(Photo by Gavin Baker/Icon Sportswire)
For some background on this article, check out Week 2’s article.
Reviewing Last Week
I’m writing this Sunday morning, so the week is not yet complete, but let’s look at how I did with last week’s streamers. Keep in mind, with this being an All-Star break shortened period, a good performance tonight could change the whole week’s line.
Austin Hedges (San Diego Padres) — 1/4
So, of the two games that Hedges has had the opportunity to play, he’s played one, and gotten a single. That’s it. This isn’t particularly bad, per se, but I cannot in good conscience call this a win for myself.
Sandy Leon (Boston Red Sox) — 0/3
Again, Leon has only played one of two games prior to this being written. He went 0 for 3 in that game, so it’s another loss for me.
Yan Gomes (Cleveland Indians) — 1/6, 2 R, 1 RBI
He played both games!! And got more than just a hit! With two runs and an RBI, I’m counting this performance as a win. Sue me.
Dave’s Streaming Record: 24-19
Austin’s Streaming Record: 1-2
Looking Forward
Before we get to this week’s streamers, a few notes:
- Gary Sanchez has returned from the disabled list. Those of you reading this likely don’t care too much about this, because, if you own Sanchez, you stopped reading this piece the moment you activated him from the DL.
- Wilson Ramos is out with a strained left hamstring. The Rays haven’t given him a timeline for his return, but I’d expect that we won’t see him behind the dish until at least mid-August. In the meantime, Jesus Sucre seems to be the most likely to take the lion’s share of at-bats from the catcher’s spot.
- Seattle’s catcher Mike Zunino has been activated from the disabled list as well, joining your team just in time for the start of a new week. Zunino’s ownership tanked following his injury; he is now owned in less than 20% of ESPN leagues. While he will likely be a drain on your batting average, there aren’t many catchers that have his power potential, making him a worthy pickup in any league.
Without further ado, let’s check out this week’s streamers:
Jorge Alfaro (Philadelphia Phillies) — The Philadelphia backstop has been solid the past two weeks, batting .365 with a dinger in that span. In the coming week, the Phillies will play a three-game set at home against the Dodgers and a four-game series at Cincinnati. The Red’s poor pitching paired with Great American Ballpark’s affinity toward hitters gives Alfaro a decent shot at being a worthy grab for the coming week.
Jonathan Lucroy (Oakland Athletics) — Lucroy was struggling before the break, batting below .200 the week prior. However, the Athletics’ seven games this week are at Texas’s Globe Life Stadium and Colorado’s Coors Field. If ever there was a time for a hitter to come out of a slump, it would be after a four-day break, in these type of environments, facing pitchers like Martin Perez and Bartolo Colon.
Tucker Barnhart (Cincinnati Reds) — Seven games at home definitely helps Barnhart’s case as a streaming option. He will face the Cardinals and the Phillies in those seven games. The Cardinals will reportedly be starting Daniel Poncedeleon and Austin Gomber in the first two games of the series. Judging by the fact that I had never heard either of these pitchers’ first names, I’d call those good matchups.