Hitters to Start and Avoid in Week 4 (4/24-4/30)

What’s up everyone!

If you’re unfamiliar with this article 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.

If you’d like to learn more about when it becomes less risky to stream hitters (and pitchers) and when certain team stats start to stabilize during the year, check out this article.

So let’s take a look at the hitters to start and avoid in Week 4 (4/24-4/30) 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 – The DBacks have six games this week, starting with three against the Royals, who own the eighth-worst team FIP in baseball, and closing with three games against the Rockies in Coors Field, making this a great week for your Arizona hitters. Gabriel Moreno has been slashing a solid .310/.333/.448 over the past two weeks and warrants a look this week.

Baltimore Orioles hitters – The Orioles have a full seven-game week this week, starting with three games against the Red Sox, who own the ninth-worst team FIP in baseball, and ending with four games against the Tigers, who own the third-worst team FIP in the league. One of those games in the Red Sox series is slated to be against Chris Sale, who could be a tough matchup, but overall, I’m not worried about my Orioles hitters this week. Jorge Mateo has been hitting exceptionally well, slashing .370/.406/.630 with three steals over the past two weeks, and definitely warrants a start this week, as does Austin Hays, who’s hitting .356/.383/.667 over the past two weeks.

Cleveland Guardians hitters – The Guardians have six games this week, starting with three against the Rockies. Unfortunately, those games are not in Coors Field, but luckily for your Guardians hitters, the Rockies own the fifth-worst team FIP in baseball. Then, the Guardians close the week with three games against the Red Sox and their aforementioned not-great pitching staff, so make sure you get your Guardians hitters out there this week.

Washington Nationals hitters – The Nats have six games this week, starting with three against the Mets, who own the fourth-worst team FIP in baseball, and closing with three games against the Pirates where they’ll see Rich Hill, Vince Velasquez, and Johan Oviedo, none of whom are especially scary to me (maybe Oviedo, but that’s it). Jeimer Candelario owns a very respectable .318/.354/.455 slashline over the past two weeks and could be a useful play in deeper leagues.

William Contreras – The Brewers are slated to face four lefties this week, which could be good news for William Contreras, as he’s a career .310/.406/.524 hitter against lefties.

 

AVOID

 

Houston Astros hitters – The Astros have six games this week and they look to be potentially pretty tough. They start the week with three games against the Rays, who own the best team FIP in all of baseball, and they close with three games against the Phillies where they’ll see Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. Now, I know Wheeler and Nola haven’t exactly been dominant to start the year, but that doesn’t mean I suddenly think they’re great matchups for hitters either. All in all, there doesn’t look to be a ton of potential value here for your Astros hitters.

St. Louis Cardinals hitters – The Cardinals have a seven-game week this week, which would normally be exciting, but they’ve got some difficult matchups coming up. They start the week off in arguably the most pitcher-friendly park in baseball in Oracle Park for four games against the Giants. In that series, they’ll see Alex Cobb, Sean Manaea, Anthony DeSclafani, and Logan Webb. Aside from Webb, none of those guys are terrifying but every single one of them is very capable of neutralizing an opposing offense. Then, the Cardinals close out the week with three games against the Dodgers, where they’ll see Clayton Kershaw and Noah Syndergaard. So all in all, I’m not seeing a ton of value this week for your Cardinals hitters.

San Diego Padres hitters – The Padres only get five games this week, which is already a big knock against them in weekly leagues. On top of that, they’ll have three games against the Cubs who, believe it or not, own the second-best team FIP in all of baseball, and they’ll close with two games against the Giants where they’ll likely see Ross Stripling and Alex Cobb. I’m not all that worried about the Stripling matchup, but Cobb can certainly be a tough matchup at times. That, plus just a five-game schedule, makes it tough to start your middle-of-the-road Padres this week.

Philadelphia Phillies hitters – The Phillies have six games this week, starting with three against the Mariners who own the third-best team FIP in baseball, and closing with three games against the Astros who own the eighth-best team FIP in the league, so I’d avoid your middle-of-the-road Phillies hitters this week.

Willy Adames – With the Brewers slated to face four lefties this week, it looks like it could be a tough week for Willy Adames, who’s a career .224/.299/.396 hitter against lefties.