Pitchers to Stream Throughout the Week
Tuesday, May 4: Shane McClanahan
Fantasy manages are usually very wary about picking up Rays pitching for long periods (unless they’re Cyler Glasnow) because Cash has been very all over the place with whose been getting spots so far. But seeing McClanahan in his regular-season debut last week against a tough Oakland opponent and handling them relatively well besides a couple of mistakes, while also going 4 should encourage the ones who know the Rays. The team has already expressed its interest in wanting him permanently in the rotation and if he’s building his innings from 4 in his first start, there’s a good chance he could get proper innings and the workload of a starter.
Wednesday, May 5: Chris Flexen
First things first, fantasy managers should be targeting all streamable starters against the Orioles next week as their bats have cooled down considerably from where they were at the start of the year, dropping all the way to 2nd worst offense in the MLB. As for Chris Flexen, he should be a widely available arm in most leagues who’s been enjoying quite a bit of success so far at a 3.33 ERA through 5 starts. If he does do really well in the start, it might also be someone worth sticking with for a couple more starts to see how long you can ride his streak.
Saturday, May 8: Adam Wainwright
Whenever the Rockies are on the road, managers should be scouting opposing starting pitching hard. In this case, the Rox will be coming into St. Louis and Adam Wainwright would be a perfect spot start for the weekend. This is very much more betting on the Rockies terrible offense than Waino but the bet should yield great results.
Must-Adds
Alex Kirilloff, OF: The pure hitting, top prospect has finally arrived for good and has already started smacking the ball. The defense seems pretty bad but that should be no concern for fantasy as the Twins are regularly going to find spots for him in the lineup. Grab him quickly while still can and this investment might net one of the best returns of the year.
Ty France, INF: His infield versatility and extra-base hit rate make him incredibly valuable, and while he’s probably already taken in deep leagues, shallower leagues are probably undervaluing the useful Mariners second baseman a lot.
Alex Wood, SP: A prime-looking Alex Wood pitching in the most pitcher-friendly ballpark in the league, rocking a 58% groundball rate is someone who’s going to be such a good pickup. He might get burned a bit more when on the road and against NL West titans, but in all the other starts he’ll be a great source of points.
Jakob Junis, SP: A below-average pitcher through most of his early career with the Royals, Junis turned things around in a big way during the offseason by adding a cutter to his repertoire and the results have been showing as he’s pitching well but also racking up a lot of K’s to go with it.
Ryan Weathers, SP: The San Diego rotation is getting hit hard with the injury stick, and one guy coming back from a little injury is Weathers who will surely have a spot waiting for him. He’s been fantastic this year, though the .091 BABIP is incredibly unsustainable.
Kyle Higashioka, C: In a momentous press conference last week, Cashman made some ambiguous comments about Gary Sanchez and how he’d have to earn playing time. Mix that with the factor of a backup catcher, (for now) Higaskioka smacking the ball and outperforming Gary, and adding Higgy is a move that might pay off big down the line at a weak position with a Yankee bat.