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.
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.
Also wanted to note that starting this week, 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!).
So let’s take a look at the hitters to start and avoid in Week 5 (4/28-5/2) 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
Detroit Tigers hitters – The Tigers get a full seven-game week this week with some pretty favorable pitching matchups to boot.
They start the week off with three games against the Astros, a series where they’ll see Ronel Blanco, Ryan Gusto, and Hayden Wesneski. Blanco could be a problem, but other than that, I’m good with that series (Wesneski can also put in a good game here and there but he’s not someone I’m avoiding just yet).
After that, the Tigers will get four games against the Angels, who currently own the worst team FIP in all of baseball. In that series they’ll face Kyle Hendricks, Yusei Kikuchi, José Soriano, and Jack Kochanowicz, none of whom concern me all that much.
Zack McKinstry is worth a look this week, as he’s been hitting .290/.421/.419 over the past two weeks and could have some value. And make sure you’ve got Kerry Carpenter in your lineups as well, as he’s been hitting well slashing .406/.424/.563 over the past two weeks.
Cincinnati Reds hitters – The Reds also get a full seven-game week this week, which already puts them at an advantage this week, especially in weekly leagues. On top of that, they’re slated to have some nice pitching matchups too.
They start the week off with four games against the Cardinals where they’ll see Andre Pallante, Miles Mikolas, Steven Matz, and Matthew Liberatore, none of whom worry me at all.
After that, the Reds will get three games against the Nationals where they’ll face Michael Soroka, Mitchell Parker, and Trevor Williams. Parker can definitely be a pain for hitters sometimes, but he’s not someone I’m going to actively avoid.
On top of all of this, all seven of the Reds’ games this week will be at home in hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark, though it is also worth noting that the weather forecast ranges a good bit this week. A couple warm games, some chances of rain, and then things cool off a bit, so just keep an eye on that.
Make sure you’ve got TJ Friedl in your lineups this week as he’s been on a hot streak, slashing .340/.382/.480 over the past two weeks, same with Austin Hays, who’s hitting .386/.449/.773 over the same time period and Noelvi Marte who’s hitting .343/.395/.686.
CATCHER TO STREAM: If you need some help at the catcher position, Jose Trevino has been hitting well lately, slashing .370/.433/.556 over the past two weeks, and should be fairly widely available.
Miami Marlins hitters – The Marlins have six games this week, starting with three games against the Dodgers. Normally, I wouldn’t be recommending starting hitters against the Dodgers’ pitching staff, but the Marlins will see Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, and Ben Casparius, none of whom concern me all that much, so I think you should be good.
After that, the Marlins have three games against the Athletics, who currently own the seventh-worst team FIP in the league. In that series, they’ll see Osvaldo Bido, JP Sears, and J.T. Ginn, again, none of whom worry me all that much.
Eric Wagaman could be worth a grab this week, as he’s been hitting .366/.409/.634 over the past two weeks and should be fairly widely available. Same with Kyle Stowers, who’s been hitting .297/.341/.405 over the past two weeks. That’s not a ton of power but still could have some value.
Atlanta hitters – Atlanta has six games this week, starting off with three games in Coors Field, which is always good news (especially considering the Rockies have the second-worst team FIP in the league right now). On top of that, the weather in Coors Field is supposed to be pretty good for that series, which is an added boon to your Atlanta hitters.
After that, Atlanta will have three games against the Dodgers where they’ll see Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, and Tyler Glasnow. Yamamoto and Glasnow are definite avoids in daily leagues. Sasaki has been decent but not a total shutdown ace, so I’m not as concerned about him.
Honestly, this week for your Atlanta hitters is all about their series in Coors. Good weather in the best hitters park in baseball, plus another matchup against the Dodgers that should be decent equates to a worthwhile week for your Atlanta hitters in my opinion.
In deeper leagues, Eli White could be worth a grab, as he’s been slashing .300/.391/.550 over the past two weeks.
AVOID
Colorado Rockies hitters – It feels weird to tell you to avoid your Rockies hitters in a week where they have three games at home in Coors, but alas, here I am doing exactly that.
Here’s why: it’s only three games in Coors Field and overall, the week doesn’t look great. That series at home against Atlanta will include a matchup against Chris Sale who, aside from one bad start so far this year, has looked pretty decent.
Even still, if you wanted to start your Rockies in that series at home in daily leagues, I’d understand. Problem is, after that series the Rockies will head to pitcher-friendly Oracle Park for four games against the Giants (who own the sixth-best team FIP in baseball) where they’ll see Justin Verlander, Robbie Ray, Jordan Hicks, and Logan Webb. And on top of that, the weather is supposed to be on the chillier side in San Francisco, which is a slight ding to the hitters.
All in all, while a three-game series in Coors Field is usually a sign that you should start your Rockies hitters, this week, I don’t think it’s worth it in weekly leagues.
Chicago White Sox hitters – The White Sox get six games this week, all at home in Chicago where the weather projects to be pretty cold all week.
They start the week off with three games against the Brewers where they’ll see Freddy Peralta, Tobias Myers, and Chad Patrick. Myers doesn’t worry me all that much, nor does Patrick, but Peralta definitely does.
After that, the White Sox will have three games against the Astros, who own the second-best team FIP in baseball, where they’ll face Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, and Lance McCullers Jr. While McCullers doesn’t concern me a ton, Valdez and Brown should prove to be tough matchups, and given the number of tough matchups plus the bad weather, I’d avoid my White Sox hitters this week.
San Diego Padres hitters – The Padres have just five games this week, which given how many teams have seven-game weeks, immediately puts them at a significant disadvantage, especially in weekly leagues.
On top of that, they’ve got some tough matchups. They start the week off with two games against the Giants where they’ll see Logan Webb and Landen Roupp. Then, they’ll get three games against the Pirates (who own the sixth-best team FIP in baseball) where they’ll see Mitch Keller, Bailey Falter, and Andrew Heaney.
Also, the weather forecast is not great for the Padres this week. Their two games at home against the Giants are forecasted to be pretty chilly, as are their games against the Pirates (with one potentially having some rain). There are definitely a couple matchups you could take advantage of in daily leagues, but for weekly leagues, it’s not worth it to me.
Seattle Mariners hitters – The Mariners have a similar problem to the Padres this week as they also have just a five-game week.
They start off with two games against the Angels where they’ll see Jack Kochanowicz and Tyler Anderson, the latter of whom has been pretty darn good to kick off the season.
Then, they’ll have three games against the Rangers where they’ll see Jack Leiter, Patrick Corbin, and Jacob deGrom. Leiter and Corbin don’t worry me but obviously deGrom does. So in total we’re probably looking at two to three games I feel okay starting my Mariners hitters in, which in a weekly league, isn’t worth it to me.
