July 22 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: David Peterson, Michael Lorenzen, Andre Pallante, and More

Entering the last full week of July, it’s almost time to start thinking about Fall. We have a few weeks of true summer left, but the back-to-school commercials will start up soon, and NFL Week 1 is less than seven weeks away. There is a lot of baseball to be played between now and then, though, so it’s back to the fantasy baseball grind.

Let’s go through Monday’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 @ Seattle Mariners

Anderson has been defying the numbers, seeing positive results despite a strikeout rate way below average and a walk rate worse than average but not as bad as his lack of Ks. His ERA is currently under 3.00, something that is sure to change. There aren’t any underlying numbers pointing toward a better pitcher; Anderson is having an extremely lucky year.

The Mariners were Anderson’s last opponent, scoring four runs in six innings with four strikeouts. Seattle is bad in most offensive facets, most notably averaging more than 10 batter strikeouts per game. They hit for power, but that’s the only place the Mariners find success on offense.

Anderson is a low-level streamer. Again, his superficial numbers look a lot better than the more advanced stats, and I don’t trust him as more than a bottom streamer.

Spencer Arrighetti, Houston Astros @ Oakland Athletics

When a pitcher has a high strikeout rate, I often call him a high-ceiling streamer. On the right day, he could go off and strike out 10 guys. With teams that K a lot, it’s the same idea: They are high-ceiling opponents. Oakland is one of the best matchups because of that, as they have struck out the second most of any team (behind Seattle).

Arrighetti has done well striking batters out, holding a K rate over 25% in 80 innings. He walks way too many guys, sitting four percentage points higher than average in BB rate, which has helped lead to an ERA over 5.50. Arrighetti needs to find more control to have a chance at long-term success.

Arrighetti is a low-level streamer with a little upside. His strikeout rate is great for a streamer, but a lack of control has contributed to hampering his starts.

Michael Lorenzen, Texas Rangers vs Chicago White Sox

Lorenzen has been several percentage points worse than average with both walks and strikeouts this season. That’s true in his career as well, just not to the same degree. He was a little better when working out of the bullpen, but Lorenzen doesn’t help himself out.

The White Sox are maybe the worst team in the league, not just in the bottom 10 in most categories but sitting in the bottom two in many of them. To sum it all up with one number, Chicago has scored 30 less runs than the next closest team (Miami, who has played two less games than the Sox).

Lorenzen is a mid-level streamer. He’s a middling pitcher, and the matchup is right for a successful outing.

Andre Pallante, St. Louis Cardinals @ Pittsburgh Pirates

Pallante started against the Pirates on July 4th, throwing seven innings while allowing just one run with five strikeouts and a walk. His season and career numbers both point to a pitcher who walks too many batters and doesn’t strike enough out. He’s a little below average, but Pallante is on the streaming radar.

The Pirates are just a little bit better version of the White Sox, weak across the board but closer to 25th than 30th in most areas. Pittsburgh has a few young stars in Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds, but they otherwise lack talent and potential.

Pallante is a mid-level streamer. He’s another middling hurler going against a weak team, putting him firmly on the streaming list.

David Peterson, New York Mets @ Miami Marlins

Why not finish the talk of weak offensive teams with the Marlins. I said that the White Sox were in the bottom two in a lot of categories, and Miami is the team often with them, ranking 29th or 30th in runs scored, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS. Miami is a team to target the rest of the season.

Peterson has always walked way too many guys, but at least he struck out a bunch in previous seasons. After starting the year on the IL, Peterson has come back missing something, holding a strikeout rate below 17% when he previously had never been below 24% in a season with at least 50 innings. Though his results have been positive, Peterson is a notch lower on the streamer list because of his lack of strikeouts.

With that in mind, Peterson is another mid-level streamer. The matchup is as good as it gets, and a middling pitcher should be able to take advantage.

Monday’s Streamer Rankings

1. David Peterson, NYM
2. Michael Lorenzen, TEX
3. Andre Pallante, STL
4. Spencer Arrighetti, HOU
5. Tyler Anderson, LAA