Hitters to Start and Avoid in Week 13 (7/11-7/17)

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 13 (7/11-7/13) 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 one of those wonderful weeks everybody, the week when the Rockies are at home for seven games. They’ll have four games against the Padres (which, normally I’d recommend against, but hey, it’s Coors) and three games against the Pirates. It’s seven games at Coors Field so get your Rockies out there! Over the past two weeks, Randal Grichuk has a .243 ISO and could be in for some more power this week. And over the past two weeks, Brendan Rodgers is slashing .295/.373/.477 and definitely warrants a look.

San Diego Padres hitters – As I mentioned, the Padres get four games in Coors Field this week, which already makes this week look pretty good for them. But on top of that, they’ll close the week with three games against the Diamondbacks, a team that owns the eighth-worst team FIP in baseball, which makes this week even better for your Padres. Nomar Mazara has quietly been hitting well lately, slashing .333/.379/.481 over the past two weeks, and warrants a look. Ha-Seong Kim has been hitting well too, slashing .333/.444/.467 over the past two weeks and is also worth a look.

Detroit Tigers hitters – The Tigers get an eight-game week this week, which is already exciting on its own, but even better, they’ll be against some pretty beatable pitching staffs. They start off the week with four games against the Royals, who own the third-worst team FIP in baseball, and they’ll close with four games against the Guardians, who own the ninth-worst team FIP in baseball. So eight games, all against pitching staffs in the bottom 10 in team FIP? I’ll take that. Over the past two weeks, Eric Haase has been slashing .400/.429/.920 and is absolutely worth a look. While I’m not sure he’s supplanted Tucker Barnhart as the starting catcher in Detroit, they’ve got to put him in the lineup while he’s hitting this well.

Kansas City Royals hitters – The Royals also get eight games this week and will also face some beatable pitching staffs. They’ll have the aforementioned four games against the Tigers and they’ll close with four games against the Blue Jays. Both the Tigers and Blue Jays are sort of middle-of-the-road in terms of team FIP, meaning it’s not as attractive of a week as the Tigers have, but still, eight games against mediocre pitching staffs is absolutely worth taking advantage of. Over the past two weeks, Hunter Dozier is slashing .324/.361/.588 and is definitely worth a look this week.

Wilmer Flores – Half of the Giants’ games this week will be against left-handed pitchers, which means Wilmer Flores could possibly be in for a solid week, as he’s a career .273/.322/.490 hitter against lefties. Given his position flexibility and where he’s hitting in the lineup for the Giants, he’s worth a look this week.

 

AVOID

 

Arizona Diamondbacks hitters – The D’Backs have six games this week, starting with three against the Giants, who own the fourth-best team FIP in baseball, and closing with three against the Padres, who own the seventh-best team FIP in baseball. On top of that, all six games will be on the road, and both Oracle Park and Petco Park are very pitcher-friendly, so I’d avoid my D’Backs this week.

Boston Red Sox hitters – The Red Sox have seven games this week, which normally would be interesting, but it’ll be seven tough games, starting with four against the Rays, who own the 10th-best team FIP in the league, and closing with three against the Yankees, who own the second-best team FIP in the league. Jordan Montgomery, Jameson Taillon, Luis Severino, and Shane McClanahan will all be facing the Red Sox this week. I’ll pass on that.

Los Angeles Angels hitters – The Angels have just a five-game week this week, which already puts them at a disadvantage. On top of that, they’ll have three games against the Astros, who own the fifth-best team FIP in baseball, and then two games against the Dodgers, who own the third-best team FIP in baseball, making this a tough week for your Angels hitters.

St. Louis Cardinals hitters – The Cardinals have seven games this week, starting with one game against the Phillies on Monday where they’ll face Aaron Nola. Then, they’ll have three games against the Dodgers, who as I mentioned, have the third-best team FIP in baseball. And then, they’ll close the week with three games against the Reds. Now, I’m fine going against the Reds, as they’re pitching staff isn’t great, but one of those games will be against Luis Castillo. So in short, out of seven games this week, just two are worth starting your Cardinals hitters (and in daily leagues, I’d do that). In weekly leagues, that’s not worth it.

Justin Turner – The Dodgers only have five games this week, which already makes it tough to start your Dodgers hitters, but worse than that for Turner, three of those games will be against lefties. So far this year, Turner is slashing .222/.301/.321 against lefties.

 

 

Photo by John McCreary/Icon Sportswire | Featured Image by Ethan Kaplan (@DJFreddie10 on Twitter and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)