April 21 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Frankie Montas, Casey Mize, Cal Quantrill and More
A look at the probable starters on Sunday who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups.
We are about to enter NFL Draft week, so expect the MLB to be secondary (at best) on TV and around the sports world. While everyone else is focused elsewhere, though, we will be here giving you fantasy baseball advice (and NFL Draft stuff, too).
Let’s go through Sunday’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 ESPN.
Peter Lambert, Colorado Rockies vs. Seattle Mariners
Cal Quantrill Colorado Rockies vs. Seattle Mariners
The Rockies and Mariners are playing a doubleheader Sunday to make up for being rained out on Friday. Both Colorado pitchers are barely owned in any leagues and face one of the worst offensive teams early in the season.
Lambert has worked out of the bullpen until now but will take Kyle Freeland’s place in the rotation while Freeland is on the IL. In 11.2 innings, Lambert has allowed just three runs with 10 strikeouts and six walks. His strikeout rate is well below average in his career (194 innings), so Lambert has a lower ceiling than the usual streamer.
Quantrill also strikes out few batters, but he also limits walks better than Lambert. Quantrill’s season has gotten off to a rough start, at least partly because his four games were all against above-average offenses (Cubs, Phillies and Diamondbacks twice). His career stats are closer to league average, so Quantrill has a chance to see a better outcome in his fifth start.
Lambert is a low-end streamer, best suited for the last spot in your lineup. Quantrill has a higher ceiling and is more of a mid-level streamer here, not likely to strike out many batters but with a better chance of a deep outing than Lambert.
Casey Mize, Detroit Tigers @ Minnesota Twins
Mize was the top overall pick in the 2018 draft and entered professional baseball with the expectation to be an ace. It’s unfair to say he’s been a disappointment, as he’s barely over 200 innings, but he debuted in 2020, so people are understandably getting antsy. His below-average strikeout rate doesn’t help, though he also limits walks.
The Twins just haven’t been able to hit. They are in the bottom five in many offensive categories, and they are a team to go after with opposing pitchers until they show an extended period of success.
Mize is a mid-level streamer this time around. He hasn’t struck batters out, but he has a chance for a decent outing against a weak offense.
Frankie Montas, Cincinnati Reds vs. Los Angeles Angels
Montas was also listed in this column before his last start against the Mariners; things didn’t turn out great. Montas allowed five runs in just two innings, striking out one batter and walking five. It doesn’t matter how good the matchup might be if the pitcher can’t throw strikes.
The Angels have a middling offense. A lot of their upside comes from Mike Trout, who has started this season looking like his old self. The rest of the team is lacking talent and depth, though, and LA can be targeted with the right pitchers in fantasy.
There is a chance of another meltdown, as there is with any pitcher, but Montas has been around the league average in terms of walking batters in his career, so there is also hope that it was a one-start blip. Montas is a mid-level streamer.
Louie Varland, Minnesota Twins vs. Detroit Tigers
We talked about this game above with Mize, and Varland will be opposing him against a weak Tigers lineup. Detroit has been near the bottom of the league for multiple seasons, and it will probably be a few more years before they have a chance at an above-average team.
Varland has thrown 108 innings in his career with better-than-average strikeout and walk rates. That hasn’t translated to a lot of success, especially not in 2024, when he has allowed 15 runs (13 earned) in 14 innings.
Part of the reason for optimism is his opponent: We’ve talked about Detroit, but his first three starts came against the Brewers, Dodgers and Orioles, three teams that have started the year as top-10 offenses. With a far less imposing opponent, Varland has a better chance for success.
Varland is a mid-level streamer here. The matchup is right, but his limited success puts a ceiling on what we can expect.
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