2015 Fantasy Baseball: Deep League Streaming for Week 13
It’s Sunday, and that means it’s time to start adding pitchers to stream for the coming week. Whether it be via FAAB or waivers, getting a jump on the competition is important. While everyone else is in their backyards pounding down brewskis and munching on BBQ ribs, you’ll be on your computer adding baseball players to your fantasy team (trust me, it’s better than it sounds, nerd!)
Now point and laugh at all the guys with cole slaw stuck in their beards.
Here are some pitchers with matchups to exploit in Week 13. All suggested players will be owned in less than 10 percent of ESPN leagues. Why? Because these articles are geared towards owners who play in deep league formats, where you can’t just add top 50 hurlers off the wire. Wanna fight about it?
(All stats and ownership percentages are through Friday)
Taylor Jungmann, Brewers (4.9% owned)
The Brewers are pretty bad, but the Phillies are worse. In fact, the Phillies are the only team worse than the Brewers, so expect a battle of ineptitude when the Crew travels to the City of Brotherly Love on Tuesday.
Jungmann will have his hands full with his counterpart on the hill (Cole Hamels), but he won’t have any trouble with the eight guys batting against of him. The Phillies rank dead last in both wOBA (.279) and home runs (35) against right-handed pitchers, and of course, Jungmann is a righty. While the Phils do fare better at home, anyone not named Maikel Franco or Ben Revere is pretty much an automatic out for them right now.
The rookie Jungmann has been solid over his first four career starts, posting a 2.74 ERA and allowing just one homer, and this matchup is one worth streaming for.
Jake Peavy, Giants (4.1% owned)
The Giants get a big boost this week as both Peavy and Matt Cain are set to return to the rotation. Peavy is slated to take the mound on Thursday against the Miami Marlins, and as luck would have it, he’ll get to face them minus Giancarlo Stanton, who will be sidelined for the next 4-6 weeks with a hamate bone fracture.
The 2007 NL Cy Young Award Winner had only made two starts this year before a back injury caused him to miss the last two-and-a-half months, and the he’ll look to improve on his 9.39 ERA from the get go. The Marlins have a .274 wOBA over the past two weeks, good (or bad) for 29th in baseball in that span — and that was with Stanton! Simply put, they’re not good at hitting baseballs. They’ll have Michael Morse back, but is having a .211 hitter in your lineup a good thing? Not really.
While I don’t normally recommend starting pitchers fresh off the DL, until Stanton returns, the Marlins seem like a top team to stream against, and grabbing Peavy now will also keep you ahead of the curve if he is to maintain any rest-of-season value.
Erasmo Ramirez, Rays (10.0% owned)
Right before the season began, the Mariners shipped the underachieving Ramirez to the Rays in exchange for Mike Montgomery. It didn’t seem like much then, but this trade has become one of the more interesting trades of the season to date. Ramirez has boosted an ailing Rays staff, and Montgomery is fresh off of a 10-K shutout against the first place Kansas City Royals.
Ramirez didn’t bring his best stuff in the early going — he got torched to the tune of a 6.62 ERA in his first 12 appearances — but over his last five starts, he’s been nothing short of incredible. The Rays have gone 5-0 in those games, and Ramirez has posted a minuscule 1.03 ERA with a solid 22/5 K/BB ratio in that span.
A groin injury kept Ramirez from making his last scheduled start, but he’s been cleared by team doctors to take the hill Tuesday against Cleveland. The Indians have been reeling of late, losing 11 of their last 17, and falling 10 games back of first place in the AL Central. It only helps matters that current Indians’ batters are hitting .200 (8-for-40) with a 1/15 BB/K ratio and just three extra-base hits versus Ramirez in their careers. This game will be at The Trop, and Ramirez has been far superior at home, where he’s posted a 2.65 ERA, compared to 6.18 on the road.
Ramirez also has a two-start week, but keep in mind that his matchup next Sunday in the Bronx isn’t as appetizing.