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 let’s take a look at the hitters to start and avoid in Week 8 (5/22-5/28) 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 – Guess what everyone? It’s one of those beautiful weeks, a week where the Rockies get to have seven games at home in Coors Field. And you know what that means—start your Rockies! They’ll see the Marlins for four games and then the Mets for three, and normally I wouldn’t care who the Rockies are facing if they’ve got seven games in Coors, but having three games against the Mets who own the second-worst team FIP in baseball certainly doesn’t hurt. Jurickson Profar is slashing .306/.390/.611 over the past two weeks and is worth a look this week, as is Charlie Blackmon, who’s hitting .313/.378/.469 over the past two weeks.
Miami Marlins hitters – As I mentioned, the Marlins get four games in Coors Field this week, which automatically makes their hitters very intriguing. They’ll also have three games against the Angels where they’ll face Reid Detmers, Patrick Sandoval, and Shohei Ohtani. Now, yes, the Ohtani game is likely to be tough, and I could see the Sandoval game being tough too, but four games in Coors plus a game I’m not too worried about (against Detmers) pushes your Marlins hitters over the edge for me in weekly leagues. Bryan De La Cruz has been hitting .375/.419/.725 over the past two weeks and is worth a look this week.
Kansas City Royals hitters – The Royals get six games this week, starting with three against the Tigers, who own the ninth-worst team FIP in baseball and closing with three against the Nationals, who own the seventh-worst team FIP in the league, meaning it’s a good week to get your Royals hitters out there. Nick Pratto has been hitting .286/.390/.486 over the past two weeks and is worth a look if you need him. Same with Michael Massey, who’s hitting .290/.324/.516 over the past two weeks.
Detroit Tigers hitters – The Tigers get a full seven-game week this week, starting with the three-game series against the Royals I mentioned earlier, facing a team who has the fourth-worst team FIP in the league. Then, they’ll get four games against the White Sox, who own the third-worst team FIP in baseball. Riley Greene is definitely worth a start this week, as he’s been hitting .389/.450/.583 over the past two weeks. And in deeper leagues, Akil Baddoo has been on a bit of a hot streak lately, slashing .296/.367/.481 over the past two weeks.
Tyler Stephenson – Looking for a catcher for this week? The Reds have seven games this week, five of which are slated to be against left-handed pitchers, which could be good for Tyler Stephenson, as he’s a career .294/.355/.429 hitter against lefties.
AVOID
Los Angeles Dodgers hitters – The Dodgers have six games this week and are slated to have some tough pitching matchups. They’ll get three games against Atlanta to start, a team with the third-best team FIP in baseball, and they’ll close with three games against the Rays, who own the sixth-best team FIP in the league. Now, there are plenty of studs in the Dodgers lineup, so those are guys you need to keep in your lineup no matter what, but I might bench the Miguel Vargases and James Outmans of the world this week.
Oakland Athletics hitters – The A’s have a full seven-game week this week, which normally would be fun! But this week, it isn’t! They start with four games against the Mariners, who own the best team FIP in the league, and close with three games against the Astros, who own the fourth-best team FIP in baseball. Not that there are a ton of A’s you’re starting on a regular basis anyways, but this week I’d especially avoid them.
Pittsburgh Pirates hitters – The Pirates have six games this week, starting with three against the Rangers, who own the ninth-best team FIP in baseball and closing with three games against the Mariners, who as I mentioned, own the best team FIP in the league. Dane Dunning (who’s been very good lately), Nathan Eovaldi, Martín Pérez, George Kirby, Luis Castillo, and Marco Gonzales, that’s who the Pirates are slated to face this week. Not all of those are super scary, but it’s enough of a mix of bad matchups and mediocre matchups to make me avoid my Pirates this week.
Jake Fraley – Have you been riding the Jake Fraley train lately? Well, this week might be when that train slows down a bit. As I mentioned earlier, the Reds have five games against lefties this week, and that’s bad news for Fraley, as he’s a career .136/248/.197 hitter against lefties and has hit .056/.143/.111 against them so far this year. You’re likely to see Fraley benched for most if not all, of those games against lefties, so I wouldn’t start him in weekly leagues.