Hitters and Streamers: Week 9
What a week in baseball with two no-hitters in back-to-back days by Spencer Turnbull and Corey Kluber. That’s now six no-hitters in the 2021 MLB season as we’re in the middle of May. At this rate, no-hitters may turn into more of a norm than an exception although it’s still quite a feat for pitchers. Each week, with more injuries and struggling players, it’s causing us to dig deeper into the player pool and find hitters to fill our starting lineups. Meanwhile, it means we also need to make difficult decisions in leagues with no injured list spots or those already filled up.
Only three teams play five games this week, and most play six to seven in Week 9. For this week’s hitter streamers, we have a mix of hitters available in 10-12 team leagues and those most relevant in 15-team leagues. At a glance, most teams have a mix of tough and friendly matchups. Even on teams with mostly friendly matchups like the Athletics, it’s difficult to find hitters to stream outside of their mainstays.
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Week 8 Hitter Streamer Review
- Josh Rojas – .222 BA, 4 R
- Asdrúbal Cabrera – Landed on the 10-day injured list
- Niko Goodrum – .111 BA, 2 R, 1 SB
- Starlin Castro – .133, 1 HR, 3 R, 2 RBI
- Manuel Margot – .304 BA, 1 HR, 3 R, 5 RBI
- Joey Wendle – .389 BA, 5 R, 2 RBI, 1 SB
- Trevor Larnach – .316 BA, 3 R
- Miguel Rojas – .286 BA, 4 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB
Overall, it’s a mixed bag once again with the small sample of one week of games. The Rays hitters performed well, as expected with their juicy matchups last week. Unfortunately, Starlin Castro’s 11-game hit streak ended in the past week, so that affected his line. Glad to see Trevor Larnach hitting well, I’m still holding out hope and think he’ll continue to receive playing time with injuries on the Twins. Honestly, at this point, Miguel Rojas should find himself in a middle infield spot with his consistency.
Easier Week 9 Hitter Matchups
- Baltimore Orioles – 3 at MIN, 4 at CWS
- Chicago White Sox – 3 vs. STL, 4 vs. BAL
- Miami Marlins – 4 vs. PHI, 3 at BOS
- New York Mets – 4 vs. COL, 3 vs. ATL
- Oakland Athletics – 3 vs. SEA, 4 vs. LAA
- St. Louis Cardinals – 3 at CWS, 4 at ARI
Volume and plate appearances headline Week 9, assuming fantasy managers have a healthy enough squad. Sneakily, the Mets have the friendliest matchup since they face the Rockies and Braves, who rank in the bottom-5 in wOBA allowed. However, the Mets have a .300 team wOBA (No. 22) on the season and a .287 (No. 21) team wOBA over the past 14 days. Their lineup takes a hit even more without Michael Conforto, Jeff McNeil, and Brandon Nimmo. Outside of the Mets, the other teams that play seven games have a mix of matchups, but volume is on their side.
Honorable Mention:
- Milwaukee Brewers – 4 vs. SD, 3 at WSH
- San Diego Padres – 4 at MIL, 3 at HOU
- Toronto Blue Jays – 1 vs. TB, 3 at NYY, 3 at CLE
- Detroit Tigers – 4 vs. CLE, 3 vs. NYY
The Padres and Blue Jays fall into the honorable mention group since we’re still starting most of their hitters and both teams play seven games. However, let’s touch on the Brewers hitters, who rank 27th with a .290 wOBA. Not great. However, in shallower leagues, Avisaíl García is heating up and someone to consider streaming since he’s rostered in 29% of Yahoo leagues.
Tougher Week 9 Hitter Matchups
- Atlanta Braves – 2 at BOS, 3 at NYM
- Boston Red Sox – 2 vs. ATL, 3 vs. MIA
- Colorado Rockies – 4 at NYM, 3 at PIT
- Houston Astros – 2 vs. LAD, 3 vs. SD
The Braves, Red Sox, and Astros all play five games in Week 9, so they fall in the group of tougher Week 9 hitter matchups due to less volume. Although the Rockies play seven games, all of them will happen away from Coors Field. Even their matchups look difficult since the Mets rank 2nd with a .281 wOBA allowed though part of that includes Jacob deGrom’s production. Meanwhile, the Pirates rank middle of the pack with a .311 wOBA allowed.
Week 9 Hitter Streamers
Avisaíl García (OF – MIL)
If we’re using NBA Jam rules, it’s safe to say Avisaíl García is heating up. García has a .306 batting average with three home runs, five runs, and nine RBI over the past 14 days. Although he hasn’t provided a stolen base since May 1st, García is red hot in May with a .333 batting average and .956 OPS. The hard-hit metrics back up his hot stretch with an 11.7% barrel rate, 51.1% hard-hit rate, and 92.9 mph average exit velocity on FB/LD (No. 86). The Brewers face the Padres who rank 3rd with a .281 wOBA and the Nationals who rank 13th with a .308 wOBA allowed. That means, the Brewers matchups project as tougher matchups. However, they’ll play seven games and ride García’s hot bat in Week 9.
Austin Hays (OF – BAL)
Heading into Thursday, Austin Hays had a seven-game hit streak going. During that span, Hays hit .276 with one home run, six runs, and three RBI. Over the past 14 days, he’s hit even better with a .296 batting average and 152 wRC+. Hays regularly bats second since late April with an above-average 92.2% Z-Contact% yet only a 74.6% Contact%, which ranks similar to league-average. He also boasts a career-best 11.9% barrel rate and 110.3 mph maximum exit velocity.
