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Let’s talk All Stars. More specific, All Star starting pitchers. There are several great candidates in both leagues and now that the voting is exclusively online, it’s about time the managers and league turn the voting of the starters over to the fans as well. In the American League, there are several candidates that have earned their keep. Corey Kluber has really come on strong since May and is seemingly striking out every batter. Sonny Gray and Dallas Keuchel have each recorded strong starts to the season and King Felix leads the league with nine wins. I like Chris Archer as a fresh face to start for the AL. His 108 strikeouts in 83 innings is good enough for a ridiculous 33.4% K rate and he is holding hitters to a .196 batting average. Mr. Archer has officially reached elite ace status.
The National League is also quite jammed. There are the usual suspects in Clayton Kershaw and post-season behemoth Madison Bumgarner, as well as newcomer to the NL Max Scherzer. Certainly other pitchers have earned their spot in the conversation, but to spice things up, let’s go with Gerrit Cole. Cole is coming off a start in which he struck out seven in seven scoreless innings and recorded his NL-leading ninth win. He also brings the added bonus of looking like a crazed-killer while on the mound, and it’s a lock that a healthy portion of fans respect psychopathic-looking pitchers on the mound. Archer versus Cole. Let’s see it.
Below are some of my starting pitcher streamer sleepers for the first half of Week 10 to consider adding off your league’s waiver wire. Some of these SP options can be considered sleepers for your team depending on the league format and depth, including NL-Only, AL-Only and head-to-head formats.
Monday Starting Pitcher Streamers
Jimmy Nelson (MIL at PIT) - Ownership: 18% Yahoo!, 14% Fleaflicker
You know what you’re getting here. You’re going to get high numbers in strikeouts and you’re probably going to get higher-end numbers in the ERA and WHIP department. The Pirates are smack-dab in the middle of the league in striking out and creating runs against right-handed pitchers. Those numbers are a little skewed, though, as the Bucs have been red hot over the last three weeks.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
Lance McCullers (HOU at CHW) – Ownership: 50% Yahoo!, 20% Fleaflicker
McCullers has looked awfully, awfully sharp. With a fastball that averages out around 94, McCullers has struck out 29 batters in only 24 innings on the mound. That’s good enough for a 29.6% K rate. Chicago’s South Side team is striking out at a 24.1% clip at home, while posting a sub-par 89 wRC+ on the season against righties. Look for the McCullers Magic to continue on the road.
Matchup Rating: Solid Stream
Mike Bolsinger (LAD v. ARI) – Ownership: 46% Yahoo!, 22% Fleaflicker
Bolsinger’s owners know that the best thing going for Bolsinger is not even in his control. The Dodgers are formidable on offense when he takes the mound, thus helping him get to that 3-1 record. If Bolsinger is streamed, owners can expect a plus one in the win category, but not much help elsewhere as the Diamondbacks are leading the National League in runs.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
Tuesday Starting Pitcher Streamers
Miguel Gonzalez (BAL v. BOS) – Ownership: 45% Yahoo!, 27% Fleaflicker
The Orioles have been somewhat disappoint this season but Gonazalez has actually pitched well, especially at home. He owns a 2.08 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and is holding hitters to a .193 BABIP and .241 wOBA at Camden in over 43 innings. Those are pretty stout numbers.
Matchup Rating: Solid Stream
Anthony DeSclafani (CIN v. PHI) – Ownership: 24% Yahoo!, 24% Fleaflicker
The only reason DeSclafani even gets consideration is because of the win probability against the Phillies. If you need a win, then DeSclafani garners consideration, however he will not strike out batters and will probably give up a lot of baserunners.
Matchup Rating: Desperate Stream
Mike Foltynewicz (ATL v. SD) – Ownership: 10% Yahoo!, 10% Fleaflicker
The 23-year-old isn’t exactly a great option, but there are definitely worse pitchers to use. The problem is that it appears the Padres are on the verge of breaking out offensively and Folty’s 9.7% whiff rate simply won’t cut it. Stream in only the deepest of leagues.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
Carlos Rodon (CHW v. HOU) – Ownership: 38% Yahoo!, 10% Fleaflicker
There are a few guys in a Houston uniform that can absolutely destroy left-handed pitching. However, the bulk of the lineup strikes out nearly a quarter of at bats which plays into Rodon’s (22.3% K rate) hands. Rodon is clearly a huge risk/reward stream option.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
Wednesday Starting Pitcher Streamers
Charlie Morton (PIT v. MIL) – Ownership: 13% Yahoo!, 7% Fleaflicker
The lock of the early part of the week is the groundball specialist. Morton will not strike guys out but will instead stymie the Milwaukee bats to a ton of soft grounders. In fact, Morton owns a K/9 rate of 2.84, a career low, and is forcing ground balls at a 72.7% rate of all batted balls, a career high. Don’t get your popcorn ready because he is a boring pitcher.
Matchup Rating: Must Stream
Wei-Yin Chen (BAL v. BOS) – Ownership: 47% Yahoo!, 19% Fleaflicker
Despite a 1-4 record, Chen has actually been the most consistent starter for an underachieving Baltimore rotation. His stuff is not overpowering and when players do connect on hard contact they are bashing him with a 12.4% HR/FB rate, but he has had some career success against the Boston bats.
Matchup Rating: Solid Stream
Jesse Hahn (OAK v. TEX) – Ownership: 33% Yahoo!, 12% Fleaflicker
The Athletics rotation has been rather strong this season. It’s been their bullpen that has basically decimated their win chances on a daily basis. Hahn has been somewhat impressive with a 3.16 FIP and a 51.9% groundball rate and he will get the added bonus of pitching in a pitcher’s park. The Rangers have been rather hot over the last two weeks so it is probably best to make his start a gametime decision.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
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