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.
So here’s who you should start and avoid in Week 12 (6/21-6/27) 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. 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
Houston Astros hitters – The Astros have a full week this week with seven games, and they’ll be seven games against some pretty bad pitching staffs. They start the week off with three games in hitter-friendly Camden Yards against the Orioles, who own the second-worst team FIP in baseball, and they close the week with four games in Detroit against the Tigers, who own the fifth-worst team FIP in baseball. Michael Brantley has been on fire lately, slashing .472/.525/.694 over the past two weeks, so make sure he’s in your lineups.
Milwaukee Brewers hitters – The Brewers have six games this week, starting with three against the Diamondbacks, who own the worst team FIP in the league, and closing with three against the Rockies (outside of Coors, sadly). There, they’ll see Austin Gomber, who’s been really good lately, but other than that, I’m not worried about the Rockies matchups. Luis Urias has been hitting well lately, slashing .286/.412/.476 over the past two weeks, and warrants a start this week.
New York Mets hitters – Overall, the Mets’ matchups this week grade out pretty okay. They’ll see Atlanta and the Phillies (the latter of which will include a matchup against Aaron Nola), both pitching staffs that are pretty decent, though not incredible. So why am I recommending your Mets this week? Because they have two double-headers, meaning the Mets have eight games this week, and it’s hard for me to pass up the potential production of an eight-game week. Billy McKinney has been slashing .281/.343/.563 over the past two weeks and warrants a look this week.
St. Louis Cardinals hitters – The Cardinals have six games this week, starting with two against the Tigers and their previously mentioned bad pitching staff, and closing with four games against the Pirates, who own the sixth-worst team FIP in baseball, so make sure your Cardinals are in your lineups this week.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. – The Marlins have six games this week and half of those games are slated to be against left-handed pitchers, which is good for Jazz, as he’s a career .275/.315/.478 hitter against lefties.
AVOID
Seattle Mariners hitters – The Mariners only have five games this week, and in daily leagues, I’m fine starting my Mariners for their first two games against the Rockies. But they close out the week with three games against the White Sox, who own the third-best team FIP in baseball. Given there are only two games I like Mariners hitters for this week, I’m not seeing much value to be had in weekly leagues.
Arizona Diamondbacks hitters – The D’Backs have six games this week against two pretty solid pitching staffs. They start the week with three games against the Brewers, who own the ninth-best team FIP in baseball, and the close with three games against the Padres, who own the eighth-best team FIP in baseball, in pitcher-friendly Petco Park, meaning there’s not a ton of value to be had from your D’Backs hitters.
Los Angeles Angels hitters – The Angels only have five games this week, the first two of which will be against the Giants where they’ll get to see Kevin Gausman. Then, they’ll close the week with three games against the Rays, who own the fifth-best team FIP in the league. Aside from your Angels studs, I’d avoid them this week.
Washington Nationals hitters – The Nats get six games this week, starting with two against the Phillies where they’ll get a Zack(h) attack, seeing Zack Wheeler and Zach Eflin. Then, they’ll close the week with four games against the Marlins where they’ll see both Sandy Alcantara and Trevor Rogers.
Jesus Aguilar – As previously mentioned, the Marlins have half of their games this week against lefties, and Aguilar hasn’t handled lefties particularly well this year, slashing a pretty mediocre .255/.362/.436 against them. That’s not a horrible line, but it’s not especially good either, so I’d probably dodge him in weekly leagues.
Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Ethan Kaplan (@DJFreddie10 on Twitter and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)