Next week, we have one doubleheader that pushes a team to an eight-game week and another from a six-gamer to a seven-game week. Three teams draw the short straw with only five scheduled contests. There are nine teams with a seven-game week, and the remaining squads play six contests. As a result, it’s a mostly straightforward week in which gamers don’t need to out think the room.
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Notable Matchups
Cubs vs. Braves (1), @ Braves (3), @ Reds (4)
The Cubs stand alone atop the game-scheduled leaderboard for next week. Because of a doubleheader with the Reds next Saturday, they’ll be treated to eight games. There is some odd travel for them next week with a single game at home Monday before traveling to Atlanta for a three-game set and concluding the week with four games at Cincinnati. The Cubs will face at least seven right-handed starting pitchers next week with the possibility of an all-righty probable pitching slate next week depending upon who the Reds call upon for the unlisted pitching spot for one of the doubleheader contests. Javier Baez’s track record of dominance against lefties and below average offensive production against righties would have traditionally made next week’s schedule less than ideal, but he’s hammering same-handed foes this year. Furthermore, Kyle Schwarber gets a monstrous bump in value due to the lack of left-handed starting pitchers facing the Cubs next week.
Mets vs. Blue Jays (2), vs. Diamondbacks (3)
The Mets are one of three teams that draw the short straw next week with a five-game schedule. They’re home for all five games, and that’s not ideal for the offense. Citi Field is extremely pitcher-friendly, and the Mets rank tied for 16th in wRC+ (96) and 28th in ISO (.124) at home this year, per FanGraphs. It’s a lefty-heavy pitching slant, too, with the Mets facing southpaws in three of five games. As a result of the low games played total and lefty-heavy slant, Jay Bruce and Michael Conforto — who’s struggled this year anyway — are total non-options in leagues with weekly lineup changes.
Yankees @ Nationals (2), @ Royals (3)
Interestingly, like the Mets, the Yankees face three left-handed pitchers in their five-game week next week. Unlike the Mets, they’ll be on the road for all five contests, which isn’t ideal for their hitters. The Yankees lead MLB with a 128 wRC+ at home, but they rank just 20th in road wRC+ (89). Making matters worse, they’re also in a National League park for the first two games of next week, so they’ll be without the services of a designated hitter. The top-flight options such as Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Didi Gregorius, and Gary Sanchez are obviously not coming out of fantasy lineups, but Brett Gardner immediately stands out as a benchable member of the Bronx Bombers in leagues with weekly lineup changes. Gardy has huge home/road splits that favor playing at home, and he also has a huge lefty/righty split that favors facing right-handed pitchers as well.
Nationals vs. Yankees (2), vs. Dodgers (3)
The Nationals are the third team that plays only a five-game week next week. They host the Yankees for a pair and the Dodgers for a three-game set. They’re set to face at least three left-handed pitchers with one unlisted starter spot for next Friday. Scalding-hot Matt Adams‘ value takes a hit due to the handedness of pitcher slant in favor of southpaws. He’s a career .208/.241/.365 hitter against lefties and his 69 wRC+ against them since 2015 does little to inspire more confidence in same-handed pitching matchups. On the flip side of the coin, Ryan Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon get sizable value bumps. Since 2015, Zimmerman has hit .294/.353/.591 against lefties and Rendon has hit .307/.413/.511 against them in that time frame.
Red Sox vs. Athletics (3), vs. Orioles (4)
It’s a dreamy week for Boston’s hitters next week. They face a below-average crew of probable starting pitchers in a full seven-game week, and they do so from the hitter-friendly confines of Fenway Park the entire week. The Red Sox are tied for second in wRC+ (119) at home this year, and they’re alone in third in ISO (.194) at home.
Rockies @ Padres (2), @ Giants (4)
Sound the sad trombone for Colorado’s hitters next week. In addition to playing just six games, all of them are on the road. Making matters worse, they’re not only at just any road venues, they’re at two of the most pitcher-friendly parks. PETCO Park has the 10th lowest park factor for runs and AT&T Park has the third lowest park factor for runs, according to our park factors using the last three full seasons of stats.