The Orioles play three games against the Twins pitchers that interestingly have the second-worst wOBA allowed at .338 in front of only the Rockies. On the flip side, the Orioles play the White Sox that ranks top-6 in wOBA allowed at .287. In 12-team leagues, check if Hays is available to stream since he’s only rostered in 20% of Yahoo leagues though rostered in over 60% in ESPN leagues. One final note, as a right-handed hitter, Hays hits a bit better against lefties this year with a .324 BA and 1.035 OPS compared to a .224 BA and .688 OPS against righties in 2021. The Orioles project to face six out of seven righties, so temper expectations although Hays is swinging a hot bat.
Leury García (SS/OF – CHW)
Over the past 14 days, Leury García is hitting .333 with zero home runs, four runs, and seven RBI. Even in May, García has a .281 batting average, .719 OPS, seven runs, and ten RBI. Although García won’t provide power, he’s playing almost every day with the team’s injuries. It’s especially helpful that he can play in the infield and outfield given his positional versatility. White Sox hitters seem to use an aggressive approach, and that’s the case with García who has a 39.7% O-Swing% yet an 85.9% Z-Contact% slightly above the league average.
Although none of the batted ball metrics wow us, it’s about volume this week. With seven games against the Cardinals (3) and Orioles (4), they have a mix of middling to difficult matchups. Overall, consider García in 15-team leagues with the full seven-game slate and plate appearances even though he bats towards the bottom of the lineup.
Jonathan Villar (2B/SS/3B – NYM)
This one’s more for shallow 10-12 team leagues, but with Jeff McNeil’s injury, Jonathan Villar should benefit from increased playing time. We know Villar will hurt in batting average, but it’s about the stolen bases with him. Over the past 14 days, Villar has a .214 batting average with three home runs, six runs, seven RBI, and three steals. During that stretch, he has the second-most plate appearances only behind Francisco Lindor for the Mets.
As a switch-hitter, Villar typically performs better against right-handed pitchers though it’s likely also due to more volume against righties. So far in 2021, Villar has a .258 batting average and .833 OPS against righties with a .148 batting average and .407 OPS against lefties. Keep in mind that earlier in the year, Villar wasn’t earning as much playing time with the Mets hitters healthy. If you’re streaming steals in 10-12 team leagues, make sure Villar isn’t around on the waiver wire. Think of him as a slightly better Niko Goodrum – lower batting average, plate appearances, and stolen bases.
Danny Jansen (C – TOR)
For Danny Jansen, it’s league-dependent as many fantasy managers picked up Jansen in 15-team leagues with two catchers. Although he’s rostered in two catcher leagues, consider streamer Jansen in 15-team single catcher leagues as well. Nothing screams excitement in Jansen’s profile, but he’s hitting .267 with three home runs, six runs, and six RBI in 32 plate appearances over the past 14 days. During that span, Jansen boasts a .376 wOBA and 141 wRC+ compared to a season-long .216 wOBA and 33 wRC+. It’s slightly unfortunate that the Blue Jays will play six of their seven games away from Dunedin, FL, which rates as one of the better hitting ballparks. Again, only consider Jansen in 15-team leagues if you need a streaming catcher.
Jeimer Candelario (1B/3B – DET)
Although the Tigers rank third to last with a .288 team wOBA, we’ll recommend a couple of Tigers hitters this week. Last week, we discussed Niko Goodrum for steals, but he only gave us one steal. However, we shouldn’t expect massive offensive production from one of the weaker hitting teams. Though that doesn’t mean we can’t find production in their lineup. After a solid 2020 campaign, Jeimer Candelario is producing once again in 2021. Over the past 14 days, Candelario has a .297 batting average with one home run, seven runs, and four RBI.
Although he doesn’t light up the Baseball Savant data, he’s displaying a consistent 10.8% barrel rate similar to 2020, which ranks above-average in the 64th percentile. Sure, Candelario’s .374 BABIP looks due to regress yet similar to his 2020 BABIP of .372 likely fueled by the increased line drive rate in both seasons. In 2020, Candelario boasted a career-best (at the time) 25.9% line drive rate, then in 2021, that increased to 27%. Candelario continues to swing a hot bat in May with a .340 batting average and .983 OPS. Even with some difficult matchups against the Yankees and Indians, Candelario is a sneaky hitter, particularly in 10-12 team leagues in need of a corner infielder.
Adam Duvall (OF – MIA)
This last hitter here is for power and home runs in Adam Duvall. He’s likely more of a target in 10-12 team leagues, and Duvall is hitting well over the past 14 days. During that stretch, Duvall has three home runs, four runs, 12 RBI, and one steal with a .300 batting average. The Marlins face the Phillies for four games and the Red Sox for three. Outside of Aaron Nola and Zach Eflin, the other five pitching matchups aren’t worrisome. As a team, the Red Sox rank 14th with a .308 wOBA allowed, and the Phillies rank 19th with a .318 wOBA allowed. Overall, that indicates the Marlins hitter matchups rank middle of the pack to below-average.
Duvall is boasting near or at career-bests hard-hit metrics with a 14.1% barrel rate, 113.8 mph maximum exit velocity, and 50% hard-hit rate. Even Duvall’s 95.3 mph exit velocity on FB/LD (No. 43) puts him in good company behind J.D. Martinez. Although Duvall will likely hurt your team’s batting average, he could provide home runs in Week 9.
