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 9 (5/29-6/4) 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
Atlanta hitters – Atlanta gets six games this week, starting with three against the A’s, who own the worst team FIP in all of baseball, and the close the week with three games against the Diamondbacks who own the 10th worst FIP in the league, meaning it’s a good week to start your Atlanta hitters. Orlando Arcia has been hitting well lately, slashing .325/.400/.525 over the past two weeks, and warrants a start. Same with Marcell Ozuna, who’s been hitting .390/.432/.756 over the past two weeks.
Philadelphia Phillies hitters – The Phillies also have six games this week, starting with three against the Mets, who own the second-worst team FIP in the league, and ending with three games against the Nationals, who own the fourth-worst team FIP in baseball. If you’re looking for a deep league play, Kody Clemens has been hitting pretty well lately, slashing .333/.417/.524 over the past two weeks, and is pretty widely available. Bryson Stott also warrants a look this week, as he’s been hitting .340/.396/.553 over the past two weeks.
Toronto Blue Jays hitters – The Blue Jays start their week off with three games against the Brewers, a team that owns the fifth-worst team FIP in all of baseball (and lucky for the Blue Jays, they’ll miss Corbin Burnes in that series). Then, they’ll close the week with three games against the Mets who, as I mentioned earlier, have the second-worst team FIP in the league. In deeper leagues, Kevin Kiermaier is worth a look this week, as he’s been hitting .343/.333/.600 over the past two weeks.
Cincinnati Reds hitters – The Reds have six games this week, starting off with three games in Boston against the Red Sox, a team that owns the seventh-worst team FIP in baseball. Then, they’ll close with three games against the Brewers who, as I mentioned earlier, have the fifth-worst team FIP in the league. They will see Corbin Burnes in that series, but that’s really the only one I’m overly worried about. If you haven’t hopped on the Matt McLain train yet, now would be a good time to do it, as he’s been hitting .325/.426/.575 over the past two weeks and is definitely worth a look this week.
AVOID
New York Yankees hitters – The Yankees get six games this week, starting with three against the Mariners, who own the best team FIP in all of baseball, and closing with three games against the Dodgers, who own the 13th-best team FIP in the league. Here’s who the Yankees are slated to see this week: Bryce Miller, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Clayton Kershaw, Gavin Stone, and Bobby Miller. Now, I know Stone and Bobby Miller are both unproven rookies, but both (and especially Miller) have pretty good stuff that could easily make their matchup tough for the Yankees. But even if you’re comfortable in the last two matchups, that’s still just two out of six.
Oakland Athletics hitters – The A’s have six games this week, starting with three against Atlanta, who owns the fourth-best team FIP in the league, and closing with three games against the Marlins, a series where they’ll be facing both Eury Pérez (who has looked pretty darn good) and Sandy Alcantara. All in all, there’s not a ton of value to be had from your A’s hitters this week.
Washington Nationals hitters – The Nats also have six games this week, starting with three against the Dodgers where they’ll see Bobby Miller, Tony Gonsolin, and Noah Syndergaard, and closing with three against the Phillies, a team that owns the eighth-best team FIP in the league. Not that you’re starting a ton of Nationals hitters to begin with, but if you were thinking about it, don’t.
Baltimore Orioles hitters – It’s also a six-game week for the Orioles (feels like everyone has six games this week) and they’re slated for some tough matchups. They start the week off with three games against the Guardians, who own the 10th-best team FIP in baseball, and they close with three games in pitcher-friendly Oracle Park against the Giants, a team that owns the 12th-best team FIP in the league. And in that series, they’ll face Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, and Anthony DeSclafani, all of whom could be difficult matchups.