The ability to successfully stream starting pitching is a talent not every fantasy baseball player possesses. Most just look for which pitchers are in line for two starts the following week and latch onto them, while others only seek out recognizable names and look for what appear to be soft matchups on paper.
Sometimes you need to walk off the beaten path and find pitchers who pique little interest for a variety of reasons and trust on what you are seeing in their upcoming matchups. The AL actually has a few names you may want to write down.
Try to contain your laughter, but Baltimore’s Dean Kremer just might be a guy to consider streaming — not just for this week, but beyond as well. Though he has a career 5.29 ERA, the 26-year-old right-hander is currently sporting a 1.29 ERA over five starts this season and hasn’t allowed a run in his past 18 2/3 innings.
Dean Kremer throws a pitch for the Baltimore Orioles.Getty ImagesHe may not be a high-strikeout guy, but his control has been on-point, and we’ve seen some amazing developments with the command of his changeup. His two starts this week come against the Rangers and Angels, both of whom have had their recent offensive struggles, and should be a nice boost for your totals.
The Twins also have a couple of streaming options: Chris Archer and Devin Smeltzer. Neither has two starts this week, but both have favorable matchups. Archer has allowed just three earned runs over his past 17 innings and faces the White Sox who, without their usual complement of quality bats, own a dismal .289 wOBA (weighted on-base average) against right-handed pitching and a strikeout rate north of 20 percent.
Meanwhile, Smeltzer just manhandled the Guardians in back-to-back starts, allowing just one run with 12 strikeouts over 12 innings, and faces the Rangers who are struggling with a .293 wOBA and 23.3 percent K-rate against righties. Both can be assets this week and beyond.
Whether you play in a roto or head-to-head format, learning how to properly stream starters can be the difference between winning a championship and finishing in the middle o the pack. Too many fantasy owners get hung up on “rest of season” outlooks. A good streamer can help an owner dominate a league because they know they’re not looking for Mr. Right, they just want Mr. Right Now.
Howard Bender is the head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy baseball advice.
