Sunday's Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Have the Guardians Dropped Far Enough to Join Our Target List?
Four starting pitchers in action on Sunday who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups.
I've talked a little bit about how bad the Rockies have been early; we could go through it all day. They have the worst record in baseball (4-22) and are 13 games back in their division. You'll see memes on the first day of the season that say something like, “Chicago White Sox officially eliminated from playoff contention,” but even the worst teams aren't officially eliminated until after the All-Star break. We might see Colorado set a new standard in being irrelevant, even just a year after the White Sox set a record for losses.
Let's keep on rolling with fantasy baseball and look at four starting pitchers in action on Sunday who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups. Most stats are from MLB.com, as are the probable pitchers. The full streamer rankings are listed at the bottom.
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Brayan Bello, Boston Red Sox @ Cleveland Guardians
Cleveland is closer to average than the bottom, making them more of a middling matchup than a truly good one. We mostly have the Guardians here because we are short on streamers (a problem all weekend). They are in the bottom 10 in runs, hits, doubles, and walks. We won't go after the Guardians often, but they are worth considering as a target today.
Bello started the year in the minor leagues. He wasn't successful in run prevention (12 runs in 14 innings) and got hit hard (18 hits allowed), but he was good with both walks and strikeouts (four and 21, respectively). He made a start in the big leagues back on Tuesday, and he gave up just one run in five innings with three walks and three strikeouts against Seattle.
Bello is a low-level streamer. The matchup isn't great, and Bello has been a hair worse than average with both strikeouts and walks in his career. There's not a great ceiling or floor here.
Osvaldo Bido, Athletics vs. Chicago White Sox
Bido is an average strikeout pitcher (maybe just a bit worse) and walks a few too many guys. His Ks have been way down to start 2025 (16 in 26 innings), making Bido a below-average pitcher right now. His 31 hits and 15 runs allowed aren't helping things; Bido isn't scaring opponents.
The White Sox are the team to attack, though. I went through some of their offensive rankings yesterday, and it showed them in the bottom five in most stats and probably the worst offense in baseball. That's not a surprise, but it is nice having the numbers back up what we think.
Bido is a low- to mid-level streamer. He hasn't been great, but he's good enough to consider in the right matchups, and Chicago offers the right matchup.
Jordan Hicks, San Francisco Giants vs. Texas Rangers
Hicks converted from the bullpen to the starting rotation last year. His strikeout rate fell pretty hard with his switch to longer outings (which happens to most pitchers), and Hicks has continued walking batters at a higher-than-average rate. His results were a little better last season, but he has allowed 21 runs (20 earned) and 29 hits in 27.1 innings. That's not great.
The Rangers have individuals struggling hard, though a few guys are doing well. Every player who has taken an at-bat for them aside from two (of 16) has at least twice as many strikeouts as walks. It's not a surprise, then, that the Rangers have drawn the second-fewest walks in the league while sitting near the middle in Ks. It's not a recipe for success.
Hicks is a low- to mid-level streamer. He has a little strikeout magic, though that's fallen significantly since the beginning of last year. Giving up as many walks and hits as he has won't allow for consistent results.
Jose Soriano, Los Angeles Angels @ Minnesota Twins
The Twins are at least showing a little life. They were swept by the Braves last weekend, but then they took two out of three from the White Sox and have beat the Angels in the first two games of this series. Their offense still ranks in the bottom 10 in most categories, and they might look worse against good teams again. Minnesota is worth targeting right now.
Soriano has been about four percentage points worse than average with both walks and strikeouts in 29 innings. It's a small sample, and Soriano has been better with Ks in his career, but he also has control issues that pop up often.
Soriano is another low- to mid-level streamer. The Twins might be a better team than it seems so far, but they also might not; it's hard to get a good read on them this early. Soriano is an OK pitcher who is worth considering in the right fantasy matchups.
Sunday's Streamer Rankings
- Osvaldo Bido, ATH
- Jose Soriano, LAA
- Jordan Hicks, SF
- Brayan Bello, BOS
