What’s up, everyone!
If you’re unfamiliar with this 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. I’ll also be focusing on catchers you can stream each week, since we all know that catchers can be an especially tricky position in fantasy.
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.
Also wanted to note that PL Pro member LarryV, who is a former meteorologist at the National Weather Service, has been kind enough to lend his expertise to provide insights on which teams are likely to have the best/worst weather this week, so I’ll be including that where it’s relevant (and thanks Larry!).
Now, let’s take a look at the hitters to start and avoid in Week 13 (6/23-6/29) 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
Tampa Bay Rays hitters – The Rays get six games this week, all slated to be in pretty hot, humid weather (worth noting, not only is hot weather good for hitters, humid weather is too, as it makes the air less dense and makes the ball travel farther).
They start their week off with three games against the Royals where they’ll see Kris Bubic, Michael Wacha, and Michael Lorenzen. Bubic is probably one to avoid but the other two I’m not worried about. I know Wacha has been pretty solid on the season so far but he’s been struggling lately, giving up 13 earned runs and 25 hits over his last 29.1 innings pitched.
After that, the Rays will get three games against the Orioles, who currently own the sixth-worst team FIP in baseball. There, they’ll see Zach Eflin, Dean Kremer, and Trevor Rogers. Eflin is a borderline avoid for me but I’d probably still lean towards starting my Rays hitters against him in daily leagues. He can definitely show flashes and then sometimes he gives up seven runs in five innings like he did the last time he faced the Rays this season (which was a week ago).
Make sure you’ve got Brandon Lowe in your lineups this week, as he’s been red hot, slashing .356/.400/.533 over the past two weeks. Same with Jonathan Aranda, who’s hitting .356/.444/.467 over the past two weeks. And in deeper leagues, if you need some help in the batting average department (or OBP, just not power), Jake Mangum has been slashing .354/.404/.396 over the past two weeks and could have some value.
Boston Red Sox hitters – The Red Sox get six games this week against some pretty weak pitching staffs, which should make it a good week for your Red Sox hitters.
They start the week off with three games against the Angels, who currently own the third-worst team FIP in the league. There, they’ll see Jack Kochanowicz, Tyler Anderson, and Yusei Kikuchi, none of whom concern me.
After that, they’ll get three games against the Blue Jays, who currently have the ninth-worst team FIP in baseball. There, they’ll get José Berríos, Chris Bassitt, and Max Scherzer, and while all three of them certainly could be a problem for your Red Sox hitters, they could just as easily turn in total duds, so I’m not actively avoiding any of them right now.
Trevor Story could have some value this week, as he’s been hitting .256/.289/.512 over the past two weeks. That’s not great in OBP leagues (and really just okay in AVG leagues), but that’s also a .256 ISO he’s been sporting, so there’s that. Also, Ceddanne Rafaela has been slashing .324/.361/.471 over the past two weeks, so make sure you’ve got him in your lineups.
CATCHER TO STREAM: While his batting average hasn’t been the best lately, Carlos Narváez has generally been hitting fairly high in the Red Sox lineup and is sporting a .200 ISO over the past two weeks, so he could have some use if you need help at the catcher position.
New York Yankees hitters – The Yankees get six games this week, starting off with three games against the Reds, who currently own the 12th-worst team FIP in baseball. There, they’ll face off against Nick Lodolo, Nick Martinez, and Brady Singer, none of whom really worry me at all.
After that, they’ll get three games against the Athletics, who currently own the worst team FIP in all of baseball. There, they’ll see Mitch Spence, JP Sears, and Luis Severino, again, a lineup that doesn’t really worry me.
I know he’s DH-only, which is obnoxious, but worth noting that Giancarlo Stanton has looked fairly decent since returning from the IL, slashing .333/.412/.400. Obviously, the power will come, and given the matchup, it might come this week, so he could have some value.
Los Angeles Dodgers hitters – The Dodgers get three games this week, starting off with a three-game series in Coors Field against the Rockies, which is always a good time for hitters (helps that the Rockies also have the second-worst team FIP in the league).
After that, they’ll get three games against the Royals where they’ll see Noah Cameron, Seth Lugo, and Kris Bubic. Honestly, Bubic and Lugo are probably avoids, so if you can dodge them in a daily league, I’d do it. But three games in Coors Field plus a solid matchup against Cameron makes it worth it to me to start my Dodgers hitters this week in weekly leagues.
Make sure you’ve got Andy Pages in your lineups this week, as he’s been slashing .325/.333/.625 over the past two weeks and will look to keep it rolling this week. And assuming he’s consistently in the lineup this week (I hope), Hyeseong Kim is sporting a .278/.350/.500 line over the past two weeks and could have some value.
AVOID
Minnesota Twins hitters – While the Twins get seven games this week, they’re slated for some tough pitching matchups and some tough weather, as their first four games are likely to be cold and potentially wet.
They start off with that four-game series against the Mariners, where they’ll see Bryan Woo, Luis Castillo, George Kirby, and Emerson Hancock. Hancock doesn’t worry me, but the others do, and that, plus the weather, makes this a tough series.
After that, they’ll get three games against the Tigers where they’ll see Sawyer Gipson-Long, Casey Mize, and Tarik Skubal.
Overall, given the matchups and the weather, I’d be avoiding my Twins hitters if I could.
Atlanta hitters – Normally, I’d be excited about Atlanta’s slate this week. They’ve got seven games, all of which are expected to be in pretty warm, good weather for hitting. But the pitching matchups they’ve got are rough.
They start the week off with four games against the Mets, who currently own the third-best team FIP in the league. There, they’ll see Paul Blackburn, Frankie Montas Jr., Clay Holmes, and Griffin Canning. You could take advantage of the Blackburn game in daily leagues, but those are some tough matchups otherwise.
Then, they’ll get three games against the Phillies, who have the fourth-best team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Mick Abel, Jesús Luzardo, and Ranger Suárez. Similar to what I said earlier, if you want to take advantage of the matchup against Abel in a daily league, go for it, but overall I think this is a week to avoid in weekly leagues for your Atlanta hitters.
Pittsburgh Pirates hitters – The Pirates get six games this week with some tough matchups ahead. They start off with three games against the Brewers, where they’ll see Chad Patrick, Freddy Peralta, and Jacob Misiorowski. I’m not that worried about Patrick, but Peralta worries me as does Misiorowski, who’s looked pretty awesome so far.
After that, the Brewers get three games against the Mets who, as I mentioned earlier, have the third-best team FIP in the league. There, they’ll see David Peterson, Paul Blackburn, and Frankie Montas Jr..
Overall, it’s a tough week for your Pirates hitters, and I’d be avoiding them, especially in weekly leagues.
