Hitters to Start and Avoid in Week 9 (9/21-9/27)

Each week, I’ve been taking a look at five hitting matchups you should take advantage of and five hitting matchups you should avoid. Here are the batters you should start and avoid for the final week of the fantasy baseball season, Week 9 (9/21-9/27) 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, especially given how fluid things are this season. 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 get six games this week, three against the Red Sox, who own the worst team ERA in baseball, and three against the Blue Jays, who own the 13th-worst team ERA in baseball, and both series will be in hitter-friendly parks. If you haven’t picked up Ryan Mountcastle and he’s still available in your league, go grab him. He’s been on fire, slashing .326/.392/.535 over the past two weeks. Also, DJ Stewart warrants a look, as the guy has a .261/.333/.630 slashline over the past two weeks.

Arizona Diamondbacks hitters – The D’Backs get six games this week, all with pretty sweet matchups. They start with a two-game series against the Rangers, who have the ninth-worst team ERA in baseball, and they close with a four-game series against the Rockies, who have the third-worst team ERA in baseball. Kole Calhoun (.361/.419/.944 over the past two weeks) and David Peralta (.317/.317/.561 over the past two weeks) both warrant looks in your lineup this week.

Colorado Rockies hitters – Normally I avoid recommending Rockies hitters when they spend all week on the road, but this week, they’ll get some pretty nice hitting matchups, so I’m not as worried about starting my Rockies. They get a total of eight games this week, a four-game series against the Giants (12th-worst ERA in MLB) and a four-game series against the aforementioned D’Backs (eighth-worst ERA in MLB). If you’re looking for an interesting stream this week, Josh Fuentes has been slashing .314/.324/.543 over the past two weeks and is worth a look.

Houston Astros hitters – The Astros get a seven-game week this week, all on the road, against two pretty bad pitching staffs. First, they get the Mariners (fourth-worst ERA in MLB) for three games, and they close with four games against the Rangers (ninth-worst ERA in MLB). Just about ever Astros hitter is widely owned, so there’s not really any waiver wire value to be snagged, but still, get your Astros in your lineup.

Teoscar Hernandez – The Blue Jays will be facing four lefties this week, which is great news for Hernandez, who is slashing .302/362/.698 against lefties so far this year.

 

AVOID

 

Minnesota Twins hitters – There are a lot of games to be played this week, and yet the Twins have just a five-game week this week. Two of those games will be against the Tigers, which could be useful for your Twins hitters, but the other three will be against the Reds, who own the 10th-best team ERA in baseball. Also, the Twins are likely locked into the playoffs, which means they may not start their regular hitters this week, which is all the more reason to avoid your Twins hitters.

Seattle Mariners hitters – The Mariners have a tough week this week, starting with a three-game series against the Astros who own the 13th-best team ERA in baseball, and closing with a four-game series against the A’s, who own the third-best team ERA in baseball. Generally, I’d be avoiding my Mariners hitters this week.

Chicago White Sox hitters – The White Sox start their week off with a four-game series against the Indians where they’ll see Aaron Civale, Shane Bieber, Zach Plesac, and Triston McKenzie, and they close with three games against the Cubs, who own the eighth-best team ERA in baseball. Seven games is tempting, but I’m not seeing enough value here to warrant starting my White Sox.

Los Angeles Angels hitters – The Angels get six games this week, starting with the closing game of their weekend series against the Rangers. I’m fine starting my Angels hitters in that game in daily leagues. But after that, it gets tricky, with two games against the Padres (seventh-best team ERA in baseball) and a three-game series against the Dodgers (best team ERA in baseball). There’s not a ton of value on the Angels anyways, but I’d especially avoid them this week.

Tommy La Stella – If you’ve been utilizing La Stella this year, this may be the week to dump him. The A’s are slated to face four lefties, and La Stella is slashing a miserable .216/.318/.270 against lefties this year.

Featured Image by Justin Paradis (@freshmeatcomm on Twitter)