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 9 (5/30-6/6) 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, especially given how fluid things are this season. 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 a week of the Rockies playing at home! They get six games in Coors Field this week, which means you should get your Rockies hitters in your lineups. They’ll get three games against the Rangers and three games against the A’s, both teams with middle-of-the-road pitching staffs. But it’s in Coors so I don’t really care, roll ’em out there! If Josh Fuentes is still available in your league, go grab him, because he’s been slashing .345/.387/.621 over the past two weeks.
Chicago White Sox hitters – The White Sox get a rare eight-game week this week thanks to a doubleheader on Monday against Cleveland. Now, normally I’d avoid Cleveland’s pitchers but considering half of them are on the IL, the staff is totally different now. In daily leagues, I’d avoid the game against Shane Bieber, but other than that, I’m not too worried about the likes of Eli Morgan or Cal Quantrill. After the Cleveland series, the White Sox will host the Tigers for four games, a team that owns the eighth-worst FIP in baseball, and in a home run-friendly park too. If you’re in a deep league looking for batting average (but not a lot of power), Leury García has been hitting well lately, slashing .297/.366/.378 over the past two weeks. Other than that, basically the rest of the White Sox lineup is widely owned.
Oakland Athletics hitters – As previously mentioned, the A’s get three games in Coors Field this week, which is great, but on top of that, they get three games against the Mariners, who own the 10th-worst team FIP in the league. Make sure Mark Canha is in your lineups, as he’s been on fire lately, slashing .361/.520/.694 over the past two weeks.
Milwaukee Brewers hitters – The Brewers get six games this week, two against the aforementioned Tigers and four against the Diamondbacks, who own the sixth-worst team FIP in baseball. Kolten Wong may be available in your league and has been hitting .343/.395/.486 over the past two weeks and definitely warrants a start this week. Same with Willy Adames, who owns a .345/.457/.621 line over the past two weeks.
Amed Rosario – Cleveland has six games this week and four of them will be against left-handed pitchers, which is great news for Amed Rosario, who owns a .300/.341/.471 line against lefties on his career, including a .302/.353/.460 line against them this year.
AVOID
New York Yankees hitters – This is a bit of an odd one because honestly, there are a decent number of studs in the Yankees’ lineup that you’re not going to bench no matter what. But this week could be a tough one for Yankees hitters, because they’ll get four games against the Rays, who own the eighth-best team FIP in the league, including a game against Tyler Glasnow, and they close the week with three games against the Red Sox, who own the third-best team FIP in the league. Like I said and have always said, start your studs, but be aware their performance this week might be more muted than normal.
Detroit Tigers hitters – The Tigers get six games this week and they’re likely to be six tough games. They start with two games against the Brewers, a series in which they’ll see Corbin Burnes, and they finish with four games against the White Sox where they’ll see Lucas Giolito and Carlos Rodón (not to mention Dylan Cease, who has looked good). Not that you’re starting many Tigers anyways, but I’d especially avoid them this week.
Chicago Cubs hitters – The Cubs have seven games this week, starting with three against the Padres, who own the fourth-best team FIP in baseball, and closing with four games against the Giants in arguably the most pitcher-friendly park in baseball (and a pitching staff that owns the ninth-best team FIP in the league).
Pittsburgh Pirates hitters – Similar to the Tigers, it’s not like you’re starting many Pirates in your leagues anyway, but this week is set up to especially be tough. The Pirates will start the week with two games against the Royals, which is not a series I’m all that worried about, as they’ll face Brady Singer and Mike Minor, both of whom are pretty beatable. But after that, they’ll get four games against the Marlins, including games against Trevor Rogers and Sandy Alcántara. So really, there’s only two games worth taking advantage of for Pirates hitters, and that’s just not a lot of value in weekly leagues.
Jared Walsh – The Angels have six games this week and half of those games will be against left-handed pitchers, which isn’t great news for Walsh. In his career, Walsh is a .258/.275/.412 hitter against lefties and owns an abysmal .218/.259/.364 line against them so far this year.
Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Ethan Kaplan (@DJFreddie10 on Twitter and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)