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Straight Cheese Streaming Starting Pitchers Week 6

April 26, 2019 By Chris Spencer Leave a Comment

Milwaukee Brewers Brandon Woodruff earns the distinct honor of a Straight Cheese recommendation for two straight weeks. He joins two more Brewers starters as they face the Colorado Rockies at home next week.

This is my weekly column where I suggest low-owned starting pitchers that have a matchup in their favor in the coming week to help your fantasy baseball team. Most of these hurlers are to be used and tossed back to the waiver wire. Some of them will graduate from the wire and find a permanent space on a roster, hopefully yours. This week we are looking at streaming starting pitchers week 6.

My process is to look at wOBA, ISO and K% to identify weak-hitting lineups. Conversely, for pitchers I look at wOBA, ISO against and their K%.

Streaming Starting Pitchers Week 4 Review

Before we get into next week’s pitchers to stream let’s look back at my previous recommendations, streaming starting pitchers week 4. Note we have to look back two weeks since last week’s Straight Cheese is for the current week. Got it? Good.

Name	Date	G	IP	ER	H	BB	K	DEC	ERA	WHIP
Anibal Sanchez	4/19 at MIA	1	5.67	3	5	4	6	L	4.76	1.59
Yonny Chirinos	4/17 vs BAL	1	5.00	0	1	1	5	W	0.00	0.40
Total		2	10.67	3	6	5	11	1 – 1	2.53	1.03

You’ll notice Trevor Williams is missing. I recommended him when he was slotted to face the San Francisco Giants on April 19th. Well his start was bumped up to the 17th in Detroit and although he did alright (2 earned runs and 5 strikeouts in 6 innings) I wouldn’t have recommended him.

My analysis is very dependent on the opponent of the pitcher. If his start moves and results in a different opponent, stream him at your own risk but don’t come crying to me if things go sideways.

All statistics, ownership and projected starting dates are as of Thursday morning, April 25.

Streaming Starting Pitchers Week 6

This week the stars have aligned and we’ve been given a gift from the MLB scheduling Gods. That gift is the Colorado Rockies on the road facing a pitching staff heavy with righties.

Colorado on the road versus RHP so far in 2019 (282 plate appearances): 0.219 wOBA (worst in MLB), 0.080 ISO (worst in MLB) and striking out 28.0% of the time (26th). Wow, they are struggling at this baseball thing on the road. And just so you know that this isn’t a recent trend, last season they finished worst in wOBA (0.281), 25th in ISO (0.141) and 26th in K% (25.3%).

So, without further ado I’m advising you to take advantage by streaming these three Milwaukee Brewers pitchers.

RHP Jhoulys Chacin, MIL
Owned Y34%/E36% · vs Colorado Rockies – Tuesday, April 30th

When you look at Chacin’s 6.35 ERA, 5.34 xFIP, 1.41 WHIP and 25 strikeouts in 28.1 innings (20.5 K%) you’ll probably second guess why I am recommending him to you. What if I told you that since the start of the 2018 season at home in Milwaukee he has a 3.87 ERA, 4.58 xFIP, 1.19 WHIP and a 19.7 K%? I know, still not great but serviceable for someone available in about two out of every three leagues.

Take his home stats and combine them with Colorado’s woes on the road vs. RHP and you get a nice little pitcher to stream.

RHP Freddy Peralta, MIL
Owned Y19%/E7% · vs. Colorado Rockies – Thursday, May 2nd

Okay, stay with me on this one. Peralta could be the one that blows up in our face here. His line so far through 17.2 innings: 7.13 ERA, 5.05 xFIP, 1.53 WHIP and 22 strikeouts (26.5 K%). Deep breath – here’s where I get my hope that he’ll reward us. Last year at home he had a 2.73 ERA, 4.05 xFIP, 0.79 WHIP and 33.1 K%. We can definitely use that, right?

Well, his two home starts this year were both against the St. Louis Cardinals and he was lit up like a Christmas tree to the tune of a 9.95 ERA, 11.17 xFIP, 2.53 WHIP and only a 15.8 K%. Deeper breath – well, Colorado is no St. Louis. The Cards are currently ranked high in our three key metrics: 0.358 wOBA (7th), 0.233 (6th) and 25.7 K% (22nd).

