What’s up everyone!
If you’re unfamiliar with this article series, each week I take a look at some hitting matchups you should take advantage of and some hitting matchups you should avoid, based on who the hitters will likely be facing on the mound.
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 to start and avoid in Week 10 (6/5-6/11) 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
Colorado Rockies hitters – The Rockies have six games this week and lucky for all of us, all six games will be in Coors Field, with three against the Giants and three against the Padres. Now, those are two teams with pretty solid pitching staffs, so temper your expectations, but it’s hard to pass up six games in Coors Field. Charlie Blackmon has been slashing .278/.297/.556 over the past two weeks and is worth a look in most leagues. Ezequiel Tovar has been hitting well too, slashing .333/.388/.556 over the past two weeks and is worth a look if you need some shortstop help. And in deeper leagues, Randal Grichuk is hitting .375/.432/.500 over the past two weeks and could provide some value.
Milwaukee Brewers hitters – The Brewers have six games this week, starting with three against the Orioles where they’ll see Kyle Gibson, Austin Voth, and Dean Kremer. Gibson can be a challenge, but Voth and Kremer aren’t particularly scary at all. Then, they’ll have three games against the A’s, who own the worst Team FIP in all of baseball, so it’s a solid week to start your Brewers. If you have yet to hop on the Owen Miller train, this week might be a good time to do it, as he’s been hitting .311/.367/.489 over the past two weeks and has some good position flexibility in most leagues.
Pittsburgh Pirates hitters – The Pirates also have six games this week, starting with three against the A’s who, as I mentioned, own the worst team FIP in the league, and closing with three against the Mets, who own the fifth-worst Team FIP in baseball (and even better, they’ll miss both Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander in that Mets series). I’m sure in standard leagues, plenty of people have soured on Jack Suwinski given how bad his average is, but in OBP leagues it’s worth noting the guy is sporting a .353 OBP on the year and is still hitting for power, with a .307 ISO over the past two weeks. And in deeper leagues, Ji Hwan Bae might provide some value, as he’s been hitting .323/.364/.452 over the past two weeks. Also, a potential deep league play, Tucupita Marcano, who’s been hitting .303/.324/.667 over the past two weeks and has been mostly leading off for the Pirates.
Arizona Diamondbacks hitters – The D’Backs also get six games this week, starting with three against the Nationals, a team that owns the second-worst Team FIP in all of baseball. Then, they’ll close the week with three games against the Tigers, who own the 11th-worst Team FIP in the league. Since being called back up to the majors, Jake McCarthy is hitting .320 with six stolen bases and is worth a look if he’s available in your league. And also make sure you’ve got Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in your lineup, as he’s been hitting .318/.318/.591 over the past two weeks.
AVOID
Seattle Mariners hitters – The Mariners have just five games this week, which already puts them at a disadvantage. On top of that, here’s who they’re slated to face this week: Joe Musgrove, Michael Wacha, Shohei Ohtani, Patrick Sandoval, and Griffin Canning. I’m not worried about the Canning matchup, and generally, I wouldn’t be worried about Wacha (though I mean, the guy posted a 0.84 ERA in May, so what do I know?), but overall I’m just not seeing enough value in a five-game week to warrant starting my Mariners hitters in a weekly league.
Los Angeles Angels hitters – The Angels have six games this week, all against some pretty tough pitching matchups. They start the week off with three games against the Cubs, who own the sixth-best Team FIP in baseball, and they close with the three games I mentioned earlier against the Mariners, who own the best Team FIP in the league. Obviously, you’re still starting your Angels studs like Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, but I’d sit your middle-of-the-road guys this week.
Toronto Blue Jays hitters – It’s a seven-game week for the Blue Jays which, normally, would be pretty enticing. But this week could prove to be a tough one for your Blue Jays hitters, as they’ll start off with four games against the Astros, who own the third-best Team FIP in the league and close with three games against the Twins, who own the second-best Team FIP in baseball.
New York Mets hitters – The Mets have six games this week, starting with three against Atlanta, who owns the fourth-best Team FIP in baseball, and closing with three games against the Pirates, who own the seventh-best Team FIP in the league, meaning it might be best to dodge your middle-of-the-road Mets hitters this week.