Boston Red Sox Clay Buchholz: Week 1 Streaming Option
By Bill Pivetz
Streaming pitchers is becoming a more popular strategy to win the pitching categories. If you are one of those, Clay Buchholz is a great choice for Week 1.
Streaming pitchers is an interesting strategy, but is becoming more accepted. If you are not familiar with what streaming is, then let me explain it. You draft an ace or two to anchor your pitching staff. Then, you use draft some bottom-tier guys to round out your rotation. Throughout the season, you add and drop starting pitchers based on their matchups. It’s used to exploit matchups for pitchers you otherwise wouldn’t own.
More from FanSided
- MLB Rumors: Insider names Braves’ most likely player to be traded
- MLB Trade Grades: Dodgers reunite with familiar face in Red Sox deal
- NHL Rumors: Legendary Patrice Bergeron retires, which 3 players could be next to hang up their skates?
- MLB Rumors: Cardinals budging on Arenado, Orioles-Ohtani package, Yankees backup plan
- Patriots backup plan for DeAndre Hopkins is a shot in the dark
To use an example. Boston Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz has a favorable matchup for his first start that you should take advantage of. He faces the Cleveland Indians on the road. Being away from Boston shouldn’t matter much to a pitcher of Buchholz’s standards. Regardless of where they play, Cleveland’s offense is average at best.
The Indians finished 18th in runs scored, 22nd in home runs, 11th in batting average, eighth in on-base percentage and 16th in slugging. The hitters will get on base, but they can’t drive anyone home. At Progressive Field, Cleveland scored 367 runs, or 4.6 runs per game.
Buchholz allowed 41 earned runs in 18 starts. He gave up 241 runs in 87 games on the road, 2.77 per start, and 20 in eight road starts last season, 2.5 per start. Safe to say, he is better on the road than at home. The Indians don’t have many threats on offense. Francisco Lindor and Carlos Santana can drive in some runs, but the rest of the team won’t do much else.
Buchholz’ 2015 season was shortened due to elbow issues, but an MRI showed no ligament damage. He should be 100 percent for his first start. That may be the reason why he is owned in just 33 percent of ESPN leagues.
Next: Diamondbacks Socrates Brito: Waiver Wire Pickup
Streaming pitchers usually only works in Roto leagues in order to make up some ground in the pitching categories. If you play in head-to-head leagues, I would wait until mid-season to see if you need to start streaming.
If you have a pitcher who won’t be making a start this week, look to the waiver wire to get an early jump in the pitching categories. There are much worse options than using Buchholz in Week 1.