Hey everybody!
If you’re unfamiliar with this series, each week I highlight hitting matchups you should take advantage of in your fantasy baseball league and ones that you should try to avoid based on the pitching matchups those hitters are slated to face that week. I also try to highlight a catcher to two to stream because that position can be a real pain.
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 you should start and avoid for Week 2 (4/6-4/12) 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
Kansas City Royals hitters – The Royals get themselves a full seven-game week this week with some pretty solid pitching matchups.
They kick off the week with three games against the Guardians, where they’ll see Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, and Joey Cantillo, none of whom are matchups I’m all that concerned about right now (and we’ll see what happens with Bibee, given he was pulled from his start with a shoulder issue).
After that, the Royals get four games against the White Sox, who were one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball last year and so far have the fourth-worst team FIP in the league. There, they’ll face Anthony Kay, Davis Martin, Erick Fedde, and Shane Smith, none of whom should worry you.
Chase DeLauter’s been on fire to start off the season, slashing .346/.370/.923 so far, so make sure you’ve got him in your lineups this week.
New York Mets hitters – The Mets get six games this week with some solid matchups, starting off with three games against the Diamondbacks, who so far this season, own the fifth-worst team FIP in the league. There, they’ll see Zac Gallen, Ryne Nelson, and Eduardo Rodriguez. Certainly, Gallen can be an issue, but otherwise, I’m not that worried about the rest of those matchups.
After that, the Mets get three games against the A’s, who so far this season have the 10th-worst team FIP in baseball, where they’ll see Luis Morales, Jacob Lopez, and Aaron Civale.
CATCHER TO STREAM: If he happens to be out there in your league, Francisco Alvarez has started off the year hitting pretty well, slashing .286/.375/.762, and could be valuable if you need some catching help.
New York Yankees hitters – That other New York team also has six games this week with some pretty solid matchups ahead.
They also play the A’s this week, kicking off the week with three games against them in New York, where they’ll see Aaron Civale, Luis Severino, and Jeffrey Springs. Then, they’ll close the week out with three games against the Rays, who currently own the seventh-worst team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Steven Matz, Nick Martinez, and Ryan Pepiot.
Virtually none of those matchups concern me aside from maybe Pepiot, so I think you should be good to start your Yankees hitters this week.
AVOID
Los Angeles Angels hitters – The Angels get six games this week, kicking off with three games against Atlanta, who so far have the fifth-best team FIP in the league, where they’ll see Chris Sale, Reynaldo López, and Grant Holmes.
After that, they’ll get three games against the Reds, where they’ll see Chase Burns, Brandon Williamson, and Andrew Abbott.
Now, I’m not saying every single one of those matchups is a killer, but in aggregate, there are enough question-mark matchups for me that I’d consider someone else instead of my mid-tier Angels hitters in weekly leagues.
Athletics hitters – If you’ve been reading along, you already know what the A’s are slated to face this week, and that’s six games against both New York teams.
They start off with three games against the Yankees, who, so far on the season, have the best team FIP in the league. There, they’ll see Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, and Ryan Weathers.
After that, they’ll have their three games against the Mets, who have the seventh-best team FIP in the league so far, where they’ll face Clay Holmes, Kodai Senga, and Freddy Peralta.
There are perhaps a couple of matchups you could exploit in daily leagues, but on the whole, this is a week I’d avoid my mid-level A’s hitters.
Arizona Diamondbacks hitters – The D’Backs get six games this week with some pretty tough matchups ahead.
They kick the week off with three games against the Mets, who, as I mentioned earlier, have the seventh-best team FIP in the league so far. There, they’ll see Freddy Peralta, David Peterson, and Nolan McLean.
After that, the D’Backs get three games against the Phillies, who own the fourth-best team FIP in the league so far, where they’ll see Jesús Luzardo, Taijuan Walker, and Andrew Painter.
Again, a couple of matchups here you might be able to use in daily leagues, but overall, this is a week I’d avoid my mid-tier D’Backs hitters.
