April 20 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Gavin Stone, Javier Assad, Logan Allen and More
A look at the probable starters on Saturday who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups.
Still less than a month into the season, most teams have at least a little hope. There are some, however, that have shown through about 20 games that it’s going to be a long, long summer. And that’s what we’re here for, to find the teams that struggle with the bats and attack them in fantasy baseball.
Let’s go through Saturday’s probable pitchers (according to MLB.com) who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups, creating streaming value. Most stats and rankings are from ESPN.
Logan Allen, Cleveland Guardians vs. Oakland Athletics
The Athletics continue their moribund ways, making barely a whimper as they plan their way out of Oakland. They are a team to keep going after with opposing pitchers.
Allen has performed below-average this year despite facing Oakland, Seattle and the White Sox in three of his four starts. Those results aren’t encouraging, but he did throw five innings against the A’s in his first start to pick up the win, and the matchup is right to get him in your lineup.
Allen is a mid- to low-level guy, worthy of a spot against Oakland but also with a ceiling on his performance.
Graham Ashcraft, Cincinnati Reds vs. Los Angeles Angels
The Angels have an offense right near the league average. They have been OK, and that’s with Mike Trout starting the season on fire. The rest of the team just isn’t very talented, with a lot of holes peppering the lineup.
Ashcraft has been on the streamer list a few times already, including his last start against the White Sox on Sunday when he struck out eight in 6.2 innings while allowing just one earned run (and one unearned). Ashcraft is a worthy streamer in the right situations.
LA doesn’t offer the same upside the White Sox do, but they also aren’t a team to fear. Ashcraft is a mid-level streamer, capable of putting together a good start.
Javier Assad, Chicago Cubs vs. Miami Marlins
Assad has allowed just four runs in 16.2 innings while striking out 18 with only four walks. It has been a good start to the season for the 26-year-old who has taken advantage of a few easy matchups against the Rockies and Mariners.
He gets another weaker lineup in this one with the Marlins, a team among the bottom 10 in most major offensive categories. Miami made a surprise playoff appearance last season while riding their pitching and a lot of luck, but the offense lagged, and it continues to be the same story in 2024.
Assad is a high-level streamer in this one. His strikeout rate has been good, and his ability to pound the strike zone means teams haven’t been able to take advantage of extra base runners.
*This section was in Friday’s piece, but the game was rained out, so the pitchers are now set to start on Saturday
Emerson Hancock, Seattle Mariners @ Colorado Rockies
Dakota Hudson, Colorado Rockies vs Seattle Mariners
We’ll group these two together because they face each other and have somewhat similar circumstances, though with different levels of experience. Both pitchers are here because they have good matchups against weaker lineups and a possibility of success.
Hudson spent six years with St. Louis before joining Colorado this offseason, and he’s started the year with average results that are close to his career numbers. He doesn’t strike many batters out and walks a few too many, but he’s been able to post average ERA numbers.
Hancock has thrown only 26.2 innings in his career, but they haven’t been pretty: 19 runs allowed with just 17 strikeouts and five walks. While Hudson has shown competence in his career, Hancock has struggled in his short time in the big leagues, only excelling at limiting walks.
The matchups, again, are why these guys are fantasy relevant. Seattle has been one of the worst offensive teams in baseball, and Colorado has been near the league average after being a bottom-10 group last year. Both teams offer the chance for opposing pitchers to have good outings.
Hudson is a mid-level streamer worthy of a spot in your lineup; Hancock is a low-end guy who fits better in the last slot if you need an arm.
Reese Olson, Detroit Tigers @ Minnesota Twins
An early offensive slump has taken Minnesota from presumed division favorites to one of the bottom teams in baseball early in the season. It’s more than a slump, though. Through Thursday, Minnesota is in the bottom five in runs, hits, home runs, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS.
Enter Olson, who has thrown 120 league-average innings since reaching the big leagues last year. He has struck out a batter per inning and holds an ERA under 4.00. Olson is the type of pitcher who has streaming value against weaker lineups.
This matchup has Olson as a mid- to high-level streamer. The strikeouts should be there, which is always a nice baseline, and Minnesota continues to struggle to find offense.
Gavin Stone, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Mets
Stone struggled in his brief 2023 debut but has been an average pitcher through three starts this season. While he has allowed 10 runs in 14.2 innings, only six were earned, and he has struck out 15 batters to five walks.
Here he gets a middling Mets lineup that has a little power but can struggle otherwise. New York fans can pine for the return of the days when the team is spending big to bring in the best players, but they took a step back from an aggressive 2023 to a more sensible strategy, leaving the lineup with a few holes.
Stone is a mid-level streamer here, likely to get some strikeouts against a less-than-imposing offensive group.
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