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.
So let’s take a look at the hitters to start and avoid in Week 8 (5/20-5/26) 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
Baltimore Orioles hitters – The Orioles have a full seven-game week this week and are slated for some really favorable matchups for their hitters.
They start the week off with three games against the Cardinals, a team who currently owns the 12th-worst team FIP in baseball. They do face Sonny Gray in that series, who can be a tough matchup, but otherwise I’m not concerned about facing the Cardinals.
Then, the Orioles will have four games against the White Sox, who currently own the second-worst team FIP in the league. They’ll see Erick Fedde and Garrett Crochet in that series, both of whom certainly can be a tricky matchup, but it’s not something I’m actively avoiding.
Jordan Westburg has continued to rake lately, slashing .314/.359/.600 over the past two weeks, so make sure you’ve got him in your lineups.
Oakland Athletics hitters – The A’s get six games this week, starting off with three games against the Rockies, the team with the worst team FIP in all of baseball. Unfortunately those games will be in Oakland rather than Coors Field, but still, worth taking advantage of.
After that, the A’s get three games against the Astros who currently own the fourth-worst team FIP in the league. They will see Justin Verlander in that series, so that could prove tricky, and they’ll also see Ronel Blanco (though who knows what effect this sticky stuff suspension will have on him).
All in all, I think you should be able to get some value out of your A’s hitters this week. Abraham Toro isn’t tearing it up quite like he did a few weeks back, but he’s still hitting .316/.350/.439 over the past two weeks, so there’s still some value there. Also, Brent Rooker is hitting .320/.393/.520 over the past two weeks, so make sure he’s in your lineups, and in deeper leagues,
CATCHER(S) TO STREAM: He’s only available in a handful of leagues, but Shea Langeliers is worth a start this week at the catcher position. He’s been hitting .333/.405/.758 over the past two weeks. Also, Tyler Soderstrom is slashing .318/.400/.545 over the past two weeks and is catcher-eligible in some leagues, so he’s worth a snag if you need help.
Philadelphia Phillies hitters – The Phillies have six games this week, starting off with three games against the Rangers, who currently own the ninth-worst team FIP in baseball. They’ll see Jon Gray in that series, who could be tricky, but then they’ll face Andrew Heaney and Jose Urena, neither of whom worry me at all.
After that, the Phillies will get to head to Coors Field for three games against the Rockies. Getting to face the team with the worst FIP in baseball in the best hitters park in baseball is always a plus.
Bryson Stott has been on fire lately, slashing .406/.553/.656 over the past two weeks with six steals, so make sure you’ve got him in your lineups this week. Also in deeper leagues, Edmundo Sosa is hitting .333/.486/.556 over the past two weeks and is likely available, so there might be some value to squeeze there.
Detroit Tigers hitters – The Tigers have a full seven-game week this week, starting off with three games against the Royals where they’ll see Michael Wacha, Alec Marsh, and Cole Ragans. Obviously in daily leagues, avoid the Ragans matchup, but Wacha and Marsh are definite starts.
Then, they’ll face the Blue Jays for four games, a team that currently owns the third-worst team FIP in the league. They will see Kevin Gausman in that series, so that would be an avoid in daily leagues, but otherwise I think you’re good to go.
Kerry Carpenter is sporting a .333/.333/.778 line over the past two weeks and is worth a start this week. Also, Spencer Torkelson is hitting .293/.356/.561 over the past two weeks and is worth a start.
AVOID
San Francisco Giants hitters – The Giants have six games this week and are slated for some tough matchups.
They’ll start the week off with three games against the Pirates where they’ll see Martín Pérez, Jared Jones, and Paul Skenes. I’m not worried about Perez, but Jones and Skenes have looked pretty incredible, so I’d avoid those.
After that, they’ll have three games against the Mets where they’ll see Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, and Tylor Megill. Both Severino and Manaea have been quite good so far this year, while Megill is a bit of an unknown factor (we’ll see how he does). But ultimately, I think you’re looking at maybe two matchups you’d feel comfortable starting your Giants hitters in, and that’s not worth it to me in weekly leagues.
St. Louis Cardinals hitters – The Cards have a six-game week this week, starting off with three games against the Orioles where they’ll see Corbin Burnes, Kyle Bradish, and Cole Irvin. You already know Burnes and Bradish are tough matchups, but don’t forget Irvin is sporting a 2.90 ERA on the year so far, making him a bit of a tough matchup too.
After that series, the Cards will host the Cubs for three games where they’ll see Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, and Javier Assad, all of whom have sub-2.00 ERAs on the year so far.
All in all, there’s not enough value here to warrant starting my Cardinals hitters this week.
Seattle Mariners hitters – Normally I’d be psyched about a seven-game week for the Mariners, but they’re slated for some tough matchups this week.
They start the week off with four games against the Yankees, where they’ll see Marcus Stroman, Clarke Schmidt, Nestor Cortes, and Luis Gil. As of this writing, the highest ERA of that group is Cortes at 3.71, so that’s a good pack of pitchers.
Then, the Mariners will get three games against the Nationals who currently own the second-best team FIP in the league. In that series, they’ll see MacKenzie Gore, Trevor Williams, and Mitchell Parker. Yet again, the highest ERA of that group is Gore at 3.38, so another set of pitchers that should prove to be tough, making it an overall week to avoid for your Mariners hitters.
Kansas City Royals hitters – The Royals have six games this week, starting off with three against the Tigers where they’ll face Reese Olson, Casey Mize, and Tarik Skubal. Olson has looked great and Skubal is always difficult, while Mize can certainly be a pain for hitters.
After that, they’ll have three games against the Rays where they’ll see Zach Eflin, Aaron Civale, and Taj Bradley. I’m the least worried about Bradley of that group (though certainly he can be good), but basically all six matchups the Royals have this week are either definitely bad or potentially bad, so I’d look elsewhere.