump-start his season.
Also Consider: Brad Miller (2B/3B/OF, PHI): 32% Rostered; Jonathan Villar (2B/3B/SS NYM): 39% Rostered
Outfield
Alex Dickerson (OF, SF): 11% Rostered
Dickerson has been underwhelming this year. Fantasy managers had high hopes that he would pick up where he left off after his breakout during the shortened 2020 season. He's slashing a paltry .217/.274/.365 with four home runs and 18 RBI through his first 39 games (115 at-bats). After posting an impressive .300/.373/.579 batting line with nine home runs vs. right-handed pitching (158 plate appearances) in 2020, he's slashing a mere .214/.264/.379 with four home runs (110 PA's) this season. It seems to have been more bad luck than a prolonged slump for Dickerson, however. His .259 BABIP is the lowest mark of his career and there's a significant gap between his real and expected stats. His .299 xBA ranks in the 92nd percentile while his .358 xwOBA and .475 xSLG are stellar marks as well.
Dickerson has a chance to get off the season-long schneid next week with the Giants facing some mediocre pitchers in Andrew Heaney (5.24 ERA/4.42 FIP), Zach Davies (4.96 ERA/5.04 FIP), Jake Arrieta (4.37 ERA/4.85 FIP), and Kyle Hendricks (4.63 ERA/5.43 FIP).
Joc Pederson (1B/OF, CHC): 31% Rostered
Pederson got off to a horrible start this season with his new team. He was slashing a meager .137/.262/.235 with one home run over his first 16 games (61 plate appearances). He then hit the injured list with left wrist tendinitis on April 22. He was activated back on May 4 and has looked like a new player ever since. He's rocking a solid .338/.380/.535 with three home runs and 11 RBI over his last 19 games (71 at-bats). The stellar month has raised his season batting line to a much more respectable .254/.329/.410 to go along with four home runs and 15 RBI across 122 at-bats.
He's got a .808 OPS vs. right-handed pitchers this year and the Cubbies are expected to face six of them out of seven games next week. Pederson has had some career success against quite a few of his probable foes such as Joe Musgrove (1.569 OPS with one home run in eight careers at-bats), Chris Paddack (two HR with a .714 OPS in 14 AB's), Anthony DeSclafani (three HR with a 1.364 OPS in 11 AB's), Kevin Gausman (1 HR with a .800 OPS in 10 at-bats), and even though he's gone 4-for-26 against Johnny Cueto, he's taken him deep once. The week sets up well for Pederson despite the Cubs facing some stiff competition against the NL West.
Joc Pederson goes deep again. Two run shot ties it. pic.twitter.com/otcE8LPFlM
— Justin Groc (@jgroc) May 26, 2021
Also Consider: Corey Dickerson (OF, MIA): 8% Rostered; Danny Santana (1B/2B/3B/SS/OF, BOS): 29% Rostered
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