Streaming starting pitching, if done correctly, can be an absolute game-changer in fantasy baseball. The saying “there is a time and a place for everything” completely exemplifies this strategy as you have to consider transaction limits, scoring format and league settings before you can decide if this is the path to success in your particular league. We will cover if and when you should consider implementing this strategy as well as the pros and cons and take a look at the implications it could have on you, as well as your team.

To Stream…

Here are some formats and situations that reward streaming starting pitching.

  • Points leagues that have no transaction limits/high number of transaction limits.
  • Points leagues that offer high total of points for wins and quality starts.
  • Categories formats where you are getting destroyed in ERA and WHIP and are chasing wins and strikeouts.
  • You want to punt ERA and WHIP all together.
  • Your league has a high weekly starts limit.

Points leagues with a head to head format are much more conducive to streaming pitching with there being a weekly schedule and likely start limits. While there will be several times when a Clayton Kershaw has a two-start week, the majority of the time he will end up starting once for you in a given matchup thus significantly reducing his value. If Kershaw has even a decent or sub par outing, in a weekly matchup, that’s all you get from him. A recommended path to take in this format when implementing this strategy is to get one or two solid anchors for starting pitching and stream the remaining starts, however this is not the only successful path.

Fully streaming the position, while much riskier, allows you to load up on bats and work the matchups at the pitcher spot. In this format, you are simply looking to maximize daily points. If you are fully streaming the position and have nine P spots then you just need to have a bunch of relievers who are pitching frequently in those slots with a couple open for your streamers. Depending on your transaction limits, you may also need to consider drafting several multi-position eligible hitters to reduce the amount of moves you need to make in order to fulfill your starting pitching streaming.

Having five SP and three or four RP slots to fill doesn’t make streaming any easier, although it can be done. In this particular scenario you would need to have enough RP’s to fill the slots as well as some multi-position eligible relievers to fill the SP slots on a daily basis. Guys like Chris Devenski, Archie Bradley and Bud Norris were all relievers in 2017 that had SP eligibility and could give you points out of the SP slots without having to use a starter. This could allow you to maximize your daily points and stream at the same time. For better understanding, take this as an example.

P Wade Davis

SP Chris Devenski

SP Archie Bradley

SP Bud Norris

SP *streamer*

SP *streamer*

RP Aroldis Chapman

RP Mark Melancon

RP Edwin Diaz

The example used gives you daily production from EVERY slot of your roster and allows you to stream two pitchers per day. Using this method is also beneficial because it doesn’t have you rostering dead weight by holding a bunch of sub par pitching. Instead it’s just adding and dropping starters based on matchups and conditions from available waiver pickups throughout the season. A categories format can have the same benefits as above but has different reasoning behind it.

Streaming in a categories format from the beginning of the season will only work if you are okay with punting wins and strikeouts in the process. If you go this route from the beginning you better be aiming to win all of your other categories as it’s extremely difficult to punt more than one category. This is more common in mid-season in rotisserie leagues or end of week if you are in a head to head format. If your ERA and WHIP categories get blown up by a bad few starts or your aces get hurt or shut down it may be time to consider streaming. This will allow you to chase wins, strikeouts and saves and ignore the categories you are conceding. Streaming pitchers with a high chance of victory and good strikeout potential in a given matchup is key to pulling this off. It’s not ideal, but if you are in full panic mode and have to divert from the original plan, this can work with the right moves. As far as head to head goes, you may be trying to make up ground in wins or strikeouts towards the end of the week. Streaming pitchers would allow you to chase these stat categories at the expense of your ERA and WHIP categories in order to put you over the top and take down your opponent.

…or Not to Stream

Below are a few situations that limit your ability to drastically stream starting pitching.

  • Transaction limits in your league that don’t allow that volume of add/drops.
  • Deep leagues that don’t offer a decent waiver pool to stream from.
  • You don’t have the time to research/put the effort into daily decisions.

If you just need 2-4 starts per week, streaming isn’t all that difficult. If you are going with one or two anchors and streaming the rest or the full-blown streaming route however, it can be difficult and may blow up in your face. In order to be successful with this strategy, and I can’t stress the emphasis on this enough, you absolutely MUST put in the work. It takes countless hours and effort to use the full-blown streaming strategy. You have to research all candidates including their opponents, splits and ballpark factors.

Chris Sale for example is an elite pitcher, yet he gave up thirteen runs in eight innings to the Cleveland Indians in 2017. There aren’t many guys that you can just set and forget especially when dealing with the waiver wire starters. Dissecting matchups are paramount when it comes to being successful at streaming. Another factor to consider is how many people in your league, if any, are also using this strategy as you need to make these pickups before they do. After a game begins on a Monday, the starters probable for Tuesday will then be able to be added. As the great Ricky Bobby once said, “if you ain’t first, you’re last!”.

The Process

So, you’ve decided to stream. How do we decide who to go with as our streamers? What do we look for when choosing between player A and player B? The biggest factors to consider when adding starting pitchers are strikeout upside potential and likelihood that he will get a win. Use this as your baseline. Here are some characteristics of pitchers that fit the mold of a viable addition.

  • Higher K%
  • Lower BB%
  • Has likelihood to go at least 5 innings, preferably 6. Anti-Vince Velasquez types.
  • Streamer has a strong lineup giving run support, increasing win likelihood.
  • Streamer is facing an opposing pitcher that is sub par, also increasing win likelihood.
  • Facing a team that has low wOBA’s against him or which ever hand he throws with.
  • Facing a team that is struggling to score runs.
  • Facing a team that strikes out at a high rate.
  • Not pitching in a home run friendly atmosphere; i.e. Coors Field.
  • Minimal weather concerns that day.
  • Consider Vegas run totals and favorites. (They know what they’re doing.)

These are just a few scenarios to consider when deciding who to use as a streamer. It’s a long and arduous task to fully stream pitching but is also a way to gain an edge. Streaming is an intimidating strategy to start using but it can be highly effective if done correctly. We want to be ahead of the curve when using this strategy and in order to do so, we highly recommend using the Fantasyalarm.com research tools section to find these ideal pitchers. Using the sortable stats you can find projections, rankings, batter versus pitcher stats and even ump reports and ballpark ratings. It is literally the one stop shop for your fantasy baseball research. If you think this is a strategy that you can use in your league, do not underestimate the effort and amount of research it will take to pull it off. Many fantasy baseball players use this strategy religiously and are highly successful. Use the tools, trust your instincts, stream your way to fantasy baseball glory!