May 22 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: John Means, Joey Estes, Simeon Woods Richardson and Austin Gomber

Another day, another group of starting pitchers hoping to excel during their turn in the rotation. It must be tough as a starter: you only get one or two chances per week to help your team and otherwise must sit and hope for the best.

If a batter goes 0-4 with three strikeouts, he can usually come back the next day and try to rectify things. A starter who gets knocked out in the third inning won’t get another crack for multiple days, giving him plenty to think about during that stretch.

Let’s go through 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 and current before Tuesday's results. The full streamer rankings are listed at the bottom.

Joey Estes, Oakland Athletics vs. Colorado Rockies

The Rockies have a middling offense with definitive splits. They are markedly better at home, not a surprise considering they play in the hitter’s haven of Coors Field. Here are their rankings in a few major stats at home and away:

They don’t hit home runs anywhere, so that number is a bit misleading. The four slash numbers are stark, though: Colorado is a top-10 offense by those stats at home and a bottom-10 squad on the road.

Their strikeout numbers are worse on the road, something that seems like it shouldn’t be affected by where the game is played.  There have been studies done that show pitches have less movement at Coors Field than at lower elevations, though, meaning half of Colorado’s games are against pitchers with compromised breaking balls.

Estes’ short season has been a tale of two starts:

• May 11 @ Seattle: 5 innings, 2 hits, 1 run, 0 walks, 5 strikeouts
• May 16 @ Houston: 4.2 innings, 8 hits, 8 runs, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts

The Astros are a better offensive team than the Mariners, which helps explain the contrast in performance. Colorado is closer to Seattle, especially on the road, leaving Estes a chance to match his first outing.

Estes is a low- to mid-level streamer. The matchup is good but not great, and he has shown a decent strikeout rate, so there is hope for Estes to have a quality start.

Austin Gomber, Colorado Rockies @ Oakland Athletics

Opposing Estes is Gomber, a middling pitcher given fantasy value by virtue of a good matchup with Oakland. After starting his career with more Ks, Gomber’s strikeout rate has plummeted over the past two-plus seasons to a well below-average number.

His ERA has risen in contrast, finishing around 5.50 in both 2022 and 2023. He has given up less runs this season, but that’s about the only difference from 2022-23.

Oakland hits the ball hard but not consistently. They are sixth in home runs and 18th in slugging percentage, but A’s hitters also strike out the second most and are in the bottom three in batting average and on-base percentage.

The Athletics aren’t the best matchup, but their strikeout rate alone makes them a team to consider. Gomber is a low-level streamer who may be able to capitalize on Oakland’s swing-and-miss ways.

John Means, Baltimore Orioles @ St. Louis Cardinals

Means hasn’t walked a batter in 17.2 innings while striking out 15. It’s hard to ask for much more in those facets, making Means a valuable contributor in both fantasy and real baseball.

St. Louis is a bottom-10 team by runs scored, home runs, batting average, slugging percentage and OPS. Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt continue struggling to hit for power and/or average, and the absence of Willson Contreras will weigh heavily until his return from a broken arm.

Means is a mid- to high-level streamer in this one. The Cardinals don’t strike out a lot, and Means will eventually walk someone, but he is likely to continue succeeding against a weak St. Louis lineup.

Simeon Woods Richardson, Minnesota Twins @ Washington Nationals

Woods Richardson is excelling as a rookie (he had 9.2 innings prior to 2024), holding an ERA under 3.00 with 25 strikeouts in 30.1 innings. His strikeout rate is just a hair below average, but he also limits walks, allowing just six this season.

Washington ranks in the bottom 10 in essentially every major offensive category. There are bright spots (I mention CJ Abrams often), but this team isn’t near contention or above-average offensive play.

Woods Richardson is a mid- to high-level streamer here. His strikeout work isn’t outstanding, but he’s close enough to the middle to set a good floor, especially without walks.

Wednesday’s Streamer Rankings

1. John Means, BAL
2. Simeon Woods Richardson, MIN
3. Joey Estes, OAK
4. Austin Gomber, COL