Streaming Pitcher for April 7: Wei-Yin Chen
By Bill Pivetz
Mar 25, 2015; Sarasota, FL, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Wei-Yin Chen (16) throws a pitch in the third inning of the spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Ed Smith Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
The first full day of baseball is upon us (sorry Cardinals and Cubs fans). You are either cursing or praising your fantasy team already. Maybe your ace didn’t pitch up to par, but there are always streaming options on a day-to-day basis.
If you decided to use the streaming strategy, I hope you listened to my Clay Buchholz pick for Monday. If not, here’s a second chance. My streaming pick for April 7 is Baltimore Orioles starter Wei-Yin Chen. He has a good matchup and should be owned in at least 50 percent of leagues by tomorrow morning.
Chen had his best season in 2014. He went 16-6 with a 3.54 ERA, 1.228 WHIP and 136 strikeouts. While he increased his win total and lowered his ERA, Chen did not finish in the top 30 because of his 6.6 K/9 ratio.
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He had a very good spring as well. He finished with a 2.45 ERA and a 10:1 K:BB rate in 18 1/3 innings. He will begin the season as the Orioles’ No. 2 starting pitcher and should be able to exceed 190 innings.
Chen and the Orioles open the season against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays lineup has only one batter pitchers should be afraid of – Evan Longoria. If Chen can keep the other hitters off base, he should be able to make it through six innings before giving it up to the bullpen.
Chen is owned in just 6.3 percent of ESPN leagues. With some teams off already, you can make the debate that Chen is worth adding in a head-to-head league. He should help you with a decent ERA, WHIP and win potential. The Orioles can provide enough run support for Chen to win at least 12 games, Tuesday being one of them.