May 10 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Carlos Carrasco, Javier Assad, Jon Gray and More
A look at Friday's probable starters who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups.
It’s getting to be the time that most people are spending their weekends outside rather than watching baseball religiously. There are die-hards, sure, but it’s only going to get harder to follow the daily happenings of Major League Baseball.
That means fantasy baseball will fall to the wayside for many, but we are here to help you stay current while enjoying your summer.
Let’s go through Friday’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.
Javier Assad, Chicago Cubs @ Pittsburgh Pirates
Assad is only owned in about half of fantasy leagues, a shocking statistic given his season line: 38 innings, 31 strikeouts, 12 walks, and only seven runs allowed for a pristine 1.66 ERA. Regardless of Friday’s start, Assad is worth a spot on someone’s roster.
Speaking of this matchup, though, Pittsburgh creates one of the friendlier environments for opposing pitchers. The Pirates have scored the second-least runs at home and rank in the bottom five in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. It’s safe to say the friendly confines haven’t been so friendly.
Assad is a high-level streamer in this one. Again, he might be worth a spot on your roster if you’re short on pitching, but he definitely belongs in your lineup today.
Paul Blackburn, Oakland Athletics @ Seattle Mariners
Blackburn has mostly ebbed and flowed with his matchups, putting up strong showings against the Nationals and Marlins but struggling against the Orioles and Yankees. He has also shown the opposite trends at times, ultimately being inconsistent overall.
Seattle is a team to stream against, sitting in the bottom 10 in many major offensive stats. They have been a league-average unit over the last week, but the Mariners stand out in one area: their hitters have struck out 30 more times than any other team.
Blackburn doesn’t strike out a lot of batters; his 17.7% strikeout rate is well below the league average (around 22% but in the midst of a big spike). With Seattle struggling to make contact, Blackburn is a mid-level streamer without much upside.
Carlos Carrasco, Cleveland Guardians @ Chicago White Sox
Carrasco used to strike out a ton of batters but has seen that rate tank over the last two seasons. His ERA has acted accordingly, finishing at 6.80 last year (in 20 starts!!!) and currently sitting at 5.67 in 2024.
Carrasco is likely cooked; I’m not counting on him finding any fountain of youth. The White Sox offer fantasy value for every opposing pitcher, though, as they attempt to set new franchise standards of futility. Among other things, Chicago is dead last in runs scored, home runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS.
Carrasco is a low-level streamer, only fit for the last spot in your lineup if you’re desperate. There has been nothing in 123.1 innings since the beginning of 2023 to point to Carrasco being even league average: it speaks to the level of Chicago’s offense that he is listed here.
Jon Gray, Texas Rangers @ Colorado Rockies
The Revenge of Jon Gray! Gray was hindered by Colorado’s offensive struggles (at times) from 2015-2021, but now he gets to take advantage of his old ball club. The Rockies are on the line of a bottom-10 offensive team, not as hopeless as the White Sox but also not thriving.
Playing in Colorado doesn’t help Gray; the ball flies at Coors Field, and the Rockies have hit like a league-average team at home. They’ve also struck out the third most among all teams, something that matches up well for Gray, who has struck out close to 24% of the batters he’s faced in his career.
Gray is a mid-level streamer, at risk of giving up runs in a tough environment but also with upside against a middling lineup that strikes out a lot.
Casey Mize, Detroit Tigers vs. Houston Astros
Houston is maybe the biggest surprise in baseball for all the wrong reasons. Their offensive woes haven’t gotten better, either. Over the last week, the Astros are among the bottom 10 in runs scored, hits, batting average, slugging percentage and OPS.
Mize has been close to an average pitcher in his career, striking out hitters at a below-average rate but also not walking many, which has led to a 4.25 ERA in 220.1 innings. He’s a good pitcher to stream, and Houston offers an opportunity.
Mize is a mid-level streamer, unlikely to strike out many batters but also capable of putting together a quality start.
Bryan Woo, Seattle Mariners vs. Oakland Athletics
Woo had a decent debut in 2023, striking out 93 batters in 87.2 innings while walking 31 and allowing 41 earned runs (4.25 ERA). He began this year on the IL and will be making his first start of the season on Friday.
Oakland started the season playing as imagined, struggling with the bats and sitting near the bottom of the league. They have turned it around lately, though, and probably played themselves out of this category, especially over the last week: in the last seven days, the Athletics lead the league in runs scored and OPS and sit among the top five in hits, home runs, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
Woo is a low-level streamer, capable of getting strikeouts but facing an ascending team. Being it’s his first start, he might also be limited in his pitch count.
He should only be in your lineup if you’re desperate for an arm. Hopefully, there aren’t any stains after the altercation.
Friday’s Streamer Rankings
- Javier Assad, CHC
- Jon Gray, TEX
- Casey Mize, DET
- Paul Blackburn, OAK
- Bryan Woo, SEA
- Carlos Carrasco, CLE
