The Stream Team is back for Week 14. If you’re anything like me, half of your team is on the injured list, and the other half might as well be – the sorry lot that they are. When hope seems lost, there is of course only one place to turn. Join me on a trip to the waiver wire, and together we’ll build our own Frankenstein’s monster of a roster.
To qualify for the Stream Team (patent pending), a player must be available in over half of all leagues. The goal here is to find players to help your team no matter which position needs a little love. My focus is on next week rather than the long-term, though I will often try to highlight players who have at least a chance of contributing farther into the future.
The Stream Team
| Player | Team | Position Eligibility | Total Games | Weekly Matchups (June 29 – July 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Burke | CWS | SP | 2 | 2 Starts @BAL and @CLE |
| Alex Lange | KCR | RP | 5 | 3 vs. TBR, 2 vs. PHI |
| Joe Mack | MIA | C | 7 | 4 @COL, 3 @ATH |
| Jacob Gonzalez | CWS | 1B / 2B / SS | 7 | 3 @BAL, 4 @CLE |
| Tommy Edman | LAD | 2B / 3B / OF | 7 | 3 @ATH, 4 vs. SDP |
| Caleb Durbin | BOS | 2B / 3B | 6 | 3 vs. WSN, 3 @LAA |
| Cooper Pratt | MIL | SS | 7 | 4 vs. CIN, 3 @ARI |
| Owen Caissie | MIA | OF | 7 | 4 @COL, 3 @ATH |
| Lars Nootbaar | STL | OF | 6 | 3 @ATL, 3 @CHC |
SP – Sean Burke (CWS) – Burke has a two-start week lined up against the Orioles and Guardians. The Orioles are second in the league in strikeouts (go Angels! I knew we were good at something!) and the Guardians are tied with the Mets for the second-worst team OPS in the league. Burke is riding high after twirling two fantastic games against the Yankees and Guardians in his two most recent outings. The confluence of low-rostership, a two-start week, good matchups, and the lovely groove he’s found combine to make Burke the ideal streaming starter.
Burke may not have legs to stick around on your team past this week. Despite his recent heroics, his ERA on the season is a decidedly unexciting 3.71. He’s had his fair share of disastrous starts, and this momentum won’t last forever. While he can throw six different pitches, none are typically standouts. It’s the same arsenal he had last year, which earned him a 4.22 ERA. He’s worth it this week; the two-step with two good matchups is too good to turn down.
Burke is rostered in 38% of Yahoo leagues.
RP – Alex Lange (KCR) – Lange is widely available and has a firm hold on a full-time closing job. The Royals only play five games next week – three against the Rays and two against the Phillies – but Lange is still your best option for saves at this level of availability. He will likely cede the ninth inning to Carlos Estévez once the latter finishes his rehab assignment, but that’s still a ways away.
Lange holds a 5.09 ERA on the season. He hasn’t been great, and while I would typically prefer the Giants’ Caleb Kilian as my low-rostered streaming closer, his upcoming trip to Coors Field is enough to push me towards Lange for this week.
Lange is rostered in 23% of Yahoo leagues.
C – Joe Mack (MIA) – We’re going all in on Marlins bats this week. The fish have the absolute pinnacle of a streaming schedule, with three games in Sacramento and four in Denver. Mack is the clear starting catcher, and hitting well to boot, with three home runs and a .300 average over the last fourteen days. He’s a power-hitter with enough discipline to not tank your ratios. In the minors last season, Mack swatted 21 HR in 112 games and held a .257 average. He’s on pace for more of the same in the majors, with 4 HR in 40 games and a .252 average. Add Coors to that equation, and Mack will be hard to beat.
Mack is rostered in 4% of Yahoo leagues.
1B – Jacob Gonzalez (CWS) – Gonzalez hasn’t quite replicated his Triple-A success, where he hit 19 home runs in just 52 games. His OPS in 21 games in the majors is nearly 400 points from where it sat in the minors, from 1.088 to .663. But things may be looking up. He broke out of a 0-for-25 skid in a big way – with two multi-hit games, including one where he came a triple shy of the cycle.
It was reasonable to think there would be some growing pains for Gonzales in his first stint in the majors. The rookie was still in Double-A this time last year. My hope is that he’s seen enough big league pitching to start making adjustments, and that he’ll snap back into shape as the ridiculous power hitter he was at the start of the year in the minors. He’ll play a full seven games next week: three in Baltimore and four in Cleveland.
Gonzales is rostered in 2% of Yahoo leagues.
2B – Tommy Edman (LAD) – Edman is back from the IL and figures to be a regular in the Dodgers’ lineup. He may rest a day or two next week (he’s started in seven of ten games since being activated), but the strength of his upcoming schedule more than makes up for it. He’ll play three games in Sacramento, followed by four at home against the Padres. Edman is batting .379 so far this season, good for a .972 OPS. He’s batting sixth or seventh in the order, and should be in line to generate plenty of runs.
Edman is rostered in 13% of Yahoo leagues.
3B – Caleb Durbin (BOS) – Durbin has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball over the past month. Over the last 30 days, he has 5 home runs, 3 stolen bases, and a .326 average. The power surge is the most surprising part of his recent performance. Four of Durbin’s six home runs have come in away games, which makes sense considering his right-handed, pull-heavy approach has the Green Monster to contend with. He’ll face the Nats’ floundering pitching staff in Boston, followed by the Angels’ floundering pitching staff in Anaheim – the perfect matchups to keep a hot streak scorching.
Durbin is rostered in 26% of Yahoo leagues.
SS – Cooper Pratt (MIL) – Pratt got the call just under two weeks ago, and has gotten off to an okay start to his MLB career. He has a .250 average with 5 stolen bases and no home runs. The Brewers have a positive schedule next week, squaring off against the Reds and Diamondbacks at home and away, respectively. Pratt tallied 6 home runs and 17 stolen bases with a .241 average in 58 games at Triple-A to start the year, and he should be able to generate similar numbers once he acclimates to the majors. He’s one of the few everyday Brewers bats, and the only one who is widely available.
Pratt is rostered in 6% of Yahoo leagues.
OF – Owen Caissie (MIA) – The Marlins and their impeccable schedule next week have only a few everyday bats who meet our rostership requirements. Caissie is one of the more intriguing names of the bunch. He boasts excellent power numbers, stymied by a 39.2% strikeout rate on the season. He’s brought that number to a more manageable 33.2% during June, and has a .300 average with three home runs in the last two weeks to show for it. Caissie is in a strict platoon, and the Marlins are scheduled to face three southpaws next week. Heriberto Hernández may prove to be the better option, as he makes his way into the lineup against both LHP and RHP.
Caissie is rostered in 6% of Yahoo leagues.
Hernandez is rostered in 2% of Yahoo leagues.
OF –Lars Nootbaar (STL) – Noot is off to a fantastic start to his season after missing the first few months. He has 2 home runs and a .308 average in 19 games played. His .903 OPS indicates that there will be plenty more pepper-grinder-worthy homers in the future. His Statcast page is redder than a 49ers @ Rams game, and this could be the start of a big season for him. Nootbaar is still only 28 years old, and it’s never too late for a career year. The Cards have six away games, three each against the Braves and Cubs.
Nootbaar is rostered in 6% of Yahoo leagues.