I truly believe that the Rockies’ suckiness will outweigh Peralta’s and we, the fantasy baseball players, will benefit.

RHP Brandon Woodruff, MIL
Owned Y26%/E14% · vs. Colorado Rockies – Thursday, May 2nd

** NOTE – Woodruff’s start has been pushed back to Friday vs. Mets. Start at your own risk **

Woodruff makes it into back-to-back editions of Straight Cheese! Through 5 starts (26.1 innings) he has a 5.81 ERA, 3.81 xFIP, 1.48 WHIP and 32 strikeouts (27.1 K%). Much like Peralta he hasn’t been all that great at home: 5.75 ERA, 4.03 xFIP, 1.67 WHIP and 26.3 K%.

He faced some tough opponents: Cardinals (2x), Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers. All three are Top 12 in wOBA and ISO. The Cubs and Dodgers are Top 9 in K%. Again, it bears repeating that the Rockies aren’t as good as the opponents Woodruff faced at home.

You could also make the argument to start RHP Chase Anderson vs. the Rockies on Wednesday, May 1st. His overall numbers are slightly worse than the three I’m telling you to start but he’s a viable option due to Colorado’s struggles against RHP on the road.

Extra Cheese

Here is where I recommend a two-start pitcher for you to stream. Please bear in mind that things can change after this article is posted. Injuries, rain delays, managerial moves, etc. can happen.

A perfect example was in week 4 when I told you to roll out Detroit Tigers’ Matthew Boyd. The Tigers were rained out on Saturday, so Boyd’s Sunday start was bumped to Monday (ultimately Tuesday after another rainout!).

I’m still going to track the starts of the guys I’m recommending to stream for two starts. Typically, we’re looking for two-start pitchers because we’re locking lineups for the week.

Name	Date	G	IP	ER	H	BB	K	DEC	ERA	WHIP
Matthew Boyd	4/16 vs PIT	1	7.00	3	6	1	7	ND	3.86	1.00
Total		1	7.00	3	6	1	7	0 – 0	3.86	1.00

RHP Michael Soroka, ATL
Owned Y35%/E16% – vs. San Diego (Mon Apr 29) & at Miami Marlins (Sat May 4)

Well, Soroka has only had two starts in 2019 but they were significantly better than average: 1.69 ERA, 3.00 xFIP, 1.31 WHIP and 13 strikeouts in 10.2 innings (26.5 K%). Last season in five MLB starts he put up a 3.51 ERA, 3.63 xFIP, 1.44 WHIP and 21 strikeouts in 25.2 innings (18.6 K%).

He’s a fine young talented pitcher that the Atlanta Braves are very high on, and for good reason. In 307.2 minor league innings since 2015 he has a 2.84 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 331 strikeouts (22.0 K%).

The San Diego Padres are currently posting a 0.307 wOBA (19th), 0.208 ISO (10th) and 27.3 K% (25th) through 300 plate appearances on the road vs RHP. The Marlins, meanwhile, have a 0.284 wOBA (27th), 0.118 ISO (27th) and 29.9 K% (29th) at home vs. RHP.

The Padres start could be bumpy but the Marlins should prove no problem for Soroka. Get him in your lineup for both starts and, who knows, he might be someone you hang on to for longer.

Join Draft Buddy 13-Run Baseball Pool

March 18, 2019 By Draft Buddy 116 Comments

This is mostly right. Thrills of baseball. No skill required. And for up to 30 players. It’s the return of our (now annual) 13-run baseball pool!

Our 13-run baseball pool is back! Pick a team, sit back and cheer (or jeer). That is all there is to it. The first person whose team scores 14 different run totals from 0-13 starting MLB Opening Day on March 28 is the winner.

Last year we ran this two times over the MLB season. The inaugural pool started May 1, with member brentnap winning the American League side thanks to the Cleveland Indians. Yours truly won the National League side thanks to the Milwaukee Brewers. It finished July 8, which I am told is fairly quick for 13-run baseball pool standards.

