Hitters to Start and Avoid in Week 13 (6/28-7/4)

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 13 (6/28-7/4) 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 wonderful week for your Rockies hitters as they get seven games all at Coors Field this week, so get your Rockies in your lineups. They start with three games against the Pirates, who own the sixth-worst team FIP in baseball, and the end with four games against the Cardinals, who own the ninth-worst team FIP in baseball. All in Coors. So yea, if there’s a Rockies player on your team, get him in your lineup. Yonathan Daza could be a sneaky play this week, as he’s been hitting well, slashing .341/.383/.477 over the past two weeks, and has become the primary center fielder for the Rockies as of late.

St. Louis Cardinals hitters – As I mentioned, the Cardinals get four games in Coors, which is already great, but on top of that, they start the week with three games against the Diamondbacks, who own the worst team FIP in baseball. It’s hard to tell whether the Rockies or Cardinals have the most hitter-friendly schedule this week, it’s pretty close. Dylan Carlson has been hitting fairly well lately, slashing .310/.408/.429 over the past two weeks, and warrants a start this week.

San Francisco Giants hitters – The Giants have six games this week and two of them are avoids in daily leagues—their two games against the Dodgers to start the week. But after that, they get four games against the Diamondbacks and their aforementioned bad pitching staff, so in weekly leagues, I think there’s enough value to be had here. Mike Yastrzemski has been picking things up lately, slashing .277/.358/.596 over the past two weeks, and is worth a look this week.

Chicago White Sox hitters – The White Sox have a seven-game week against two pretty poor pitching staffs, starting with four games against the Twins, who have the third-worst team FIP in baseball, and ending with three games against the Tigers, who own the fifth-worst team FIP in baseball.

Teoscar Hernandez – The Blue Jays get six games this week and amazingly, five of them will be against left-handed pitchers, which is good for Teoscar Hernandez, who has been killing lefties this year to the tune of a .370/.400/.761 slash line. Also worth noting: Randal Grichuk is slashing .294/.304/.559 against lefties this year as well.

 

AVOID

 

Atlanta hitters – Atlanta has a tough slate this week, starting with three games against the Mets where they’ll see both Taijuan Walker and Jacob deGrom, and closing with three games against the Marlins where they’ll see Sandy Alcantara and Trevor Rogers. Aside from your Atlanta studs this week, I’d pass.

Washington Nationals hitters – The Nats also have a tough week this week. They get seven games, with the first against the Mets where they’ll face Marcus Stroman, then two against the Rays, who own the fourth-best team FIP in baseball, and closing with four games against the Dodgers, who own the fifth-best team FIP in baseball.

Philadelphia Phillies hitters – The Phillies have seven games this week, and similar to the Nats, it starts with a one-game series on Monday, this time against the Reds. In daily leagues, go ahead and start your Phillies there. But the rest of the week isn’t as favorable, as they get three games against the Marlins and three games against the Padres, so in weekly leagues, I’m not seeing enough value to warrant starting my Phillies.

Los Angeles Dodgers hitters – This is kind of a weird one, because in this article, I always say you should always start your studs, and honestly, a lot of the Dodgers’ lineup is stud hitters. But if there’s a borderline guy on the Dodgers you’re debating starting, this week might not be the week to do it. The Dodgers start with two games against the Giants where they’ll face both Anthony DeSclafani and Kevin Gausman, and they close with four games against the Nats where they’ll see Patrick Corbin and Max Scherzer, not to mention Joe Ross, who has looked really good lately. Like I said, most of your Dodgers you’re probably going to start regardless (I’m not going to sit here and tell you to sit Mookie Betts or anything), but your borderline guys might warrant a bench this week.

Austin Meadows – The Rays only have five games this week and three of them are slated to be against left-handed pitchers, which is bad for Meadows, who owns a .200/.203/.271 line against lefties so far this year. He’s already at a disadvantage with just five games and given three on top of that are against lefties, I’d dodge Meadows this week.

 

Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Ethan Kaplan (@DJFreddie10 on Twitter and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)