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 22 (9/1-9/7) 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
San Diego Padres hitters – The Padres have six games this week with some pretty fantastic matchups slated ahead.
They start the week off with three games against the Orioles, who own the sixth-worst team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells, and Cade Povich. Now, Bradish looked pretty solid in his first start back from injury, so it’s entirely possible he ends up being a problem, but I’m not actively avoiding him just yet.
And while Wells can also be quite good, his start is going to be his first since returning from Tommy John surgery, so I’d be surprised if he goes super long into the start regardless of how he’s doing (and the Orioles’ bullpen is rough to say the least).
After that, the Padres will get a three-game series against the Rockies, who own the worst team FIP in baseball, all in Coors Field. I’ve said this in past articles, but if you get the chance to start your hitters against the worst pitching staff in baseball in the best hitters’ park in baseball, you should do it.
Ryan O’Hearn has been lighting it up lately, slashing .310/.370/.500 over the past two weeks, so make sure you’ve got him out there this week. Same with the other former Oriole, Ramón Laureano, who’s hitting .279/.326/.535 over the past two weeks. Also, Gavin Sheets has been on fire, slashing .417/.475/.833 over the past two weeks and is definitely worth a grab if he’s out there on the waiver wire.
San Francisco Giants hitters – The Giants are in a similar boat this week to the Padres, as they also get three games in Coors Field against the Rockies. That’s how they kick the week off, and like I said earlier, it’s the worst pitching staff in the league in the best hitters’ park in the league, so definitely take advantage of that.
After the Rockies series, the Giants will have three games against the Cardinals, whose pitching staff is more middle-of-the-pack. In that series, they’ll see Michael McGreevy, Andre Pallante, and Sonny Gray, and of those, Gray is the only one I’d be actively avoiding in daily leagues. Otherwise, I think you should be good to go.
Heliot Ramos owns a very solid .263/.349/.474 line over the past two weeks and should have some value this week. Also in deeper leagues, Dominic Smith could be useful, as he’s hitting .296/.323/.444 over the past two weeks and generally has been sitting in the middle of the Giants’ lineup against righties (and the Giants are only slated to see one lefty this week). Similarly, Luis Matos has been hot lately, slashing .433/.469/.900 over the past two weeks, and should be pretty widely available in deeper leagues.
Colorado Rockies hitters – This is a bit more of a tentative recommendation than I normally would give, but hear me out.
Based on the first two entries, I think you know who the Rockies are playing this week—the Giants and the Padres. Unfortunately, the Giants and Padres have two of the better pitching staffs in the league. This week, the Rockies are slated to face Carson Whisenhunt, Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Nick Pivetta, Dylan Cease, and Yu Darvish. Aside from Whisenhunt and probably Darvish, those are some tough matchups.
But it’s six games in Coors Field, which should help negate some of those tough pitching matchups, and in a weekly league, it’s hard to ignore the potential production of six games in Coors, so I think it’s probably worth a shot this week.
Brenton Doyle has been hitting really well lately, slashing .325/.364/.650 over the past two weeks, and is definitely worth a look this week.
Los Angeles Angels hitters – The Angels are one of the few teams with a full seven-game week this week, and they’re slated for some pretty solid pitching matchups, too.
They start the week off with one game against the Astros on Monday, finishing out a weekend series, where they’ll see Luis García Jr. on his return from Tommy John surgery, which isn’t a start I’m worried about.
After that, the Angels will have a three-game series against the Royals where they’ll see Noah Cameron, Michael Lorenzen, and Ryan Bergert. Cameron is probably one to avoid in daily leagues, but I’m not concerned about Lorenzen or Bergert.
And closing out the week, the Angels will have a three-game series against the Athletics, who currently own the fourth-worst team FIP in the league, so all in all, a pretty solid week for your Angels hitters.
Jo Adell has been crushing the ball lately, slashing .350/.395/.775 over the past two weeks, and is definitely worth a look this week.
AVOID
Chicago White Sox hitters – While the White Sox have a seven-game week this week, it’s a really tough one for their hitters on two different fronts—the matchups and the weather.
The Sox are slated to play in some of the coldest games of this week, which isn’t the best weather for hitting. On top of that, they’re slated to see some pretty tough pitchers.
They start the week off with four games against the Twins, where they’ll see Bailey Ober, Simeon Woods Richardson, Zebby Matthews, and Taj Bradley. There are definitely a few matchups in there you could take advantage of, though there are some tough ones, too.
After that, they’ll get three games against the Tigers, who own the seventh-best team FIP in baseball, where they’ll see Jack Flaherty, Tarik Skubal, and Charlie Morton. I’m not actively avoiding Morton, but I’d be staying away from Flaherty and Skubal.
Overall, while seven games is usually awesome, the weather and the matchups make it a tougher sell to start your White Sox hitters this week.
Baltimore Orioles hitters – The Orioles have six games this week, starting off with three games against the Padres, who own the ninth-best team FIP in the league. There, they’ll see Yu Darvish, Michael King, and Nestor Cortes, all matchups that certainly have the potential to be pretty tough.
After that, the Orioles get three games against the Dodgers, where they’ll face off against Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, all of whom I’d be avoiding.
There are a couple of matchups you might be able to use your Orioles hitters in this week in a daily league, but generally, I’d be avoiding them.
Milwaukee Brewers hitters – The Brewers are one of the few teams this week with just five games, which already puts them at a significant disadvantage in weekly leagues.
On top of that, their first two games of the week will be against the Phillies, who own the best team FIP in all of baseball. There, they’ll face Aaron Nola and Ranger Suárez, whom I’d likely be avoiding.
After that, they’ll get three games against the Pirates where they’ll see Johan Oviedo, Mitch Keller, and Mike Burrows (luckily dodging Paul Skenes). That’s not a bad series; certainly, you could utilize your Brewers hitters against Oviedo and Burrows in daily leagues. Keller is a bit more hit or miss (more miss than hit lately), so that could be useful too.
This is mainly an avoid for weekly leagues. I just don’t think basically three games of production is worth it for your middle-of-the-road Brewers hitters.
