June 25 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Zack Littell, Brayan Bello, Tyler Anderson and Adam Mazur
A look at Tuesday's probable starters who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups.
A lot of baseball movies don’t focus on the middle of the season. We sometimes see spring training or the first practices introducing us to the cast of characters. The playoffs are a naturally important part of any season and often a big part of the movie’s climax. Scenes shown in-between usually aren’t tied to a significant day and could be characterized as simply “during the season.”
That’s because the middle of the season doesn’t really matter THAT much. It does matter in real life, obviously, as a team’s final record includes every game, but in storytelling terms, like a movie uses, the middle of the year is fluff to get to the important parts. Explaining the MLB season isn’t so different.
Let’s look at Tuesday'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.
Tyler Anderson, Los Angeles Angels vs. Oakland Athletics
Just two Oakland hitters have more hits than strikeouts: outfielder J.J. Bleday and third baseman Abraham Toro. Only one other qualified hitter, Brent Rooker, is batting over .250, but Rooker has also struck out 96 times, tied for fifth most in the league prior to Monday’s games. A’s hitters have struck out the second most behind Seattle and close to 10 times per game.
Anderson’s strikeout numbers aren’t good (just 63 in 94.1 innings), and he’s walking hitters at a higher-than-average rate (41 BBs). That’s not a good start for any pitcher. He’s also holding an ERA under 2.50, the best of his career. Advanced stats aren’t high on him either, meaning Anderson is a middling pitcher experiencing great luck.
Anderson is a mid-level streamer here. The matchup is good, but I don’t expect him to keep up this level of run prevention given everything else, and his lack of strikeouts takes away one of the biggest benefits Oakland provides.
Brayan Bello, Boston Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Before his start against these same Blue Jays last Wednesday, Bello was on a streak of six outings with three or more earned runs allowed. Things went better against Toronto, when Bello threw six innings and allowed just two runs with six strikeouts, picking up the win. His strikeout and walk rates on the season are both just a hair worse than average, leaving Bello in the middle among starting pitchers.
The Jays are a good matchup for most pitchers, but they don’t offer the strikeout upside of most of the teams that end up on this list. Toronto hitters have struck out the second least while walking the sixth most; that’s the opposite of the profile for a team like Oakland. Despite their success in those areas, Toronto is well below average when they put the ball in play, sitting in the bottom 10 in many other categories.
Bello is a mid-level streamer here. He struck out a batter per inning in his last outing against the Blue Jays, so he has shown the ability to thrive there, and the matchup gives him the chance at a quality outing.
Zack Littell, Tampa Bay Rays vs. Seattle Mariners
By leading the league in batter strikeouts and ranking in the bottom 10 in runs scored, hits and all four slash categories, the Mariners represent one of the best matchups an opposing pitcher could hope for. They are in the top 10 in home runs, but Seattle fails in enough places offensively to offer fantasy value.
Littell has a better-than-average strikeout rate and ERA this season, and he really excels at limiting walks, allowing just 15 in 81.1 innings for a rate below 5%. Littell worked as a reliever most of his career before switching to a starter last season when he joined the Rays. His numbers have mostly been as good or better while starting, something many pitchers can’t replicate.
Littell is a mid- to high-level streamer here. His strikeout work combined with Seattle’s swing-and-miss lineup give him a big ceiling, and Littell’s consistent performance since joining Tampa gives him a nice floor, too.
Adam Mazur, San Diego Padres vs. Washington Nationals
Like Seattle and Oakland, Washington was listed here yesterday against San Diego’s Matt Waldron (who struck out eight in six innings with two runs allowed). I noted that they are more competent than a few other teams that end up here often, sporting several above-average starters. While that means a lower ceiling for opposing pitchers, the Nats are still in the bottom 10 in many offensive stats, just closer to 20th than 30th.
Mazur has made four career starts (all this season) and struggled to find success or the strike zone: He has issued 16 walks while striking out just 11 in 17.1 innings. He was much better with walks in the minors, meaning this is probably more of a small-sample aberration, but he also struck out less than a batter per inning, a mark most guys hit prior to reaching the big leagues.
We won’t know much about Mazur’s true major league ability until he gets more innings under his belt. He has to be considered a low-level streamer right now due to his struggles and doesn’t have a lot of upside given his lack of strikeout proclivity.
Tuesday’s Streamer Rankings
- Zack Littell, TB
- Brayan Bello, BOS
- Tyler Anderson, LAA
- Adam Mazur, SD
