September 16 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Reid Detmers, Andre Pallante, Jonathan Cannon and Joey Estes
Monday's probable starters who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups.
It’s a light schedule today, with just 10 games on the slate; that means one-third of the teams have the day off. Does that also mean building your fantasy lineup is 33% tougher? Makes sense to me (I think?).
No matter the math, the fantasy options are less, which means a little more work goes into finding feasible streamers. The definition of “feasible streamer” changes also, as a lower level of fantasy player becomes worthy of starting with fewer options.
Let’s look at 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.
Jonathan Cannon, Chicago White Sox @ Los Angeles Angels
Reid Detmers, Los Angeles Angels vs. Chicago White Sox
The White Sox just got done playing a weekend series against the Oakland Athletics: It was a streaming paradise. Well, let’s double down, as the Sox continue onto LA to play a team who might be even worse than the A’s. The Angels will end up with more than 90 losses; that’s a bad season. The White Sox will end up with over 120 losses, setting a record. It might be the worst season ever when considering everything, not just record.
It's tough to make a fair evaluation of a 24-year-old rookie like Cannon amid the toilet that is the 2024 White Sox season. He’s been a little better than average with walks but well below average striking batters out. He had a low strikeout rate in the minors as well, so that’s unlikely to change, capping Cannon’s ceiling.
Detmers spent most of June, July and August in the minors where he struggled with run prevention but did really good strikeout work (101 in 78 innings). His big-league numbers both this year and over his career show both a walk rate and a strikeout rate higher than average, which has led to inconsistent performances of really good and really bad.
Cannon is a low-level streamer and Detmers a low- to mid-level streamer. Cannon’s lack of strikeouts will always keep his ceiling down, and while Detmers gets a little higher ceiling because of his Ks, his troubles with control and run prevention lower his floor.
Joey Estes, Oakland Athletics @ Chicago Cubs
The Cubs aren’t currently among the best teams to target, but they showed up here for several stretches throughout the season, so I’ll mention them on such a light day for streamers. Chicago has a league-average offense over the full season but has been better than that over the past month. This is a low-ceiling opponent.
Estes has had a successful season, holding a below-average strikeout rate but also a walk rate close to half the league average; he shows great control. Estes is a decent pitcher whose fantasy value is determined by his opponent.
Estes is a low-level streamer for those who badly need innings before the season ends. He’s been fine, but the matchup is middling at best. Estes wouldn’t be listed here most days.
Andre Pallante, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Pallante is several percentage points worse than average with both walks and strikeouts: Not a good start. His results have been mostly average, but Pallante isn’t setting himself up well for success, maybe indicating struggles in the future. Pallante started against the Pirates twice in July with great results, combining for 13 innings, two runs allowed, eight strikeouts and three walks.
The Pirates are nice to all pitchers, not just Pallante. They rank in the bottom 10 in essentially every major offensive box stat, and there are only a few reliable players with holes throughout the lineup. The young pitching is exciting in Pittsburgh, but the team needs to upgrade the offense for a chance to contend.
Pallante is a low- to mid-level streamer. The matchup is right, and he had success against them earlier in the season, but Pallante is more of a middling pitcher, and expectations should be tempered.
Monday’s Streamer Rankings
- Reid Detmers, LAA
- Andre Pallante, STL
- Jonathan Cannon, CWS
- Joey Estes, OAK
