MLB

Fantasy Baseball: 5 Pitchers to Stream in Week 4

Tom Whalen  —  @tomcwhalen Apr 22nd, 2019
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​Erik Swanson, Seattle Mariners

Start: April 22nd at San Diego Padres, April 28th vs. Texas Rangers
ESPN ownership: 1%

If the Seattle Mariners hope to continuing overachieving in the American League standings, they'll need their pitching staff to catch up with their white-hot offense. The lack of a true difference-making arm is evident in Seattle's 4.44 team ERA on the young season, with a 19.7% strikeout rate that's tied for third-lowest in the majors.

So the Mariners had to be excited to see Erik Swanson thrive in his first MLB start on Wednesday, limiting the Cleveland Indians to one run on two hits across six frames in his debut.

Swanson has shoved through the high minors with both the Yankees and Seattle, and his 15.2% swinging strike rate during his start on Wednesday gives a hint of his ceiling should he hit the ground running. The only thing standing in the way of Swanson establishing a full-time job with the Seattle Mariners is Wade LeBlanc, who sports a 4.26 ERA, a 15.8% strikeout rate, and an ailing oblique.

A potential two-step at pitcher-friendly parks in San Diego and Seattle and should have the eye of deep-league streamers, and he could even be a name for standard league players to monitor moving forward.

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