Sunday's Fantasy Baseball Pitching Streamers: Edward Cabrera, Shane Smith and More
Five starting pitchers in action on Sunday who have good matchups and are widely available in fantasy leagues.
It's already Sunday; where did our long weekend go?
Back to business, let's look at five 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 starters. The full streamer rankings are listed at the bottom.
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Chase Dollander, Colorado Rockies vs. Chicago White Sox
Shane Smith, Chicago White Sox @ Colorado Rockies
The weekend series between the two worst teams rolls on. The White Sox won the first two games, first 3-2 on Friday then 10-3 on Saturday. Chicago is making a statement: we might be the second-worst team in the league, but we're not the worst! Both the Sox and Rockies will surely remain on our target list for the rest of the season.
Dollander debuted this year and has made 14 starts totaling 65 innings. It has been a rough welcome to the league for the ninth overall pick in 2023. He has given up 69 hits and 52 runs (48 earned, 6.65 ERA) with 29 walks and 50 strikeouts. Both his BB and K rates are worse than league average. There is time for Dollander to improve and maybe get more used to Coors Field as his career progresses, but he can't be counted on for anything right now.
Smith is another rookie who has seen his first big-league action this season, though he has had much better results than Dollander: 79 1/3 innings, 69 hits, 34 earned runs, 35 walks, and 74 strikeouts. His walk rate is too high, but he's striking guys out at an average rate. One thing to watch is that Smith has allowed eight unearned runs; his ERA would rise from 3.86 to 4.77 with all of his 42 runs included, and while that's not exactly fair, it does show there might be a little more volatility in his work.
Dollander is a low-level streamer and Smith a low- to mid-level streamer. The former needs to show some of his pedigree before we can expect anything, while Smith has been OK and has the right matchup to excel. Playing in Colorado knocks down both guys another notch.
Edward Cabrera, Miami Marlins vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Cabrera is a really good strikeout pitcher who is also far worse than average with walks. That's a dangerous way to go about things, but it has worked so far both this season and over his career. Limiting hits (289 in 365 1/3 innings) and homers (50, one every 7.3 innings) helps his case, as does striking out more than 25% of the batters he faces.
The Brewers aren't a great target team; they show up on the target list only when we are short on teams/pitchers, as we are today. Milwaukee is a middling offensive team who mostly fails in the power stats. They rank in the bottom 10 in doubles, home runs, and slugging percentage, something that makes a difference when we start splitting hairs.
Cabrera is a low- to mid-level streamer. The matchup is just OK, and while his strikeouts give him a nicer ceiling, Cabrera still does deal with control issues at times, bringing down his floor just a little.
Anthony DeSclafani, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Kansas City Royals
DeSclafani has had his recent past interrupted by too many injuries. He made five appearances in 2022, 19 in 2023, and then missed the entirety of 2024. He has appeared in four games this season, totaling 9 1/3 innings, nine hits, six runs (five earned), two walks, and nine strikeouts. He has looked fine, and his career numbers are those of an average pitcher, leaving DeSclafani as a guy you can consider at the right times.
The Royals hit for no power, but they are closer to the middle with hits and batting average. While they don't walk at all, they also don't strike out, setting a slightly lower ceiling for opposing pitchers. Overall, KC isn't getting it done: they rank dead last in runs scored.
DeSclafani is a low- to mid-level streamer. Kansas City might be the least imposing team in the league, but there's such a lack of recent track record for the pitcher that it's hard to know what to expect, and he will probably make a short start.
Jack Leiter, Texas Rangers @ San Diego Padres
Most of the first paragraph in this section on Leiter was in yesterday's article, as he was the listed starter before being bumped to today.
Leiter has the pedigree that says he should succeed: he was the second overall pick in 2021 and has a major-league father. He was pegged for greatness. It hasn't been a great first 107 innings, though, as Leiter is well worse than average with walks, strikeouts, and run prevention (5.80 ERA). I expect improvement, but right now, Leiter can't be treated like possible future ace, just as a rookie.
San Diego isn't a team that stands out as one that we should be targeting, but they are in the bottom 10 in hits, runs, doubles, home runs, slugging percentage, and OPS. Manny Machado, Luis Arraez, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts lead the team in at-bats and have each played at least 82 games; it's not like their best players have been torn apart by injury, though Jackson Merrill has missed some games. This is more of a team-wide letdown.
Leiter is a low- to mid-level streamer. The matchup is right for a decent day, but he hasn't found anything close to his top level, leaving Leiter as someone who is tough to trust.
Sunday's Streamer Rankings
- Edward Cabrera, MIA
- Shane Smith, CWS
- Jack Leiter, TEX
- Anthony DeSclafani, ARI
- Chase Dollander, COL
