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 9 (5/27-6/2) 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
Chicago Cubs hitters – The Cubs have a full seven-game week this week, starting with four games against the Brewers, a team that owns the sixth-worst team FIP in all of baseball right now.
After that, the Cubs will get three games against the Reds, who own the 11th-worst team FIP in the league, making this a pretty solid week to start your Cubs hitters.
Cleveland Guardians hitters – The Guardians have six games this week, starting off with three games in Coors Field against the Rockies, who own the worst team FIP in all of baseball.
Then, they’ll have three games against the Nationals where they’ll see Mitchell Parker, Patrick Corbin, and Jake Irvin. Parker has been pretty solid, and Irvin has had his moments, but with three games in Coors on top of three decent matchups against the Nats, I’m good with starting my Guardians this week.
CATCHER TO STREAM: If you’re looking for a catcher to stream this week (and in some leagues, he’s also first base-eligible), David Fry has been hitting .360/.500/.628 over the past two weeks and is worth a look.
Toronto Blue Jays hitters – The Blue Jays also have six games this week, starting with three games against the White Sox, who currently own the second-worst team FIP in all of baseball.
Then, they’ll get three games against the Pirates and will luckily avoid both Jared Jones and Paul Skenes, meaning they’ll face Bailey Falter, Mitch Keller, and Martín Pérez, none of whom worry me all that much.
If you don’t mind the hit in batting average, Daulton Varsho is sporting a .239 ISO over the past two weeks with five stolen bases.
CATCHER TO STREAM: Danny Jansen is worth a grab this week if you need some help at catcher. He’s pretty widely available and he’s slashing .313/.391/.625 over the past two weeks.
AVOID
Washington Nationals hitters – While the Nats have a seven-game week this week, they’re slated for some tough matchups.
They start the week off with four games against Atlanta, who currently owns the fifth-best team FIP in all of baseball. Then, they’ll have three games against the Guardians, who own the ninth-best FIP in the league, so it’s a tough week to start your Nats.
San Francisco Giants hitters – The Giants have six games this week, starting with three against the Phillies, who own the best team FIP in the league, where they’ll face Taijuan Walker, Zack Wheeler, and Cristopher Sánchez.
Then, they’ll have three games against the Yankees, who currently own the eighth-best team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Marcus Stroman, Clarke Schmidt, and Nestor Cortes.
All of those matchups range from not great to really bad, which makes it a tough week to start your Giants hitters.
Pittsburgh Pirates hitters – The Pirates only have five games this week, which automatically puts them at a disadvantage.
On top of that, they’re slated for some tough matchups, starting off with two games against the Tigers where they’ll see Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal, and closing out with three games against the Blue Jays where they’ll see José Berríos, Yusei Kikuchi, and Chris Bassitt.
All in all, not enough value in those five games to warrant starting your Pirates this week, especially in weekly leagues.
Feature image by Michael Packard (@artbymikep on Twitter) / Photo by Joe Robbins / Icon Sportswire