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 22 (8/26-9/1) 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 – It’s a great week for your Rockies hitters, because they’re going to get a full seven-game week at home in Coors Field.
That alone would be reason enough to start your Rockies hitters this week, regardless of their matchups, but even better, the Rockies are slated for some favorable matchups this week.
They start the week off with four games against the Marlins, a team that currently owns the fifth-worst team FIP in all of baseball. Then, they’ll have three games against the Orioles, and while the Orioles have generally had a pretty good pitching staff, in that series the Rockies will miss Corbin Burnes and will instead face Albert Suarez, Dean Kremer, and Zach Eflin. Eflin can definitely be tough, but in Coors Field, I’m not all that worried, and certainly Suarez and Kremer don’t worry me.
Brenton Doyle is definitely worth a start this week, as he’s been slashing .308/.357/.487 over the past two weeks, same with Brendan Rodgers, who’s hitting a rock solid .273/.283/.477 over the same time period. Michael Toglia is also worth a look, as he’s hitting .306/.444/.528 over the past two weeks.
CATCHER TO STREAM: This is specifically geared towards anyone who is really desperate at catcher. If you are, you could do a lot worse than grabbing Drew Romo for a seven-game week at Coors Field. Romo hasn’t been all that great since he was called up last week, but he also hasn’t had many plate appearances, as the Rockies have seen a lot of left-handed pitchers over the past week, and they seem to start Jacob Stallings against lefties. But the Rockies aren’t slated to see a single lefty all week this week, so if you’re in a deep league and desperate, seven games in Coors Field isn’t a bad swing, especially considering Romo looked pretty good in the minors this year, slashing .297/.339/.499 in Triple-A.
Miami Marlins hitters – The Marlins also have a full seven-game week this week, starting off with the four-game series at Coors Field against the Rockies that I mentioned earlier.
That series is the main driver of the Marlins’ value this week. After that, they’ll head to San Francisco for three games against the Giants where they’ll see both Blake Snell and Robbie Ray. Ray has been a bit up-and-down, so he’s not as scary of a matchup, but certainly Snell is. That said, with four games in Coors this week and a couple of okay matchups in San Francisco, I think you’re good starting your Marlins this week.
Xavier Edwards is worth a look this week, as he’s been slashing .306/.405/.417 with seven stolen bases over the past two weeks, as is Jake Burger, who’s hitting .275/.356/.625 over the same time period. And if you’re just looking for power, Jesus Sanchez is sporting a .206 ISO over the past two weeks and certainly could do some damage in Coors Field. Also, in deeper leagues, Connor Norby owns a .313/.353/.500 slashline over the past two weeks and could have some value.
CATCHER TO STREAM: Similar to the previous catcher streaming recommendation, this is more matchup-based than recent-performance-based, but if you need some help at the catcher position, Nick Fortes could be helpful in deeper leagues. Again, you could do a whole lot worse than four games in Coors Field, and for whatever it’s worth, Fortes owns a .267 ISO over the past two weeks.
Baltimore Orioles hitters – The Orioles have six games this week, starting off with three games against the Dodgers, who currently own the 11th-worst team FIP in all of baseball. They’ll face Walker Buehler, Jack Flaherty, and Bobby Miller, and while Flaherty could prove tough given how he’s pitched this year, Buehler and Miller have both looked pretty bad and should be fine.
Then, the Orioles will get to head to Coors Field for the three-game series against the Rockies that I mentioned earlier, and whenever you can face the worst pitching staff in baseball in the best hitters park in baseball, you’re gonna be happy.
Assuming he’s healthy, Cedric Mullins is worth a look this week as he’s been hitting .333/.481/.476 with four stolen bases over the past two weeks (as of this writing, he’s dealing with some quad tightness but no word yet on whether he’ll miss time). And in deeper leagues, Austin Slater owns a .438/.526/.688 line over the past two weeks (small sample size though) and could be worth a look, especially if Mullins does end up missing time, as Slater will likely be starting in the outfield.
Texas Rangers hitters – The Rangers have six games this week and are slated to have some pretty good matchups for their hitters.
They start the week off with three games against the White Sox, who currently own the second-worst team FIP in all of baseball. Yes, they’ll see Garrett Crochet in that series, so maybe in daily leagues bench your Rangers hitters against him, though I’d note that Crochet is on an innings limit and is likely to only go four to five innings, so that would limit his potential impact. Plus, getting to face the rest of the White Sox pitching staff is worth it.
After that, the Rangers will get three games against the A’s, who currently have the ninth-worst team FIP in baseball. In that series, they’ll see Joe Boyle, Joey Estes, and Mitch Spence, none of whom concern me.
Unfortunately, the entire Rangers lineup save for Corey Seager and Adolis García (both of whom you’re likely starting no matter what) has been in an offensive slump over the past couple of weeks, so there aren’t really any sneaky waiver wire pickup plays to recommend, but if you’ve got Rangers on your team, this is a good week to start them.
AVOID
Tampa Bay Rays hitters – The Rays have six games this week, starting off with three against the Mariners, who currently own the second-best team FIP in all of baseball. There, they’ll face Bryce Miller, Logan Gilbert, and Luis Castillo, all of whom should prove to be difficult matchups.
Then, the Rays will host the Padres for three games, a team that owns the third-best team FIP in the league. While their matchups against Martín Pérez and Randy Vasquez don’t necessarily scare me, their game against Dylan Cease certainly does, which means there are maybe two games I’d feel comfortable starting my Rays hitters in, making this week an avoid.
Atlanta hitters – While Atlanta has a seven-game week, which would normally be exciting for their hitters, they’re slated to see some fairly tough matchups.
They start the week off with three games against the Twins, who currently own the seventh-best team FIP in all of baseball, where they’ll see Bailey Ober, Simeon Woods Richardson, and David Festa. Festa doesn’t concern me all too much, but Ober and Woods Richardson have both been really solid so far this year.
After that, Atlanta will get a four-game series against the Phillies, who currently own the fifth-best team FIP in the league. There, they’ll see Ranger Suárez, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Cristopher Sánchez, all of whom could prove very tricky for your Atlanta hitters.
Washington Nationals hitters – The Nats have six games this week, starting off with three games against the Yankees where they’re slated to face Nestor Cortes, Gerrit Cole, and Carlos Rodón. Cortes certainly can be a problem, though he doesn’t worry me all that much right now, but Cole and Rodon certainly do.
After that, the Nats will get three games against the Cubs, who own the ninth-best team FIP in baseball, where they’ll see Shota Imanaga, Javier Assad, and Jameson Taillon. Taillon I’m not all that worried about, but that’s about it, meaning in a six-game week there are maybe two games I’d feel comfortable starting my Nats hitters in, and that’s not enough value for me in weekly leagues.
Thanks, Ben.