May 31 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Javier Assad, Jose Soriano, Tobias Myers and Jose Urena
A look at Friday's probable starters who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups.
A new month is almost upon us, but it’s mostly the same old story as far as baseball is concerned. Another day, another list of games with starting pitchers ranging from aces to the bottom options on the roster.
Let’s look at 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.
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Javier Assad, Chicago Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds
Assad has had a very good season by run prevention measures, allowing just 14 earned runs in 58 innings. He has done well striking batters out (54) but has walked a few too many (23). Overall, Assad has had a successful season.
Cincinnati is around 20th in runs scored and home runs, but they rank in the bottom five in all four slash categories (batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and OPS). Maybe most importantly, the Reds have the sixth-most batter strikeouts on the season.
Assad is a high-level streamer in this one. Cincinnati is a weak offensive team, and Assad’s strikeout work gives him a high ceiling.
Tobias Myers, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago White Sox
The season-long numbers for Myers are middling, but two starts bring down his performance. In his second and third starts of the season, Myers gave up eight runs in eight innings, striking out seven and walking four. In his four other appearances (three starts), he threw 14.1 innings and allowed just three runs with 16 strikeouts and five walks.
The White Sox are the team pitchers dream about, sitting near the bottom of the league in most offensive stats. Their last place standing in all four slash categories says more than I ever could.
Myers is a mid-level streamer with upside today. The great matchup is a nice baseline, and Myers’ success at times (especially striking batters out) portends a possible big outing.
Jose Soriano, Los Angeles Angels @ Seattle Mariners
Seattle is four games above .500 and leading their division despite a minus-seven run differential. That’s been a product of their pitching staff, which ranks in the top 11 in ERA, batting average allowed, WHIP and pitcher strikeouts. The lineup, however, has been a bottom-10 unit, dragging the team down more than lifting them up.
Soriano worked strictly out of the bullpen last season and struck out more than 30% of the batters he faced. Mostly working as a starter now, that rate has fallen considerably, but it’s still better than league average. He’s higher than average in walk rate, not helping himself, but Soriano has had a decent season.
Soriano is a mid- to high-level streamer in this one based on Seattle’s struggles and his strikeout rate. The Mariners have struck out more than any team in the league, giving Soriano nice upside.
Jose Urena, Texas Rangers @ Miami Marlins
Urena has made four starts this season and 10 appearances out of the bullpen. Despite shorter outings, he has a well below-average strikeout rate which matches his career work: Urena has a strikeout rate more than five percentage points below average in 882.2 innings.
Miami is the real star here, ranking in the bottom five in runs scored, home runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. They rank around 20th in batting average, but a lot of that was driven by Luis Arraez, who has now been with San Diego for about a month. The Marlins are a team to target with virtually every pitcher in fantasy.
Urena is a low- to mid-level streamer. His strikeout rate is too low to hold any real upside, but the great matchup puts him on the radar Friday.
Friday’s Streamer Rankings
- Javier Assad, CHC
- Jose Soriano, LAA
- Tobias Myers, MIL
- Jose Urena, TEX
