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 here’s who you should start and avoid in Week 9 (6/13-6/19) 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
Colorado Rockies hitters – It’s a beautiful week for your Rockies hitters because they get to be at home in Coors Field all week. It isn’t a full week, six games instead of seven, but still, it’s a week you’ll want to start your Rockies. They’ll get the Guardians and the Padres, and while the Padres are one of the better pitching teams in the league, it’s six games in Coors, you kind of can’t pass that up. Brendan Rodgers has been hot lately, slashing .311/.367/.622 over the past two weeks and definitely warrants a start.
San Diego Padres hitters – Speaking of the Padres, not only do they get three games in Coors Field this week, but they get four games against the Cubs, who own the eighth-worst team FIP in all of baseball, which means it’s also a great week to start your Padres! Jurickson Profar has been slashing .373/.429/.588 over the past two weeks and is definitely worth a look. And in case he’s out there on the waiver wire and you’re looking for some power, Trent Grisham is sporting a .250 ISO over the past two weeks and could be in line for a decent week.
San Francisco Giants hitters – The Giants get six games this week, starting with three against the Royals, who own the second-worst team FIP in all of baseball, and closing with three against the Pirates, who own the 12th-worst team FIP in baseball, which means it’s a good week to start your Giants hitters.
Seattle Mariners hitters – This is a pure volume play. There are three teams that get eight games this week thanks to some doubleheaders. One of them is the Phillies, and if you want to play your Phillies this week, I think that’s fine. They’ll get four games against the Nats, which is good, but the reason I didn’t mention them is they also get three games against the Marlins where they’ll see both Sandy Alcántara and Pablo López. The Mariners are the other team with eight games this week, and their schedule is a lot more favorable, which is why I’m featuring them here. They’ll get three games against the Twins, who own the 11th-worst team FIP in baseball, and then they’ll get five games against the Angels, who own the 13th-worst team FIP in baseball. Eight games in a week, all against fairly middle-of-the-road-at-best pitching staffs? I’ll take that.
Amed Rosario – The Guardians have six games this week, half of which will be against left-handed pitchers, which means it’s a good week to start Amed Rosario, as he’s a career .298/.340/.461 hitter against lefties.
AVOID
Washington Nationals hitters – Remember how I mentioned there were three teams with eight games this week? The Nats are the third team. Now, normally if a team has more than seven games in a week, I’m inclined to recommend them, but the Nats have a tough week this week. They’ll get three games against Atlanta, who has the third-best team FIP in baseball, and then five games against the Phillies, who have the sixth-best team FIP in baseball. Some of the names the Nats will face this week: Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola. Even with eight games, that’s going to be a tough stretch.
Los Angeles Dodgers hitters – A five-game week is already a major knock for a team in this article, and that’s what the Dodgers have this week. But on top of that, they’ve got some pitching matchups that could prove to be difficult. They’ll have two games against the Angels where they’ll see Noah Syndergaard and Reid Detmers, two pitchers who don’t terrify you but also aren’t exactly pushovers. Then, they’ll have three games against the Guardians where they’ll see Zach Plesac, Cal Quantrill, and Shane Bieber. Plesac doesn’t scare me, but Quantrill’s been pretty solid this year and Bieber is, well, you know, Shane Bieber.
Chicago Cubs hitters – The Cubs have seven games this week against two pretty tough teams. They’ll start with four games against the Padres, who own the fifth-best team FIP in baseball and they’ll close with three games against Atlanta, who I mentioned has the third-best team FIP in baseball. All in all, it’s a pretty tough slate for your Cubs this week.
Josh Naylor – As I mentioned, half of Cleveland’s games this week will be against lefties, which is bad news for Naylor, who’s a career .226/.279/.316 hitter against lefties and owns a .184/.262/.289 line against them so far this year. Honestly, I wouldn’t be shocked if the Guardians just end up sitting Naylor for those games this week.
Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire | Featured Image by Ethan Kaplan (@DJFreddie10 on Twitter and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)