Hey everybody!
If you’re unfamiliar with this series, each week I highlight hitting matchups you should take advantage of in your fantasy baseball league and ones that you should try to avoid based on the pitching matchups those hitters are slated to face that week. I also try to highlight a catcher to two to stream because that position can be a real pain.
If you’d like to learn more about when it becomes less risky to stream hitters (and pitchers) and when certain team stats start to stabilize during the year, check out this article.
So let’s take a look at the hitters you should start and avoid for Week 4 (4/20-4/26) of the fantasy baseball season.
Notes: All pitching matchups mentioned here are based on projections as of this post’s publication. It is entirely possible that the actual matchups could change for any number of reasons. Keep in mind, this article is geared toward middle-of-the-road players, meaning you should be starting top-of-the-line bats regardless of the matchup. Always start your studs.
START
San Diego Padres hitters – The Padres only have five games this week, and normally I’d shy away from recommending a five-game-week team in this article (especially if you’re in a weekly league), but the matchups are too good to ignore.
The main reason I’m recommending the Padres this week is that they start the week off with three games in Coors Field against the Rockies, who currently own the fifth-worst team FIP in the league. And even better, they close the week out with two games against the Diamondbacks, who own the ninth-worst team FIP in baseball.
Xander Bogaerts has been hitting really well lately, slashing .366/.447/.610 over the past two weeks, so make sure you’ve got him in your lineups.
Chicago White Sox hitters – The White Sox get six games this week, kicking off with three games against the Diamondbacks, who, as I mentioned earlier, have the ninth-worst team FIP in the league. There, they’ll see Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Michael Soroka, none of whom concern me.
After that, they’ll get three games against the Nationals, who own the worst team FIP in all of baseball, where they’ll see Miles Mikolas, Jake Irvin, and Foster Griffin.
Unfortunately, virtually the entire White Sox lineup has been hitting like trash the past couple of weeks, so I don’t have any particular hot hitters to recommend, but I’m hopeful that some good matchups this week can help turn things around.
New York Yankees hitters – The Yankees get six games this week, kicking off with three games against the Red Sox, who currently own the fourth-worst team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Connelly Early, Ranger Suarez, and Brayan Bello. That matchup with Suarez might be one to avoid in daily leagues, but otherwise, that series should be a solid one for your Yankees hitters.
After that, the Yanks will have three games against the Astros, who currently have the second-worst team FIP in baseball, where they’ll see Lance McCullers Jr., Mike Burrows, and Colton Gordon, none of whom worry me.
José Caballero owns a solid .286/.318/.452 slashline with six steals over the past two weeks, so make sure you’ve got him in your lineups this week.
CATCHER TO STREAM: This recommendation is more for OBP leagues than it is for standard leagues, but Austin Wells owns a decent .351 OBP over the past two weeks, so if you need some help at catcher in an OBP league, that could be helpful.
Seattle Mariners hitters – The Mariners have a six-game week this week with some pretty favorable matchups ahead, kicking off with three games against the Athletics, who own the sixth-worst team FIP in baseball, where they’ll see J.T. Ginn, Jacob Lopez, and Aaron Civale.
After that, the Mariners will get three games against the Cardinals, who own the third-worst team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Andre Pallante, Matthew Liberatore, and Michael McGreevy.
Generally speaking, I’m not concerned about any of those matchups. Maybe McGreevy, who’s looked pretty good so far this year, but he’s not someone I’m actively avoiding just yet, so I think you’re good to roll your Mariners hitters out there this week.
Luke Raley has been hot lately, slashing .372/.438/.651 over the past two weeks, and is definitely worth a look this week.
AVOID
Chicago Cubs hitters – While the Cubs have a full seven-game week this week, their matchups are slated to be fairly tough, which is going to make me think twice about starting my mid-level Cubs hitters.
They start their week off with four games against the Phillies, who own the third-best team FIP in baseball, where they’ll see Aaron Nola, Jesús Luzardo, Taijuan Walker, and Cristopher Sánchez. Then, they’ll close the week out with three games against the Dodgers, who own the fifth-best team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Emmet Sheehan, Roki Sasaki, and Justin Wrobleski.
There might be a few matchups you could take advantage of in a daily league here and there (like the Wrobleski matchup), but in weekly leagues, there’s just too much that’s unfavorable for the hitters to make it worth it to me.
Boston Red Sox hitters – The Red Sox have seven games this week, with Monday finishing out a weekend series against the Tigers, where they’ll see Jack Flaherty, then leading into a three-game series against the Yankees, who own the fourth-best team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Luis Gil, Max Fried, and Cam Schlittler.
Then, they’ll close out the week with three games against the Orioles, who own the 11th-best team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Dean Kremer, Trevor Rogers, and Kyle Bradish.
Again, a couple of matchups that could be useful in daily leagues, like the one against Flaherty or the one against Kremer, but overall, this week leans tougher than not for your mid-tier Red Sox hitters, and in weekly leagues, I’d be looking elsewhere if I could.
Milwaukee Brewers hitters – The Brewers get six games this week, starting off with three games against the Tigers, who own the seventh-best team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Keider Montero, Casey Mize, and Tarik Skubal.
Then, they’ll close the week out with three games against the Pirates, who own the eighth-best team FIP in baseball, where they’ll see Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, and Carmen Mlodzinski.
You’re probably fine with your Brewers hitters against Montero, but everyone else looks to be a tough matchup. Mize, Keller, and Mlodzinski have all looked great lately, so this could be a tough week for your mid-tier Brewers hitters.
