I was very happy with last week’s hosts, except for Merrill Kelly. To be honest, Kelly might just get washed up at this point. That’s the inevitable path every athlete takes, and it’s a sad reality for professional athletes. Knowing when that will happen is always tricky for us, but it’s also one of the most impactful variables in fantasy sports. It’s funny how many of those guys are on the waiver wire, making them attractive options as broadcasters. We only have one hitter in that situation for this article, so let’s start by looking at those new streamers.
Popular Team Games
7 Games
Boston Red Sox (at COL, vs. NYY)
Detroit Tigers (vs. NYY, vs. HOU)
New York Yankees (at DET, at BOS)
Philadelphia Phillies (WAS, NYM)
St. Louis Cardinals (vs. ARI, vs. MIA)
Tampa Bay Rays (vs. KC, vs. ARI)
Toronto Blue Jays (vs. HOU, vs. TEX)
6 Games
Baltimore Orioles (at LAA, vs. WAS)
Colorado Rockies (vs. BOS, MIN)
Los Angeles Angels (vs. BAL, vs. ATH)
Minnesota Twins (vs. LAD, vs. COL)
Throwing Streamers
JR Ritchie, ATL (at SD, at SF)
Ritchie has been put back into the rotation after Spencer Strider got injured, and it’s time for this guy to get a legitimate chance to start. He pitched five scoreless innings in Strider’s injury and had a 3.32 ERA in his first four starts. His last two starts haven’t been up to par, but we’re talking about a guy who had a 2.85 ERA and 1.06 WHIP during his minor league career. Things like that make him one of the best broadcasters this week because he couldn’t have two better places. San Fran and San Diego are two of the most offensive parks in baseball, with both offenses ranking near the bottom of every offensive statistic. We’ll talk about the Giants later, but the Padres rank last in earned runs, OPS and wOBA.
Streaming Average: $-24.0
Anthony Kay, CWS (vs. CLE, vs. KC)
Kay has struggled in his last three games, but it’s easy to understand why. He faced the Yankees, Dodgers and Phillies in those outings, but that’s not what he has this week. Kay has two proposed plans against the worst offenses in baseball. Cleveland is struggling without Jose Ramirez and Angel Martinez, and Kansas City ranks 22nd in wOBA and 24th in runs scored. That’s a soft spot for one of our broadcasters, especially since Kay was in the lead before that bad show hit her in the face. The lefty has allowed two runs or fewer in 10 of his 12 starts, posting a 1.95 ERA and 1.18 WHIP over his previous six starts. Two of those were against KC, with Kay allowing two runs in 11.2 innings.
Streaming Rate: $0.8
Gage Jump, ATH (at SF)
Jump has been a regular as one of our streamers for the past few weeks, and it’s a wonder why he isn’t featured in every league right now. Maybe it’s because he has to pitch in Sacramento, but the southpaw looks insecure in that hitting spot. Jump has allowed just four earned runs over his last four starts while producing a 1.42 ERA and 0.79 WHIP over that span. Two of those were at home, while the other two were against the Cubs and Astros. That shows how special this southpaw was, and we love the road matchup with the Giants. Not only does San Fran have one of the most open ballparks, but they also rank 21st in runs scored and 22nd in wOBA.
Streaming Average: $4.4
Taj Bradley, MIN (vs. COL)
Bradley had a bounce-back season in Minnesota, but it sounds like no one cares. The righty has allowed two or fewer runs in eight of his first nine starts while posting a 2.77 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 10.2 K/9 average over that span. That kind of flexibility is why he was a coveted prospect with the Rays in the past, and he has one of the best matchups here.
Bradley gets a home game against Colorado, the Rockies ranked 23rd in wOBA and 25th in K rate. They’ve also traditionally been one of the worst offenses on the road over the past decade, and we can’t forget the fact that Bradley is averaging a 2.82 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 10.0 K/9 at home this year. He faced them early last year and allowed just five hits in six innings while striking out seven batters.
Average Stream: $52.9
Jack Leiter, TEX (in MIA)
Man, Leiter has been bad lately, but I believe in this kid. Things are too good for Leiter to be this poor. His main issue is command, but if that comes, Leiter will be a problem in the future. We say that because he was considered one of the best prospects in baseball as the top pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. He got a pinch hit in his last three starts, but Leiter had a 3.60 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and a 10.5 K/9 average in his six starts.
That kind of run made me think we were finally seeing a breakout, but who knows? A road matchup with Miami could be a great opportunity to get him back on track because that is one of the best parks, while the Marlins rank 28th in xwOBA. A pitcher due to good regression (4.21 xFIP) and an offense due to some negative regression is the perfect recipe for one of our broadcasters!
Stream Rate: $-4.0
Hitting Streamers
Paul Goldschmidt, NYY (DET, BOS)
We talked about washed up veterans earlier in the article, but Goldy has risen from the dead! He’s been out of the lineup in almost every league after a bad 2024-25 season, but he’s caught something again this year. Goldschmidt has a .368 OBP and .928 OPS so far this season. He’s been even better lately, registering a .354 AVG and .979 OPS over his last 19 outings. The best part about this is the schedule, though, because the Yankees are expected to face the remaining five this week. Goldy has a .487 OBP and a team-leading 1.214 OPS this season. It’s not a scary stick either, as Goldschmidt is expected to play seven games.
Willi Castro, COL (vs. BOS, MIN)
As a Rockies fan, I knew there would be a point this season where Castro would be one of our starters. He’s shown an enticing fantasy profile in the past, and a hot stretch at Coors Field was inevitable. Having games in Vegas helped as well, with Castro compiling a .338 AVG, .442 OBP and .980 OPS over his last 17 outings. That actually forced him into the lead at times last week, which is really impressive considering he had 33 steals just three years ago. This is the type of player who can finish with 15 homers and 15 steals, while scoring the most runs at the top of this Coors Field lineup. These matchups aren’t too bad either, with Minnesota ranked 23rd in wOBA and Boston’s series at Coors Field.
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals No Face)
Theft Specialists
Blake Dunn (CIN)
Dunn has led off multiple times in the past two weeks and has four steals over his last eight outings.
Samad Taylor (SD)
This San Diego roster has been struggling, but Taylor has been a pleasant surprise. He hit a double over the past few days and has stolen four times over his last eight games while hitting .355 in that span.
Keeps Professionals
Yoendrys Gomez (MIN)
It hasn’t been clear who the Twinkies have been all season, but Gomez is like a boy. He’s had back-to-back saves and is now averaging a 1.32 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 10.1 K/9 since April 22.
Jacob Webb (CHC)
With Daniel Palencia coming to IL, Webb looks to be the fill in closer. He’s been the setup man and picked up the Cubs’ latest save since the injury. Webb also has a 1.80 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 12.2 K/9 since April 6.
Feel free to comment here or contact me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions! Also, feel free to check out my Waiver Wire article from yesterday!
