July 24 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Yariel Rodriguez, Matt Waldron, Griffin Canning and Allan Winans

It’s a lighter day today after a steady line of streamers since the All-Star break. Also, all streamers are not created equal: Yesterday saw a few high-level guys on the mound while today is filled with middling and low-end pitchers. That’s no reason to ignore them, though; the most unassuming guys can make the biggest impacts on any given day.

Let’s look at Wednesday’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.

Griffin Canning, Los Angeles Angels @ Seattle Mariners

Seattle might be the cream of the streamer opponent crop. A lot of that comes from their strikeouts, as Mariner batters have struck out about 80 more times than any other team. They are also in the bottom three in runs scored, hits and all four slash categories.

Canning has been below average, and his strikeout rate is a big part of that. His rate is about 10 percentage points lower than it was last season, presenting a large drop-off from his career rate as well. In his one game against Seattle this year, Canning threw 6.2 innings and allowed just one run with four strikeouts and a walk.

Canning is a low- to mid-level streamer. His own performance leaves plenty to be desired, but the matchup is pristine, and his previous strikeout work gives a little hope for a big game.

Yariel Rodriguez, Toronto Blue Jays vs. Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays continue a disappointing season, and rumors have them trading players away rather than looking to add at the deadline. It makes sense: Tampa is a small-market team that relies on replenishing the farm system, and they can “take advantage” of a non-competitive season to shed a few pieces and load up on prospects. Every position player that has made an appearance for the Rays has more strikeouts than walks, and the team is in the top 10 in most batter strikeouts.

Rodriguez has struck out more than a batter per inning, but he has walked way too many guys (36 Ks and 18 BBs in 33.1 innings). He has struck out at least six hitters in five of his eight starts and has only allowed three runs or more three times. Rodriguez has performed well enough in a small sample to be firmly in the streamer ranks.

Rodriguez is a mid-level streamer. His strikeout work seems to jive well with the Rays’ trouble making contact, and the matchup is right for a quality outing.

Matt Waldron, San Diego Padres @ Washington Nationals

Waldron has faced Washington once this season (June 24) when he threw six innings with two runs allowed, eight strikeouts and two walks. That matches his season work, as Waldron is league-average striking batters out and does well limiting walks. It’s reasonable to expect a similar outing.

The Nationals are near 20th in a lot of offensive box stats, and their batters have struck out less than all but five teams. They fall short hitting for power, though, fighting the Marlins for least home runs and holding bottom-five numbers in both slugging percentage and OPS. Washington has the outline of a good team, but they don’t have the tools to be an average offense this year.

Waldron is a mid-level to high-level streamer. His work has been good most of the season, and his strikeout rate is a plus, something many streamers can’t match.

Allan Winans, Atlanta Braves vs. Cincinnati Reds

Winans has only 37.1 major league innings to his name, five of which came this year back in April. There’s not much to go on with such a small sample, but he has struck out 35 guys while walking just 10, a positive sign. His strikeout work was below average in the minors, so I’m not looking for big K numbers moving forward.

The Reds are in the bad-not-horrible category, sitting near the league average in runs, doubles, home runs, batter walks, slugging percentage and OPS. That sounds like a capable offense, but they fall short in a few areas: Cincinnati is in the bottom four in both hits and batting average, and Reds’ batters have struck out the fifth most of any team. If the power doesn’t show up, Cincinnati doesn’t have enough good hitters to string together hits (though players rerturning from injury may help).

Winans is a low-level streamer. We don’t have a lot to go off, and the Reds are only an OK matchup, so there’s not a high ceiling here with a possible low floor.

Wednesday’s Streamer Rankings

1. Matt Waldron, SD
2. Yariel Rodriguez, TOR
3. Griffin Canning, LAA
4. Allan Winans, ATL