Tuesday's Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Chris Paddack, Luis Severino and More
Five starting pitchers in action on Tuesday who have good matchups and are widely available in fantasy leagues.
When sharing my favorite streamers yesterday on X, someone commented about my favorite option from Monday, Toronto's Eric Lauer, saying something to the effect of, “Hasn't he been good enough long enough to not be a streamer?”
Yes! I think this dude was trying to take a dig at me, but I explained that Lauer is owned in half of fantasy leagues or less, and that's why I included him. These pitching streamers aren't generally based on my own opinion; they're chosen by the numbers, and that includes the players who aren't heavily owned and the teams with the worst offensive numbers.
So yes, Mr. X, Lauer is too good to be a streamer. That doesn't mean the numbers don't point to him as a streaming option, though, and he will keep showing up until he is owned in more leagues.
Let's look at five starting pitchers in action on Tuesday 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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Mike Burrows, Pittsburgh Pirates vs. San Francisco Giants
The rookie Burrows has looked good in his first 60-ish innings, walking just a few too many guys but also holding an above-average strikeout rate and an ERA under 4.00. He has given up fewer than one hit per inning as well, showing an ability to keep hitters from squaring him up. Burrows did good strikeout work in the minors as well, so there's hope he can continue finding success.
San Francisco has bottom-10 offensive numbers over the full season, but how are they doing over the past month? Not much better. The Giants rank in the bottom 10 (or very close to it) in runs, hits, doubles, home runs, strikeouts (most), batting average, slugging percentage, and OPS. This is a team that can be targeted pretty much every day.
Burrows is a mid-level streamer. The matchup is right, and his strikeout work (and general success as a rookie) portends good things moving forward.
Chris Paddack, Detroit Tigers vs. Minnesota Twins
Well, this is fun. Paddack was the first veteran out the door in the mass fire sale that Minnesota executed at the trade deadline, and now he makes his second start in his new digs, this time against his old squad. Over the full season, Paddack has a good walk rate but has struggled a bit otherwise, most notably having a below-average strikeout rate and getting hit a little hard (4.77 ERA). In his first start for the Tigers, Paddack threw six innings and allowed three hits and one run with no walks and five strikeouts.
Minnesota has averaged 3.5 runs in the four games they have played since the trade deadline, going 1-3 in that time. We won't get a real view of what this new Twins team looks like until they play a few weeks of games, but they were an average-or-worse offense before trading guys away, so I'm not counting on Minnesota to improve before the end of the season.
Paddack is a low-to-mid-level streamer. The matchup is right, but Paddack's performance is down from his career work, and I'm looking at him more as an OK guy to consider than someone to count on.
Luis Severino, Athletics @ Washington Nationals
The Nationals have bounced on and off our target list a bit during the season. They have some young stars, like CJ Abrams and James Wood, but there are also too many holes on the roster to put together an above-average lineup. Washington has been on a downswing recently: over the past month, they are in the bottom 10 in essentially every offensive category, putting them back in the target zone.
Severino is having a down season of his own. His walk rate is about average, but he has a career-low strikeout rate (17.1%), only the second season of his career having a below-average K% (2023). Part of the issue with his run-prevention problems probably comes from playing home games in Sacramento, one of the best hitter's parks this season, but Severino is down in his rate stats also, meaning there is more going wrong than just the location in which he's pitching.
Severino is a low-level streamer. The drop in his performance is alarming, and while this game is in Washington rather than Sacramento, I can't trust Severino to put together quality innings in a good-but-not-great matchup.
Taijuan Walker, Philadelphia Phillies vs. Baltimore Orioles
Walker seems old because he debuted back in 2013, but he's still just 32 years old (he'll turn 33 next week). That is kind of old by sports standards, but given his longevity, I would have guessed closer to 40 than 30. Walker has been better this season than the past few, but he still is a below-average strikeout pitcher at this point in his career, something that drops his fantasy value a bit.
Baltimore is the opposite of a few of our other teams today in that they have been excelling over the past month. Based on season-long numbers, the Orioles are pulling themselves toward average numbers and away from our target list. It seems like they would be due to regress after trading away guys like Cedric Mullins, Ryan O'Hearn, and Ramon Laureano at the deadline, and maybe that will play out as August unfolds, but Baltimore isn't such a cushy matchup right now.
Walker is a low-level streamer. The matchup is moving the wrong way, and while Walker has been good, he has a few seasons of recent below-average play that make me skeptical, especially with his low strikeout rate.
Will Warren, New York Yankees @ Texas Rangers
Texas and New York went into extra innings last night, a game the Rangers tied with a home run in the bottom of the ninth and then won with another homer in the bottom of the 10th. These teams are fighting for wild card position, and while the Yankees might be able to power their way to the playoffs, Texas is leaning on their top-five pitching staff. The Ranger offense is another that is bottom-10 over the full season but playing more like an average team (or better) over the past month.
Warren walks too many guys, but he has also been a high-level strikeout pitcher in 133 1/3 career innings. He has been knocked around a bit, allowing 140 hits and 86 runs (83 earned, 5.60 ERA), but the young pitcher shows upside. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him become a more successful pitcher both in real life and fantasy baseball.
Warren is a low-to-mid-level streamer with some upside. His strikeout work is undeniable, but so is the fact that he has been hit a little hard, leaving Warren as a guy who is tough to trust consistently.
Tuesday's Streamer Rankings
- Mike Burrows, PIT
- Will Warren, NYY
- Chris Paddack, DET
- Taijuan Walker, PHI
- Luis Severino, ATH
