August 30 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Ben Lively, Martin Perez, Jon Gray and More
Friday's probable starters who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups.
This time of year, many people are checking two things on a daily basis: Did my favorite team win, and did my least favorite team lose? This only matters if one or both teams are in the playoff hunt, but it’s relevant for a lot of teams in the muddled middle of the wild card races in both leagues.
It came to my mind as I was scanning the standings and saw the Minnesota Twins several games back of both the Royals and Guardians. I spent about 15 years in North Dakota where 90+% of people were Twins (and Vikings) fans, and they were the most annoying, outrageous, unrealistic sports fans I’ve ever been around. It’s not just me, either; others I went to college with who were from other parts of the country said the same thing.
Because of that, I am giddy with joy every time I see that either the Twins or Vikings lost. Especially with the Twins in the thick of the playoff hunt, I’m paying special attention to the days when I see an L next to the Minnesota squad.
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.
Samuel Aldegheri, Los Angeles Angels vs. Seattle Mariners
I love including guys who are making their debuts. Success can be found in a lot of different ways, and even a guy projected to make a short start can be valuable in five-ish innings in the right situation. Aldegheri was born in Italy and signed as an international free agent with the Phillies, who traded him to the Angels at the deadline. He struck out 282 batters in 212.1 minor league innings, flashing big K potential that makes him appealing.
Seattle is the team to face if you’re looking for strikeouts. Mariner batters have struck out more than any other team: 1,374 total, 10.3 per game. Getting their first look at a strikeout pitcher doesn’t bold well for Seattle, especially with the power they showed earlier in the season fizzling out. This is a high-ceiling opponent.
Aldegheri is a low- to mid-level streamer but has nice upside. I can’t project him to do high-level work overall, but the chance to rack up Ks is enticing.
Jon Gray, Texas Rangers vs. Oakland Athletics
Gray is a great example of how expectations don’t have to control your life (or baseball career). He was drafted third overall in 2013, expected to be the ace who could navigate Coors Field. No season of his ever really lived up to that standard, though, and Gray has been a middling-to-good pitcher in more than 1,200 innings.
A lot of players who don’t reach lofty expectations will fade out and disappear after a short career. Entering the league as a top pick doesn’t mean a player has to be a superstar; carving out a long career as a valuable contributor will make a guy a lot of money and maybe even lead to a championship, which Gray got with the Rangers last year.
The city of Oakland might not be losing much with the A’s leaving town. Sure, it means Oakland is out of major sports altogether, but this team is making their way to Sacramento (then Las Vegas) as one of the worst franchises in MLB. Gray made one start against Oakland back in April when he gave up just one run in five innings, striking out nine with one walk.
Gray is a mid-level streamer. His strikeout numbers are down this season after being above-average for much of his career, but Gray does well limiting walks and is a very average pitcher.
Ben Lively, Cleveland Guardians vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
As the Guardians try to find their best rotation heading into the playoffs, Lively has been a steady presence, sitting second on the team behind Tanner Bibee in most pitching stats (though Lively’s ERA is 0.03 points better). Lively’s strikeout and walk rates are both just a hair lower than average.
Andrew McCutchen has been on the IL for close to two weeks. He’s also third on the Pirates in runs scored, hits and home runs. He’s also going to turn 38 in October and hasn’t been worth more than 2.0 wins above replacement since 2018. This can’t be what a team with playoff aspirations was hoping for. Pittsburgh is bottom-10 in essentially every offensive statistic.
Lively is a mid- to high-level streamer. Pittsburgh hitters have struck out the fourth most, giving opponents a high ceiling and not making up for it with power.
Tylor Megill, New York Mets @ Chicago White Sox
Megill hasn’t pitched in the majors since July 31, spending time at Triple-A in the meantime. In 47 innings this season, Megill has done very well with strikeouts (55) while walking a few too many guys (22). His career rates are both a little lower but not terribly far off from 2024.
The White Sox might be the best matchup in the league for fantasy pitchers. They haven’t scored more than four runs in any game over the last week and topped that number only six times this month. Chicago has nearly 20 more losses than any other team (104 and counting). I could keep going, but I can’t…I just can’t.
Megill is a mid-level streamer. He has done good strikeout work in a relatively small sample, and the White Sox offer as good a matchup as Megill could hope for.
Martin Perez, San Diego Padres @ Tampa Bay Rays
Perez is another guy matching his career numbers this year: average walk rate, below-average strikeout rate and an ERA around 4.50. Perez has been a boon for the Padres since coming over from the Pirates at the deadline: 26.2 innings, eight runs allowed, 24 strikeouts and seven walks. Most importantly, San Diego has won all five games he has started (though Perez only earned the win once).
Tampa has bad season-long numbers, but things have been even worse over the past month. In the last 30 days, the Rays are tied for last in runs scored (with the White Sox), 29th in hits, 28th in home runs and in the bottom four in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. There’s not a much lower offense right now.
Perez is a mid-level streamer. He’s done well striking guys out since arriving in San Diego, but his season and career numbers are more middling.
Friday’s Streamer Rankings
- Ben Lively, CLE
- Martin Perez, SD
- Jon Gray, CLE
- Tylor Megill, NYM
- Samuel Aldegheri, LAA
