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 11 (6/12-6/18) 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
Philadelphia Phillies hitters – The Phillies have a full seven-game week this week and even better, they’ll have some great matchups for their hitters. They start the week off with four games against the Diamondbacks, who own the ninth-worst team FIP in baseball, and they’ll close with three games against the A’s, who own the worst team FIP in the league. Nick Castellanos is definitely worth a start this week as he’s been hitting well lately, slashing .381/.413/.619 over the past two weeks.
Tampa Bay Rays hitters – The Rays also have a full seven-game week this week, starting with four games against the A’s who, as I mentioned earlier, have the worst team FIP in the entire league. Then, they’ll close with three games against the Padres where they’ll face Ryan Weathers, Blake Snell, and Joe Musgrove. The games against Snell and Musgrove could be tough and in a daily league, I’d probably avoid my Rays hitters there, but in a weekly league, there’s enough value here that I’m starting my Rays. If you’re looking for an interesting play this week, Luke Raley has been hitting .320/.414/.720 over the past two weeks and is definitely worth a look.
Houston Astros hitters – The Astros have six games this week, starting with three against the Nationals, who own the second-worst team FIP in baseball, and closing with three against the Reds, who own the seventh-worst team FIP in the league. Jeremy Peña has been hitting fairly well lately, slashing .292/.382/.438 over the past two weeks, and hopefully some good matchups this week can bring that slugging percentage up a slight bit. Either way, he’s definitely worth a look at starting this week.
Atlanta hitters – Atlanta has a full seven-game week this week, starting with three games against the Tigers where they’ll face Tyler Alexander, Reese Olson, and Michael Lorenzen. Lorenzen has been pretty good lately, so he might be a tough matchup, but generally, I’m not concerned about that series. Then, Atlanta will get to face the Rockies for four games. Unfortunately, those games won’t be in Coors Field, but the Rockies still own the third-worst team FIP in baseball, so I think it’s worth starting your hitters against them, even if they’re outside Coors. Eddie Rosario has been hitting well lately, slashing .357/.357/.690 over the past two weeks and is definitely worth a look.
AVOID
Detroit Tigers hitters – The Tigers have seven games this week, which normally would be exciting for their offensive prospects, but this week, they’re slated to have some tough matchups. They start off with three games against Atlanta, a team that owns the fourth-best team FIP in baseball, and they close with four games against the Twins, who own the second-best team FIP in the league. All of that is to say, I’d dodge my Tigers hitters this week.
Milwaukee Brewers hitters – In a week where it feels like every team has a seven-game week, the Brewers have just five games this week, which already puts them at a disadvantage. On top of that, they’ll have two games against the Twins, whose pitching staff as I mentioned owns the second-best team FIP in the league, and they’ll close with three games against the Pirates where they’ll see Johan Oviedo, Mitch Keller, and Roansy Contreras. None of those guys are immediate avoids, but Oviedo and Keller at the very least can definitely be very tricky for hitters. Given the short week and the matchups, I wouldn’t be starting my middle-of-the-road Brewers this week.
Chicago White Sox hitters – The White Sox have six games this week, starting with three against the Dodgers where they’ll see Tony Gonsolin, Clayton Kershaw, and Michael Grove. I’m not all that worried about Grove, but Kershaw is always a problem for hitters and Gonsolin certainly can be too. Then, they’ll have three games against the Mariners, who own the best team FIP in the entire league, so it’s not a great week for your White Sox hitters.
Arizona Diamondbacks hitters – Here’s a list of the seven pitchers the D’Backs are slated to face this week: Dylan Covey, Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suárez, Aaron Nola, Triston McKenzie, Shane Bieber, Tanner Bibee. Do any of those matchups sound particularly fun for your D’Backs hitters? Not really.