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 catchers can be an especially tricky position in fantasy.
Also wanted to note that PL Pro member LarryV, who is a former meteorologist at the National Weather Service, has been kind enough to lend his expertise to provide insights on which teams are likely to have the best/worst weather this week, so I’ll be including that where it’s relevant (and thanks Larry!).
Now, let’s take a look at the hitters to start and avoid in Week 19 (8/11-8/17) 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
Arizona Diamondbacks hitters – Lots of teams get full, seven-game weeks this week, and the D’Backs are one of them with a handful of pretty sweet matchups ahead.
They start their week off with three games against the Rangers, where they’ll see Nathan Eovaldi, Jack Leiter, and Merrill Kelly. Now, I’d normally avoid the Rangers, and I don’t necessarily think that the Rangers series will be the best for the D’Backs (worth noting the Rangers have the third-best team FIP in baseball), but I think the matchup against Leiter should work out fine. And bonus: the weather is supposed to be pretty warm.
Where this week gets really interesting, and what makes it worth it in weekly leagues to deal with the Rangers series is the series the D’Backs have afterwards: four games against the Rockies in Coors Field.
The worst pitching staff in baseball in the best hitters’ park in baseball, you can’t get much better than that. Sure, the Rangers series might be kinda okay for your D’Backs hitters, but the four-game series in Coors is worth it.
Jake McCarthy is hitting a solid .267/.313/.667 (that’s a whopping .400 ISO there) over the past two weeks and is worth a look in deeper leagues. Similarly, Blaze Alexander owns a .250/.351/.500 line over the past two weeks and could have some value in deep leagues, especially deeper OBP leagues. And Alek Thomas is slashing .357/.406/.679 over the past two weeks and warrants a look.
Detroit Tigers hitters – The Tigers also have a full seven-game week this week, kicking off with three games against the White Sox, who currently own the sixth-worst team FIP in baseball. There, they’ll face Shane Smith, Aaron Civale, and whoever the White Sox choose to throw in as their fifth starter.
After that, the Tigers get four games against the Twins, where they’ll see Bailey Ober, Jose Urena, Zebby Matthews, and Pierson Ohl, none of whom concern me much at all.
Overall, it looks to be a pretty favorable matchup for your Tigers hitters this week, especially because they’re also looking at pretty solid hitting weather all week.
Colt Keith is sporting a .345/.367/.483 line over the past two weeks and has been leading off for the Tigers most of the time, so he’s definitely worth a look this week. And make sure you’ve got Kerry Carpenter in your lineups this week, as he owns a .367/.387/.933 line over the past two weeks. In deeper leagues, Wenceel Pérez is worth a look, as he’s been hitting .353/.405/.647 over the past two weeks.
CATCHER TO STREAM: If you need some help at the catcher position this week, Dillon Dingler owns a .281/.324/.469 line over the past two weeks and should be fairly available for a pretty favorable week.
Philadelphia Phillies hitters – The Phillies get a seven-game week as well this week, kicking off with three games against the Reds, who currently own the 13th-worst team FIP in the league. There, they’ll see Andrew Abbott, Brady Singer, and Hunter Greene.
Abbott is definitely someone to be concerned about, and normally, I’d be concerned about Greene, but assuming he does actually start in this series, it’ll be his first start off the IL, so I’m less concerned.
After that, the Phillies will get four games against the Nationals, who own the fourth-worst team FIP in baseball. There, they’ll see Brad Lord, MacKenzie Gore, Cade Cavalli, and Mitchell Parker, none of whom worry me much at all.
Brandon Marsh is slashing a ridiculous .500/.500/1.107 over the past two weeks and is definitely worth a look this week while he’s hot (and he’s still fairly available, too). And in deep leagues, Edmundo Sosa is slashing a respectable .280/.280/.440 over the past two weeks and could be useful. Also, make sure you’ve got Bryson Stott in your lineups, as he owns a .292/.400/.458 line over the past two weeks.
Texas Rangers hitters – The Rangers only get six games this week, but they’re slated for some pretty good matchups, so you should still be able to get some value out of their hitters this week.
They start the week off with three games against the Diamondbacks, who own the seventh-worst team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Ryne Nelson, Anthony DeSclafani, and Zac Gallen, none of whom worry me much.
After that, they get three games against the Blue Jays, who own the eighth-worst team FIP in baseball, where they’ll see Chris Bassitt, Eric Lauer, and José Berríos. None of those guys worries me much, though I do recognize Lauer’s been pretty good, but he’s not someone I’m actively avoiding just yet.
Rowdy Tellez is sporting a .333/.333/.500 line over the past two weeks (pretty limited number of appearances though) and could have some value in deep leagues, especially since the Rangers are only slated to see one lefty this week.
CATCHER TO STREAM: If you’re looking for a catcher to use this week, Kyle Higashioka is sporting a .296/.321/.704 line over the past two weeks and is pretty widely available.
AVOID
Seattle Mariners hitters – The Mariners get six games this week with a good handful of pretty tough matchups ahead.
They start the week off with three games against the Orioles. Now, normally, I’d recommend starting your hitters against the Orioles, given their pitching staff has been pretty bad, and certainly in daily leagues, I’m good starting my Mariners hitters against Dean Kremer and Tomoyuki Sugano. But the Mariners are also slated to face Trevor Rogers, who has been absolutely lights out so far this season, not giving up more than three earned runs in any start this whole season.
After that series, the Mariners will get three games against the Mets, who currently have the fifth-best team FIP in baseball. There, they’ll see Frankie Montas Jr., Sean Manaea, and Clay Holmes, all of whom have been really solid this year.
While there are a couple of matchups worth taking advantage of in daily leagues, I’d mostly avoid my Mariners hitters this week.
San Francisco Giants hitters – The Giants are in a similar spot to the Mariners this week—there are a couple of matchups worth taking advantage of in daily leagues, but for the most part, it’s a pretty tough week.
First off, the Giants have six games this week, all of which will be at home in pitcher-friendly Oracle Park, and in a week in San Francisco that’s slated to be the coolest in baseball, so not the most hitter-friendly weather around.
They start their week off with three games against the Padres, where they’ll see Yu Darvish, Nestor Cortes, and Nick Pivetta. Cortes doesn’t concern me too much, but Darvish and Pivetta can certainly be a problem.
After that, they’ll get three games against the Rays, where they’ll see Joe Boyle, Adrian Houser, and Ryan Pepiot. Boyle and Houser are okay, but Pepiot can certainly be an issue.
All in all, in weekly leagues, I’d be avoiding my Giants hitters given the matchups, weather, and location. In daily leagues, you can pick and choose a little easier.
San Diego Padres hitters – The Padres also get six games this week and have some pretty tough matchups.
They start the week off with the three-game series I mentioned earlier against the Giants, who own the best team FIP in the league, in their pitcher-friendly ballpark. There, they’ll see Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, and Kai-Wei Teng, and while Teng doesn’t worry me, Webb and Ray do.
After that, they’ll get three games against the Dodgers, where they’ll see Clayton Kershaw, Blake Snell, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, all of whom definitely concern me and making this, on the whole, a tough week to start your Padres hitters.
