Hitters to Start and Avoid in Week 19 (8/5-8/11)

What’s up everyone!

If you’re unfamiliar with this 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. I’ll also be focusing on catchers you can stream each week since we all know that catcher can be an especially tricky position in fantasy.

So let’s take a look at the hitters to start and avoid in Week 18 (8/5-8/11) 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.

Additional note: I want to thank Christian Otterman for covering for me last week while I was out of town!

 

START

 

Colorado Rockies hitters – It’s everybody’s favorite week—a full week of home games for the Rockies!

The Rockies get six games at home in Coors Field this week, starting off with a three-game series against the Mets who currently own the sixth-worst team FIP in all of baseball.

Then, they’ll have three games against Atlanta, and that’s where things get a little bit more dicey. Atlanta currently holds the best team FIP in the league, but here’s why I’m still recommending you start your Rockies: in that series, the Rockies will see Reynaldo López, Max Fried, and Chris Sale. Obviously Fried and Sale are tough pitchers, but I’m not all that worried about Lopez.

So all in all, with six games in Coors Field, three of them against one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball, I still think you should be starting your Rockies hitters. Sure, going up against Atlanta could be tough, but I think the hitter-friendly environment of Coors Field will help mitigate that some.

Ezequiel Tovar is worth a look this week, as he’s been hitting .347/.346/.531 over the past two weeks, as is Brendan Rodgers, who’s slashing .326/.380/.543 over the same time period.

CATCHER TO STREAM: Elias Díaz hasn’t been incredible lately, but if you’re desperate at the catcher position, you can’t ask for much better than six games in Coors Field.

 

Atlanta hitters – Atlanta has a six-game week this week, starting off with three games against the Brewers, who own the fifth-worst team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Colin Rea, Joe Ross, and Freddy Peralta. Peralta is the only one that potentially worries me, but not enough to bench my Atlanta hitters given the matchups this week.

That’s because while a series against the Brewers is good for your Atlanta hitters, their next series—the three-game series against the Rockies in Coors Field that I mentioned earlier—is even better. Not only is Coors Field obviously the best hitters’ park in baseball, but the Rockies own the worst team FIP in the league too.

Jorge Soler is worth a start this week, as he’s been slashing .350/.509/.575 over the past two weeks, as is Orlando Arcia, who’s hitting .375/.444/.700 over the same time period.

CATCHER TO STREAM: Depending on your league, it’s possible Sean Murphy is out on the waiver wire, and if he is, he’s worth a grab for this week, as he’s been hitting .273/.407/.409 over the past two weeks. That’s not much power or anything, but if you need help at the catcher position, you could do worse, especially given the matchups.

 

Oakland Athletics hitters – The A’s have six games this week, starting off with three games against the White Sox, who currently own the second-worst team FIP in all of baseball (and they’ll avoid Garrett Crochet in that series too).

After that, the A’s will see the Blue Jays for three games, a team that currently owns the third-worst team FIP in the league. In that series, they’ll face José Berríos, Yariel Rodríguez, and Ryan Yarbrough, none of whom worry me all that much.

If you haven’t hopped on the Lawrence Butler train yet, you should. He’s hitting .333/.400/.667 over the past two weeks and is still fairly available in some leagues. Miguel Andujar is also worth a look this week, as he’s slashing .304/.347/.457 over the past two weeks, as is JJ Bleday, who’s hitting .333/.389/.545 over the same time period. Seth Brown is also worth a look, as he’s hitting .313/.333/.625 over the past two weeks.

CATCHER TO STREAM: Shea Langeliers could be useful this week if you need help at the catcher position. He’s sporting a .364 ISO over the past two weeks and with some favorable matchups, could help you out if you need it.

 

Cincinnati Reds hitters – The Reds have a full seven-game week this week, and even better, they’re slated for some pretty favorable matchups.

