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 21 (8/25-8/31) 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
Texas Rangers hitters – The Rangers get six games this week and are slated to have some matchups against some bad pitching staffs in some pretty good weather.
They kick the week off with three games against the Angels, who currently own the second-worst team FIP in baseball, where they’ll see Jose Soirano, Yusei Kikuchi, and Tyler Anderson, none of whom worry me.
After that, they’ll get three games against the A’s in Sacramento, where it’s expected to be pretty warm, which is good hitting weather. And even better, the A’s have the third-worst team FIP in the league, tossing out Jeffrey Springs, Jacob Lopez, and J.T. Ginn against the Rangers this week.
Make sure you’ve got Wyatt Langford in your lineups this week, as he’s been slashing .308/.438/.667 over the past two weeks.
CATCHER TO STREAM: If you need some help at catcher in deeper leagues, you could do worse than Kyle Higashioka this week. He’s not going to help you much in average, but he owns a .217 ISO over the past two weeks. Plus, the Rangers are slated to face four lefties this week, and Higashioka owns a .231 career ISO against lefties.
Houston Astros hitters – The Astros have a six-game week against some pretty bad pitching staffs, making it a pretty good week for their hitters.
They start the week off with three games against the Rockies (unfortunately not in Coors Field but still), a team that owns the worst team FIP in baseball. There, they’ll see Tanner Gordon, Chase Dollander, and Antonio Senzatela, none of whom worry me at all.
After that, the Astros will get three games against the Angels who, as I mentioned earlier, have the second-worst team FIP in baseball. There, they’ll see Victor Mederos, Kyle Hendricks, and José Soriano, none of whom concern me.
Christian Walker is worth a look this week, as he owns a very solid .244/.340/.488 line over the past two weeks. Same with Yainer Diaz, who’s hitting .279/.326/.419 over the same timespan.
New York Yankees hitters – The Yankees have a full seven-game week this week, kicking off with three games against the Nationals, who own the fourth-worst team FIP in baseball. There, they’ll see Brad Lord, MacKenzie Gore, and Cade Cavalli. Gore can be a problem, though I’m not too concerned about him as it can be pretty hit or miss, and I’m not worried about Lord or Cavalli.
After that, the Yankees will face the White Sox for four games, a team that owns the fifth-worst team FIP in the league. There, they’ll see Davis Martin, Yoendrys Gómez, Shane Smith, and Martín Pérez, none of whom worry me.
Ben Rice is worth a start this week as he owns an awesome .333/.440/.714 line over the past two weeks. Same with Giancarlo Stanton, who’s hitting .429/.484/1.107 over the same timespan.
AVOID
San Francisco Giants hitters – The Giants are slated for a tough week in large part because they’ll have a six-game homestand in one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in baseball and because they’ll be hosting the coldest games of the week, with temperatures slated to be in the low-60s all week in San Francisco, which isn’t great hitting weather.
On top of that, they’ll have some tough pitching matchups as well. They start the week off with three games against the Cubs where they’ll see Jameson Taillon, Colin Rea, and Shota Imanaga. Imanaga is definitely a concern and Taillon certainly can be, though he’s a bit more hit or miss. Since the start of June, Taillon has given up more than two earned runs just twice, but those two times he gave up five and eight, so it’s kind of boom or bust.
After that series, the Giants will host the Orioles where they’ll see Trevor Rogers, Tomoyuki Sugano, and Kyle Bradish. Rogers has been absolutely lights out and is definitely one to avoid, and Sugano has been very solid lately. Bradish is also generally a pitcher to avoid, but he’s coming back from Tommy John surgery on Tuesday against the Red Sox, so who knows how he’ll actually look in his second start back from injury.
Either way, between the weather, the ballpark, and the pitching matchups, I’d be looking elsewhere than my Giants hitters this week.
Baltimore Orioles hitters – The Orioles have a full seven-game week but are also slated for some tough matchups and not great weather.
They kick the week off with four games against the Red Sox where they’ll see Lucas Giolito, Brayan Bello, Garrett Crochet, and whoever the Red Sox elect to use as their fifth starter this week.
After that, the Orioles get three games against the Giants. As I mentioned earlier, that series in San Francisco—one of the best pitchers’ parks in the league—is slated to be very chilly, which isn’t great hitting weather. Even worse, the Giants own the second-best team FIP in baseball, which makes things really dicey for your middle-of-the-road Orioles hitters.
Atlanta hitters – While Atlanta has a seven-game week this week, they’re slated for some tough matchups which is going to make this a week to avoid their hitters.
They start the week off with three games against the Marlins where they’ll see Edward Cabrera, Sandy Alcantara, and Ryan Gusto. Worth noting that Alcantara has looked pretty darn good his last couple of starts.
After that, Atlanta will have four games against the Phillies, who own the best team FIP in the league. There, they’ll see Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez, Cristopher Sánchez, and Jesús Luzardo, which is a pretty rough slate and makes this a week to avoid your mid-tier Atlanta hitters.
