May 13 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Trevor Williams, Colin Rea, Randy Vasquez and More
A look at Monday's probable starters who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups
We’re almost halfway through May; remember when it was just the beginning of the month? Time moves fast, despite what the MLB season sometimes feels like, and player/team performances can change even quicker. That’s why we at FantasySP are here every day to help you keep up with current trends and players to know.
Let’s run through Monday’s probable starters (according to MLB.com) who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups, creating streaming value. Most stats and rankings are from MLB. The full streamer rankings are listed at the bottom.
Chris Flexen, Chicago White Sox vs. Washington Nationals
A below-average pitcher in his career, Flexen has mostly held true to that billing in 2024. He doesn’t strike out many hitters, but at least he limits walks at an average level. He holds an ERA near 5.00 in his career, having only two good seasons (2021 and 2022).
Washington has bright spots but fails as an overall unit. CJ Abrams has shown the ability that made him a top prospect and the centerpiece of the trade of Juan Soto from the Nationals to the Padres: .277 batting average with seven doubles, seven home runs and eight stolen bases.
Only two other hitters with at least 70 at-bats are over .250, though, and the Nats are in the bottom 10 in batting average, slugging percentage and OPS. Flexen is a low-level streamer against Washington. He has just an OK matchup and doesn’t have any high-level traits.
Matt Manning, Detroit Tigers vs. Miami Marlins
Despite well below-average strikeout rates in his career, Manning has struck out 17 batters in 17 innings in 2024. It’s a very small sample, but he hasn’t even been close to striking out a batter per inning in any of his previous three seasons (all with at least 68 innings).
The Marlins don’t strike out much, but they also don’t do much else. They rank near 25th (or worse) in runs, home runs, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. After trading their best hitter, Luis Arraez, this team is on the way down, not up.
Manning is a low- to mid-level streamer. He has some upside because of his strikeout work this year and Miami’s moribund outlook, but his career numbers say he will take a step back from his current performance.
Colin Rea, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates offer fantasy value to every opposing pitcher: Pittsburgh batters have struck out the fifth most, hit the fifth-least home runs, and are in the bottom five in batting average, slugging percentage and OPS.
Rea had a league-average strikeout rate last year but has otherwise been well below average in that area in his career. He does a decent job limiting walks, so he doesn’t hurt himself, and it’s all led to a 4.57 ERA in his career.
Those worse-than-average results have improved in 2024 against a mix of good and bad offensive teams, but Rea has a ceiling near the middle. Rea is a mid-level streamer here, helped by the good matchup but without a ton of upside.
Jose Soriano, Los Angeles Angels vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Working solely out of the bullpen last year, Soriano struck out over 30% of the batters he faced. Now mostly starting games, that number has fallen to about 22%, near the league average. His walk rate has stayed near 12% (league average is closer to 8%), though, and is the biggest thing keeping him from excelling.
St. Louis is in the middle of the league in batter strikeouts and walks, so it will be on Soriano to control those things. The Cardinals aren’t hitting at all, failing to control their side of the equation. Paul Goldschmidt continues to bat below .200, Nolan Arenado has just two home runs (despite a .270 average), and their best hitter in 2024 (Willson Contreras) is out with a broken arm.
The Cards offer a good matchup, and Soriano is a mid-level streamer. If he finds his old strikeout rates, he will jump a level, but his lack of control and more mild numbers as a starter leave him in the middle of the streaming group.
Randy Vasquez, San Diego Padres vs. Colorado Rockies
This game is in San Diego rather than Denver, so that’s one positive mark in Vasquez’s favor. While the Rockies are a league-average offense at home, they have been well below that mark on the road.
In road games, Colorado is in the bottom five in runs scored, home runs, slugging percentage and OPS. They are in the bottom 10 in hits, batting average, and on-base percentage, among other things.
Vasquez made a 37.2-inning debut with the Yankees last year before coming over in the Soto trade to New York. He has done fairly well striking out batters (44 in 49.2 career innings), but he has walked too many (21). Still, he owns a taught 3.26 ERA in his young career.
Vasquez is a mid-level streamer against the Rockies. Colorado has struck out the third-most of any team, so while Vasquez is just average in that area, he has a chance for a bigger outing in this one.
Trevor Williams, Washington Nationals @ Chicago White Sox
Williams is the lucky pitcher on the wheel this time around, getting to face a White Sox team among the bottom five in virtually every major offensive category; they are in the bottom two in a lot of those stats.
Williams has shown up often on the streamer list and has taken advantage of his favorable matchups. His last two starts were against the Rangers and Orioles, though, and Williams showed he’s not only capable against the weak teams: he combined for 10 innings, zero runs, 11 strikeouts, four walks, seven hits and two wins in those outings.
While he hasn’t gone more than six innings in any start, Williams has been solid every time out, never pitching less than five innings or giving up more than three runs. Williams is a mid- to high-level streamer in this one, not likely to pick up a lot of strikeouts, though showing that ability so far in 2024.
Monday’s Streamer Rankings
- Trevor Williams, WAS
- Jose Soriano, LAA
- Randy Vasquez, SD
- Colin Rea, MIL
- Matt Manning, DET
- Chris Flexen, CWS
