July 21 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Tyler Phillips, Joey Estes, Christian Scott, and More

I keep bringing up the trade deadline, but it’s such a major event for a list like this. In searching for the worst lineups in baseball, the subtraction of good or even middling offensive players is a boon. Luis Arraez going from the Marlins to the Padres a few months ago took maybe Miami’s only above-average hitter, leaving them hapless.

Player movement over the rest of the month will dictate a lot for the playoff race but also for which teams are the worst of the worst over the final two months. Promotions from the Minor Leagues will also factor in, especially for teams who are out of the race.

Let’s look at 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 MLB. The full streamer rankings are listed at the bottom.

Joey Estes, Oakland Athletics vs Los Angeles Angels

Estes made back-to-back starts against the Angels a few weeks back with positive results:

• June 26: 5.2 innings, 2 runs allowed, 8 strikeouts, 2 walks
• July 3: 9 innings, 0 runs allowed, 4 strikeouts, 1 walk

That shutout was by far the best outing of Estes’ young career, as he has only reached 7.0 innings one other time. His strikeout rate is below average, but he’s also very good at limiting walks, helping himself in the process.

LA has slowly made their way toward the bottom of the league offensively. They are in the bottom 10 in runs scored, hits, and all four slash categories. Mike Trout might be back within a week, but the Angels need more to be an average offense. There’s also a good chance of re-injury and/or Trout shutting down when Los Angeles is officially eliminated from playoff contention.

Estes is a low- to mid-level streamer. He had two good starts against the Angels recently, but his season numbers aren’t as strong. His lack of strikeouts caps his ceiling.

Carson Fulmer, Los Angeles Angels @ Oakland Athletics

Opposing Estes is Fulmer, a career reliever making his second start of the season. Fulmer was the eighth overall pick in 2015 by the White Sox with thoughts he would be a fixture at the top of their rotation. He was rushed to the Majors as a reliever, just like Chris Sale several years previous, but instead of lengthening out like Sale, Fulmer stayed in the bullpen. He has been a below-average pitcher in all facets in essentially every season.

The A’s hit for power, ranking fourth in home runs, but they are also right near the bottom 10 in runs scored; it shows how much they lack in other parts of the offensive game. Most glaringly, they are second in most batter strikeouts, behind only the untouchable Mariners (or something like that).

Fulmer is a low-level streamer. He is likely to have a short outing due to his bullpen work: Fulmer gave up no hits in his last start but was still pulled in the fifth inning. His strikeout work is also below average especially when factoring in his short stints.

Keider Montero, Detroit Tigers @ Toronto Blue Jays

Montero has thrown just 26.1 big league innings, allowing 26 hits, 16 runs, and five home runs with strikeout and walk rates both a hair worse than average. He has allowed four or five runs in three of his five appearances. Montero did good strikeout work in the Minors, so there is hope there, but we haven’t seen enough to really know anything about his upside in the Majors.

Toronto has a few pieces they could trade for good returns, with Vlad Guerrero Jr and Bo Bichette at the top of that list. Reports came out that they were looking to hold onto guys under contract past this season, but recent rumors have pointed the other direction. The state of the franchise both this year and into the future will be directed by what happens in the next 10 days.

Montero is a low-level streamer. Without much information on him, it’s hard to expect too much, and the Blue Jays are only an OK matchup and don’t strike out much.

Tyler Phillips, Philadelphia Phillies @ Pittsburgh Pirates

Phillips has thrown just 10 innings, striking out 12 batters without any walks. He has allowed three home runs but only five total runs, a product of not walking anyone. It’s impossible to know what to expect with such little information, but his strikeout and walk numbers couldn’t be much better.

Pittsburgh is a bottom offensive team, but the weak middle of the National League has them within arms reach of a playoff spot. A team that should be looking to sell might instead add a few offensive pieces with hopes that their strong young pitchers can carry them to a surprise playoff appearance; the Diamondbacks showed last year what can happen if you just get in.

Phillips is a mid-level streamer with upside. His strikeout work portends good things, but we can’t count on him for big time work until seeing more.

Christian Scott, New York Mets @ Miami Marlins

Another team offering a great matchup, the Marlins are almost certain to sell rather than add any pieces at the trade deadline. Miami has the worst record in the National league and no reason to expect improvement this season, so their basement-level offensive performance is only likely to get worse.

Scott is our third rookie on the list, having only accumulated 43.1 innings. He has done well limiting walks while also holding a below-average strikeout rate and giving up seven home runs and 21 total runs (4.36 ERA). Scott did good strikeout work in the Minor Leagues, so there is hope for a bright future.

Scott is another low-level streamer. The matchup is right, but we haven’t seen enough to set expectations too high, though there’s a little upside.

Sunday’s Streamer Rankings

1. Tyler Phillips, PHI
2. Joey Estes, OAK
3. Christian Scott, NYM
4. Keider Montero, DET
5. Carson Fulmer, LAA