September 13 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: DJ Herz, Brady Basso, Jacob deGrom and More
Friday's probable starters who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups.
We have just three weekends of regular season baseball left. The wild card round of the playoffs will start within 20 days, throwing us into a flurry that ends as fast as it begins. While the NBA playoffs drag on, and on….and on, MLB’s season is excruciatingly long but the playoffs go fast.
Let’s run through 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.
Brady Basso, Oakland Athletics @ Chicago White Sox
Basso has appeared in just four big-league games, one of those a start. That single start went very well, as Basso threw six scoreless innings with six strikeouts and only one walk. In 9.1 innings, Basso has nine strikeouts and one walk; it’s a small sample, but Basso did high-level strikeout work in the minors, so there’s hope he can keep that up.
The White Sox are as bad as it gets: 100 less runs than any other team, 20 less wins than any other team and maybe less hope for the immediate future than any other team. Every pitcher has fantasy value against Chicago, so a talented young hurler is a sneaky bet to have a big day in his second start.
Basso is a mid-level starter with upside. It’s easy to get over-excited about players with little experience, so it’s important to temper expectations, but Basso is set up to succeed.
Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers @ Seattle Mariners
deGrom is a walking injury risk. Over the last three seasons, he has made 15, 11 and six starts. This is his first appearance this year, leaving us without a real feel on what to expect. The upside is clear, though, as deGrom is a Cy Young-level pitcher at his best. He’s owned in more leagues than a lot of our streamers but is available enough to look and see if you can snatch him up.
The matchup is the best part about deGrom’s return, as Seattle is threatening White Sox-level ineptitude. They rank in the bottom five in many categories, just like Chicago, but they also strike out more than any other team. Mariners batters are as giving as any lineup in baseball.
deGrom is a low- to mid-level streamer. The upside is intriguing, but he is likely to make a short start, lowering his ceiling. Don’t expect the old deGrom to show up in this one.
DJ Herz, Washington Nationals vs. Miami Marlins
Herz was listed here before his last start (Saturday against the Pirates) and had a good day with five shutout innings, five strikeouts and three walks, picking up the win. On the season (Herz’s first), he has a walk rate just a hair higher than average and a great strikeout rate (93 Ks in 75.1 innings). Here’s the real headline, though: in a June 15 start against the Marlins, Herz threw six shutout innings with 13 strikeouts and no walks.
Miami has been putrid against everyone this season, not just Herz. They have only scored more runs than the White Sox, who are their own brand of horrible. The Marlins are in the bottom five in doubles, home runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. It’s more about league-worst performance than just simple bad offense.
Herz is a mid- to high-level streamer. The matchup is right for a big day, and Herz has already dominated Miami once this year. Even if he doesn’t rack up 13 Ks again, Herz has the strikeout acumen for a high fantasy ceiling.
Edward Cabrera, Miami Marlins @ Washington Nationals
Erick Fedde, St. Louis Cardinals @ Toronto Blue Jays
I’ll just mention these two quickly because it’s a light day for streamers. Neither would be listed here on a normal day, but they face teams who were often on the “target” list this season until recently.
Washington doesn’t hit for power: They have the second-least home runs only above the White Sox. Toronto is 25th in home runs, showing the same lack of long-ball power, but they are near the middle of the league in most other areas.
Fedde has been right at average in both strikeouts and walks but a little inconsistent start to start. Cabrera has been well above average striking guys out but is also walking batters at about 1.5 times the league average. Both pitchers have their ups and downs, and they are both low-level streamers who wouldn’t be here most days.
Friday’s Streamer Rankings
- DJ Herz, WSH
- Brady Basso, OAK
- Jacob deGrom, TEX
- Erick Fedde, STL
- Edward Cabrera, MIA
