MLB

Fantasy Baseball: 5 Pitchers to Stream in Week 5

Tom Whalen  —  @tomcwhalen Apr 29th, 2019
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​Mike Soroka, Atlanta Braves

Starts: April 29th vs. San Diego Padres, May 4th at Miami Marlins
ESPN ownership: 23%

Mike Soroka's first two starts of 2019 might have you thinking he's your typical high-heat, poor-command pitching prospect, with the 21-year-old pairing an impressive 26.5% strikeout rate with 10.2% walks on the way to a 1.66 ERA across 10.2 frames.

But the Atlanta Braves righty earned quite a different reputation in the minors, overcoming modest velocity with elite fastball command and trading strikeouts for weak contact. That trend has held true in the limited sample with the big club this year, with Soroka coaxing 24.1% soft contact and 55.1% grounders, with his sinker limiting hitters to a .465 OPS over 67 offerings on the back of an outrageous 91.7% grounder rate.

So while streamers shouldn't expect Soroka to help them in strike outs, he looks like an excellent bet for quality innings in Week 5. The Padres and Marlins are both below average performers thus far in terms of team ISO, with the Marlins and their anemic .112 group mark dead last in the majors.

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