Hitting streaks fascinate baseball fans. That's probably why on Thursday I was watching the ninth inning of a lopsided late May game that I otherwise might have had very little interest in, just in case Jackie Bradley Jr. got a chance to extend his streak to 30 games. Alas, he did not. Still, there's nothing inherently valuable about a hitting streak when it comes to points leagues.
Michael Brantley had a 19-game hitting streak in 2010, during which he hit just .286 while striking out 12 times and getting just two extra-base hits. Nothing special. Adam Kennedy had a 17-game hitting streak in 2006, and when it was over, his overall batting average had risen just seven points to .267. Yawn!
And my favorite example of "style over substance" came in 2014, when Jimmy Rollins had a 15-game hitting streak during which he struck out 13 times and, after an 0-for-4 to end the streak, ended up with a lower batting average (.244) than when he started the run. Statistically, it didn't mean anything to his performance, fantasy or otherwise.