August 28 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Andrew Heaney, Brayan Bello, Jack Leiter and More

There are just four days left in August. Time flies, doesn’t it? I talked about the end of summer a few weeks back, but many see Labor Day as the actual unofficial end of summer. That means the last stretch of the fun season is about to pass.

I guess that’s a good thing to keep in mind when thinking about wasting this weekend, the way I do with so many. Doing nothing on Labor Day Weekend isn’t just the passing of another stretch of days off: It means missing out on both the last weekend of summer and the last Sunday before football starts. Go make a plan for this weekend.

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

Brayan Bello, Boston Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays

Bello is right around league average both walking and striking batters out. He’s giving up more runs than he did last year, though, partly due to a walk rate over two percentage points higher. Bello made back-to-back starts against the Blue Jays in late June, earning one win and one loss:

• June 19 @ Toronto: 6 innings, 2 runs allowed, 6 strikeouts, 2 walks
• June 25 vs Toronto: 2.1 innings, 7 runs allowed, 2 strikeouts, 3 walks

The Blue Jays are right on the line of teams to target; they are moving in a positive offensive direction, away from being considered for this list. We’ll highlight them today, though, as it's a slow day. Toronto is a low-ceiling opponent who doesn't strikeout much.

Bello is a low- to mid-level streamer. His individual work is good enough to put him on the streaming radar, but the matchup keeps him from the highest level.

Griffin Canning, Los Angeles Angels @ Detroit Tigers

The Tigers have similarities to the Blue Jays as a team in or near the bottom 10 in a lot of categories but not falling to the bottom of the league in any area. Detroit has shown positives, though there are enough holes to keep the lineup from excelling. This offseason could be a big one in turning the Tigers into a more competitive team if they fill a few positions with above-average players.

Canning has an average walk rate, but he hasn’t been striking guys out this year. He never had a strikeout rate below 22.4% before this season but is currently at about 17%; league average is around 21-22%. Canning has an ERA over 5.00, and his decrease in strikeouts is probably a big part of that.

Canning is a low-level streamer. The matchup is only OK, and Canning’s work doesn’t seem to portend a big outing against anyone.

Kyle Hendricks, Chicago Cubs @ Pittsburgh Pirates

Like Bello with the Jays, Hendricks’ two starts against the Pirates came back-to-back, this time in May:

• May 12 @ Pittsburgh: 5.0 innings, 1 run allowed, 5 strikeouts, 4 walks
• May 17 vs Pittsburgh: 4.2 innings, 8 runs allowed, 4 strikeouts, 0 walks

Hendricks was a star previously, but he has lost his strikeout magic and is allowing more hits and runs than in the past (though he still limits walks). It’s been a rough go for Hendricks in what will likely be his last season with the Cubs (and maybe last in the big leagues). Oh, and Hendricks is also facing Paul Skenes, lowering his chance of picking up a win.

Pittsburgh has been close to an average offense over the last month. That’s an improvement over the full season, where they are in the bottom 10 in essentially every offensive stat. The Pirates rank in the top 10 in most batter strikeouts this season, and they have struck out the most over the last 30 days.

Hendricks is a low-level streamer. His current level of performance seriously caps his ceiling, making Hendricks more of a desperation arm at this point in his career.

Andrew Heaney, Texas Rangers @ Chicago White Sox

Jack Leiter, Texas Rangers @ Chicago White Sox

*Everything here other than the section on Leiter was in yesterday's article. Tuesday’s game was suspended after four pitches and will resume as part of a double-header on Wednesday.

It’s hard to find guys you’d expect to make any real impact on a winning team when combing through the White Sox offensive roster. There are a few who could play bench roles and/or platoon, but Luis Robert Jr.might be the only guy who could really step into a playoff lineup without looking out of place. There are enough holes on this team that it will take multiple years to build something close to average.

Heaney has better-than-average strikeout and walk rates both this season and in his career. Essentially every number for Heaney is as good or better than in 2023, but due to Texas going from a World Series team to 10 games under .500, he has a 4-13 record (10-6 last year). It’s a perfect example of why we don’t look at a pitcher’s record as the true level of his success much anymore.

Leiter started three games back in April and May, and it didn’t go well: 9.1 innings, 19 runs allowed (17 earned), seven strikeouts, six walks. I thought of him as a guy we could get on early because of his pedigree (second overall pick in 2021), but that idea turned sour right away. He looked better in Triple-A, so there’s hope he can find more success this time around. The matchup couldn’t be much better.

Heaney is a high-level streamer today and Leiter a low- to mid-level streamer. Despite the superficial failure, Heaney has looked good when on the mound, and he has a good shot at a quality start in this one. Leiter has big upside but terrible results in the majors; I’m inclined to bet on him again as a high-upside fantasy option.

Wednesday’s Streamer Rankings

1. Andrew Heaney, TEX
2. Brayan Bello, BOS
3. Jack Leiter, TEX
4. Griffin Canning, LAA
5. Kyle Hendricks, CHC