The second pool started July 1. We crowned member MabeRuth the NL winner with, again, the Brew Crew. In the AL, no team got to 14 check marks and it ended in a four-way tie for first.

Join 2019 13-Run Baseball Pool

To join our 2019 version, simply comment below stating the team you want to select. No one can have the same team, so check the available teams and comments before posting. That is all there is to it, and I will update the table.

Last year we ran separate AL and NL contests, but we will for now limit to one team per member. The only other rule I think worth mentioning is we will start counting stats on March 28, and not include the games played in Japan on March 20 and 21. Sorry Athletics and Mariners, backers.

I am taking the Colorado Rockies this year. Good luck!

American League

Team	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Count
BAL (Jack B.)	7	13	22	18	15	14	10	7	8	8	1	1	2	2	14
BOS (mikeadamson)	4	9	12	11	18	16	11	12	11	9	4	2	2	3	14
LAA (Ryan O.)	6	9	14	17	11	23	13	13	6	6	4	3	3	3	14
MIN (krechtien)	3	9	8	13	21	11	18	12	8	6	3	5	3	1	14
OAK (Robert)	3	11	17	17	17	14	10	14	8	4	2	3	1	2	14
SEA (JackNSville)	7	12	17	14	15	12	15	9	5	6	6	2	2	2	14
CLE (poeman)	11	12	19	12	11	15	11	12	11	4	5	1	0	1	13
CWS (Mike)	11	10	21	16	17	19	8	9	4	6	4	0	2	1	13
DET (colbert)	13	15	20	26	20	10	6	5	1	5	3	2	1	0	13
HOU (Mastrana)	6	11	12	15	20	10	16	7	5	7	6	8	1	0	13
KC (ezcollectibles)	10	15	17	18	17	15	9	7	10	5	2	2	1	0	13
NYY (enid666)	0	9	9	13	21	13	16	15	10	5	5	4	4	1	13
TB (Fantasytaz)	6	12	13	19	19	16	14	9	8	4	3	1	2	0	13
TEX (Marquis22)	5	10	15	13	22	20	11	7	7	7	2	6	1	0	13
TOR (posty)	10	15	20	16	9	14	14	12	5	2	6	3	3	0	13

National League

Team	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Count
ARI (secretariat)	5	12	14	16	17	16	11	5	11	7	6	2	1	1	14
ATL (kopasetic)	3	6	12	17	26	17	9	11	7	6	2	4	5	2	14
CHC (krby13)	4	12	19	12	16	16	16	8	5	4	6	3	3	1	14
COL (David)	5	12	14	15	10	16	16	6	12	7	3	4	4	3	14
MIA (tous14)	18	22	21	11	13	10	11	3	3	7	2	2	1	1	14
MIL (frankbama)	7	9	13	16	18	23	8	10	11	2	3	3	1	2	14
PHI (wallyworld)	7	14	16	16	14	9	11	14	9	6	3	3	1	2	14
SF (j_stef)	11	14	17	22	15	10	9	6	8	2	4	5	1	1	14
STL (Steve P.)	9	14	16	12	20	16	15	7	2	5	2	2	1	2	14
WAS (cman1130)	5	5	13	25	14	20	10	10	4	5	2	3	3	2	14
CIN (Andy L.)	8	16	12	20	17	17	10	6	3	4	2	6	2	0	13
LAD (brentnap)	5	9	18	15	10	13	11	12	7	14	5	3	3	0	13
NYM (Exspell)	8	7	13	12	21	18	17	11	6	4	4	4	0	1	13
PIT (straw801)	8	15	15	19	10	17	15	10	4	2	5	3	1	0	13
SD (calikeano)	3	12	21	21	14	20	9	6	8	2	3	1	1	0	13

A Word About Fantasy Baseball Position Eligibility

February 5, 2019 By Draft Buddy 1 Comment

This is Garrett Hampson, 2B/SS for the Colorado Rockies. Recently picked in one of my drafts at SS, not eligible at 2B, got me looking closer at fantasy baseball position eligibility.

The Super Bowl is (painfully) over, so now it is time to put all of our attention to the upcoming Major League Baseball season and fantasy baseball. Pitchers and catchers report early next week, with fielders trickling in after that for full squad workouts starting between February 16 to 21.