They start the week off with four games against the Marlins, a team that currently owns the 11th-worst team FIP in all of baseball. In that series, they’ll see Roddery Muñoz, Max Meyer, Valente Bllozo, and Kyle Tyler, none of whom worry me that much.

After that, they’ll get three games against the Brewers, who as I mentioned, own the fifth-worst team FIP in the league. There, they’ll see Frankie Montas, Aaron Civale, and Tobias Myers. Certainly Montas and Civale can be difficult matchups, but it’s far from a guarantee, so I’m not benching my Reds against them.

Both Will Benson and Jake Fraley could be worth a look this week in deeper leagues, as they’re sporting an ISO of .333 and .297 respectively over the past two weeks. The batting average hasn’t been incredible, but there’s some power you might be able to use there.

 

New York Yankees hitters – The Yankees get six games this week, starting off with three games against the Angels, who currently own the fourth-worst team FIP in the league. There, they’ll see Davis Daniel, Carson Fulmer, and Tyler Anderson, none of whom should be much of a problem.

Then, the Yankees will have three games against the Rangers, who own the eighth-worst team FIP in the league. They will see Max Scherzer during that series, which could prove tricky, but overall I think you’re good to start your Yanks this week.

Anthony Volpe is worth a start this week, as he’s hitting .354/.367/.646 over the past two weeks.

CATCHER TO STREAM: If you need some help at catcher this week, Austin Wells is worth a grab, as he’s fairly available and is slashing .359/.426/.590 over the past two weeks.

 

AVOID

 

Chicago Cubs hitters – The Cubs only have five games this week, which already puts them at a disadvantage. On top of that, they’re slated for a few tough matchups.

They start the week off with three games against the Twins, a team that currently owns the fourth-best team FIP in all of baseball, and in that series they’ll see David Festa, Pablo López, and Joe Ryan.

Then, they’ll have a two-game series against the White Sox, and while the White Sox do have one of the worst team FIPs in the league, they’ll see Garrett Crochet in that series (the other game will be against Chris Flexen, so in daily leagues feel free to start your Twins there).

All in all, there’s not enough value to warrant starting your middle-of-the-road Twins hitters this week in weekly leagues.

 

Los Angeles Dodgers hitters – The Dodgers have six games this week, starting off with three games against the Phillies, a team that currently owns the third-best team FIP in all of baseball. In that series, they’ll face Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sánchez, and Tyler Phillips. Phillips doesn’t worry me, so feel free to start against him in daily leagues, but Nola and Sanchez can be tough.

After that, the Dodgers will have a three-game series against the Pirates where they’ll see Marco Gonzales, Mitch Keller, and Paul Skenes. Similar to the previous series, I’m not worried about Gonzales, so that’s fine in daily leagues, but Keller and Skenes can certainly prove to be a tough matchup.

Overall looking at this week, it looks like maybe two games I’d be comfortable starting my middle-of-the-road Dodgers hitters, so I’d avoid them in weekly leagues.

 

Tampa Bay Rays hitters – The Rays also have a six-game week this week, starting off with three games against the Cardinals where they’ll see Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, and Kyle Gibson. I’m not all that worried about Gibson, but Gray and Fedde should definitely be difficult.

After that, the Rays will have three games against the Orioles where they’ll face Zach Eflin, Corbin Burnes, and Grayson Rodriguez, all three of whom can definitely be tricky matchups for hitters, meaning there isn’t much value to be had for your Rays hitters this week.

 

Detroit Tigers hitters – The Tigers have six games this week, kicking off the week with three games against the Mariners, who own the second-best team FIP in baseball right now. In that series, they’ll face Luis Castillo, George Kirby, and Bryan Woo, which doesn’t sound fun for your Tigers hitters.

Then, the Tigers will have three games against the Giants in pitcher-friendly Oracle Park, where they’ll see Hayden Birdsong, Robbie Ray, and Logan Webb. Birdsong has looked pretty darn good so far, and certainly both Ray and Webb can be difficult for hitters. Overall, I’m not seeing enough value to warrant starting my Tigers hitters this week.