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Welcome back to Streaming Wars, your one-stop shop for streaming the waiver wire. This article, which began last season, runs seven days a week. We are always ready to stream.
For those who are newcomers to this feature - use this column on a daily basis to improve upon your neediest categories, and target players who may be available on your waiver wire.
Below are your pitcher and hitter streaming targets for Monday, May 1, 2018. Let's get to it.
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Agenda
- One Month Down
- Today's Weather and Updates
- Tomorrow's Picks
1. One Month Down
In less than half a day, April will be in the rearview mirror. Let's quickly look at a few top performers who were briefly streamable.
Jed Lowrie: He's hit six home runs to go with 13 runs, 27 RBI, and a .339/.397/.583. Fluky? Yes. But there's some real breakout in there too.
Mitch Haniger: With 10 home runs, 17 runs, 27 RBI, and a .309/.384/.701 batting line, he's carrying his fantasy owners. He even has a steal.
Matt Chapman: Basically sea level Nolan Arenado - six home runs, 21 runs, 15 RBI, .269/.361/.529.
Asdrubal Cabrera: The flukiest performance on the top 10 WAR leaderboard. Batting .340/.393/.580 with five home runs, 20 runs, and 17 RBI.
Rick Porcello: A 2.23 ERA with superb command and control. Good Porcello is, uh, good.
Patrick Corbin: Sliders, sliders, sliders en route to a 2.25 ERA and 12.38 K/9 in 40 innings.
Nick Pivetta: Command breakout plus flashy curves has led to a 3.27 ERA with 9.27 K/9.
2. Today's Weather and Updates
There's a small chance for rain at Fenway. Don't worry too much about it. The rest of the league is free and clear.
3. Streamer Picks - Monday, May 1
Pitchers to Use
I keep teeter tottering on Kyle Gibson. The slider he discovered late last season is a premium offering. Unfortunately, his fastball remains a frequent disaster. The result this season has been very inconsistent results. Seemingly, if you just trust him every week, you'll get Eduardo Rodriguez-like numbers - a strikeout per inning with a high-3.00s ERA. New Gibson is perfectly sculpted for a multi-inning relief role. He'll host the Jays tomorrow.
Nick Tropeano may have the friendliest streamable matchup. The Orioles lineup is jam packed with bad, strikeout prone hitters. Manny Machado is the lone exception. Tropeano is missing a tic on his fastball, and he's getting hammered for a second straight season. I wouldn't hang onto him beyond tomorrow.
Other Targets: Sean Newcomb
Pitchers to Exploit
Considering the borderline trashy quality of the two pitchers I recommended to use, seeing a few of the names below is sure to be jarring. Let's directly address Matt Boyd and Chase Anderson.
Boyd is set to host the Rays which is a pretty strong matchup all things considered. He's benefited from a bunch of cold weather games. Boyd has gone slider-wild. However, he's hemorrhaged about four mph of velocity on all his offerings. It's only a matter of time before some team grinds him to dust. The Rays are running hot.
Anderson broke out last season with the help of sustained velocity increase. This year, he's back to his career norms, and his arm slot has wobbled. He's struggling to induce whiffs. He shows every sign of an impending collapse including a .196 BABIP and 95.9 percent left on base rate. Regression could push him all the way to a 5.00 ERA. He's visiting power happy Great American Ballpark.
Other Targets: Doug Fister, Chad Kuhl, Homer Bailey, Zach Eflin, Jarlin Garcia, Marco Estrada, James Shields, Matt Koch, Alex Cobb, Felix Hernandez, Andrew Suarez
Homers on the Wire
It's a joke that Yonder Alonso is on the waiver wire. I thought we'd all figured out how BABIP works by now. It... wanders. Alonso's low BABIP is self-correcting. Meanwhile, his power and run production is right on track. He should be owned in every 12 team and deeper league. He'll face Fister.
As hopeless as Phillies outfielder Aaron Altherr looked in the early weeks, he's been equally hot over the last 14 days. Since a mid-April off day, Altherr is batting .355/.394/.645 with strong plate discipline. It's only partially BABIP-fueled (.400 BABIP). Speaking of balls in play, Marlins starter Jarlin Garcia, has relied entirely on a low BABIP for his success.
Other Targets: Tyler Naquin, Howie Kendrick, Carlos Gomez, C.J. Cron, Jesse Winker, Scott Schebler, Brian Anderson, Derek Dietrich, Lewis Brinson, Maikel Franco, Curtis Granderson, Teoscar Hernandez, Max Kepler, Dexter Fowler, Mark Canha, Christian Villanueva, Jose Pirela
Steals on the Wire
Kuhl isn't the best at controlling base runners. Michael Taylor is among the league leaders with nine stolen bases. He's clearly making a concerted effort to be a force on the basepaths. Look for him to take advantage of a friendly matchup.
Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos is among the most stolen base prone in the league. That's great news for a slowly heating Bradley Zimmer.
Other Targets: Delino DeShields, Jose Peraza, Manuel Margot
Skill Positions
Max Stassi will probably start against a lefty. He's showing some of those air ball skills.