The first spring training games are February 21, and every team is playing on February 23. The regular season starts March 20 for the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners, squaring off in Tokyo, Japan for a two-game series. Make sure to check if your fantasy league includes these stats or not. Official Opening Day is Thursday March 28, the earliest Opening Day in MLB history. Not long now!

Lets take a minute to talk about position eligibility, certainly a more complicated issue than fantasy football in which players almost always have a single position that rarely changes. In fantasy baseball, many players have multiple position eligibility, and it can change often and even in-season, depending on your league rules. It is important to know the rules for your league, but even knowing doesn’t make tracking it an easy task.

Here is a reminder about fantasy baseball position eligibility rules for the popular league managers, plus the National Fantasy Baseball Championship (NFBC):

Position Eligibility Rules

CBS P.E. Rules (scroll down a bit)

20 games played preseason, 5 games played in-season

ESPN P.E. Rules

20 games played preseason, 10 games played in-season
5 starts (3 in-season) to quality as a starting pitcher
8 relief appearances (5 in-season) to qualify as a relief pitcher

Fantrax P.E. Rules

20 games played preseason, 10 games played in-season
5 starts (3 in-season) to quality as a starting pitcher
8 relief appearances (5 in-season) to qualify as a relief pitcher

Yahoo P.E. Rules

5 starts or 10 games played preseason and in-season
3 starts to quality as a starting pitcher
5 relief appearances to qualify as a relief pitcher

NFBC P.E. Rules (click “Rosters” to find P.E.)

20 games played pre-season, 10 games played in-season
Does not use separate starter and relief pitcher positions

That is the gist of it, but there are other considerations. Such as, what if a player did not play in the Majors prior to this season? Then he could be eligible at the position he played the most in the Minors. What if a player with MLB experience missed all of last season? Then he could be eligible at the position(s) based on the last season he played in the Majors. What if a player only hit as DH last year, but your league doesn’t use a DH position? Probably only eligible as a utility option.

Last week I joined a slow best ball draft over at Fantrax. To my surprise, the rules for that league do not exactly match my Fantrax summary, above. For their best ball leagues each player is only eligible at a single position to start the season, determined by the position they played the majority of games last season.

Plus, players will not earn any in-season eligibility at other positions. I can only guess that is because figuring out the best ball lineups every week with multiple positions would be a nightmare. That’s fine, but definitely a need to know section of the rules, which gets back to my original point – make sure to know your league rules with respect to position eligibility.

Tracking Position Eligibility

To help you determine position eligibility and find multi-position eligible players for your fantasy baseball league, we have our games played by position tool. Draft Buddy (Excel download) includes games played by position for all hitters to dynamically identify position eligibility for your league settings, or you can manually adjust positions as necessary.

Unfortunately we do not have minor league statistics in our database because those are outside our budget constraints. However, we do have daily stat updates in-season to help identify new position eligibility for players.

Value Changes

Instead of recreating the wheel, here is a good article by Austin Bristow II from October of last year published at Pitcher List highlighting players who gained or lost position eligibility for 2019 based on last season. Clearly this can result in a value change for the individual player when gaining or losing position eligibility.

Plus consider the impact when a position group light on quality options to begin with gets deeper or shallower. There are some good comments to that article by readers with respect to the depth at first base this season.

Next Steps

The positions you see on our website player pages are from our depth charts that member krby13 keeps updated for us. If a player does not meet position eligibility based on 20 games played the prior season, then the depth chart positions are assigned as a default for Draft Buddy.

This was highlighted to me as an area for improvement when I input Garrett Hampson in Draft Buddy recently, at second base. He is a shortstop for fantasy. He played seven games at 2B but 8 games at SS last season. However, we have him as Colorado Rockies projected 2B in the depth charts.

Realizing this potential inconsistency between a player’s anticipated position and qualifying fantasy position – and we are a fantasy site – I am considering ways to make the tracking of positions more robust across the site and all of our tools.

Lastly, here is an excellent scouting report on Hampson. He was drafted early round 17 in my ongoing 12-team points draft. His NFBC ADP is currently 190th overall.