Brewers @ Diamondbacks (3), @ Twins (3)
The Brewers are on the road for all six of their games next week. Three of those games will be in an American League park, though, so they’ll have the services of a designated hitter to conclude the week in Minnesota. They’re projected to face just one southpaw, and that’s good news for left-handed hitters Christian Yelich and Travis Shaw.
Phillies @ Orioles (2), @ Cardinals (4)
The Phillies open next week with two games in Baltimore, so they’ll have a designated hitter for that pair of contests. They’ll face four right-handed starting pitchers to open the week before facing a pair yet unnamed starters in St. Louis over the weekend.
Blue Jays @ Mets (2), vs. Athletics (4)
The Blue Jays will be without the services of a designated hitter for the first two games of next week at the Mets. They’ll return home for a four-game set against the visiting A’s. The lefty/righty mix of starting pitchers they face is projected to be split down the middle, three and three.
Hitter Notes
Devin Mesoraco (NYM)
Mesoraco was the B-side to a change-of-scenery swap between the Mets and Reds. Injuries have derailed Mesoraco’s once promising career, and since a breakout 2014 in which he slugged 25 homers with a .273/.359/.534 slash in 440 plate appearances, he’s totaled only seven homers with a .191/.287/.312 slash in 321 plate appearances. He’s a non-option in almost all fantasy leagues, but he could play his way into usefulness in deeper two-catcher formats. For Mesoraco’s part, he’s posting his best Hard% (33.3%) since his career-year in 2014.
Jung-Ho Kang (PIT)
Kang didn’t play in a single MLB game last season. He was arrested in December 2016 for a DUI. It was Kang’s third DUI since 2009, per Elizabeth Bloom of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The infielder was unable to get a visa to re-enter the United States, but he’s since received a work visa and is working back into baseball shape. Kang struggled mightily in the Dominican Winter League prior to this season, and Colin Moran has since overtaken his starting spot at the hot corner. Having said that, Kang’s also played 60 games at shortstop in his MLB career. The 31-year-old infielder isn’t a stash option yet, but as a .273/.355/.483 hitter with 36 long balls and eight stolen bases in 837 plate appearances in “The Show,” it’s possible he emerges as a useful player in deeper leagues during the summer.
Franchy Cordero (SD)
Cordero’s tools are loud and unquestioned, but he entered this season as an unrefined free-swinger. In his first six games on the parent club this year, Cordero failed to work a walk while posting a 31.8% K%, 33.3% O-Swing%, and 61.9% Z-Swing%. He showed off his top-shelf thump with a couple homers, and he flashed his above-average speed with a stolen base in that six-game stretch, too. Since then, though, a funny thing has happened. Cordero’s still striking out a bunch with a 33.3% K% in his last 19 games entering play last night, but in that time frame, he’s also tallied a 12.3% BB%, 26.5% O-Swing%, and 69.5% Z-Swing%. He’s made marked improvements in chasing out of the zone while also becoming more aggressive in the strike zone. His power/speed combo has also been in good form with four homers and three stolen bases in his last 19 games entering play last night. There’s something special potentially brewing here, yet Cordero’s own in just 21% of Yahoo! leagues and 20% of ESPN leagues. He should be universally owned.
Pitcher Notes
Matt Harvey (CIN)
Harvey was the A-side of the aforementioned Mets and Reds change-of-scenery swap, but that doesn’t mean he’s done anything worth considering rostering him in any leagues. The once-dominant righty hasn’t posted a strikeout rate north of 20% since 2015, and that’s the last time he helped fantasy squads. In 44 games (39 starts) spanning 212.1 innings since the start of the 2016 season, Harvey’s been knocked around for a 5.93 ERA (5.02 FIP, 4.72 xFIP, and 4.85 SIERA), 1.58 WHIP, 8.5% BB%, and 17.1% K%. Going from pitching home games in pitcher-friendly, homer-suppressing Citi Field to hitter-friendly, homer-boosting Great American Ball Park is unlikely to help Harvey turn things around. Let someone else foolishly roll the dice on him even in crazy deep leagues.
Trevor Cahill (OAK)
Since touting Cahill for the third week in a row in Pitchers to Target in Deep Leagues earlier in the week, he’s hit the disabled list with an elbow impingement. The disabled list stint is retroactive to Sunday, and he’s expected to only be on the shelf for the minimum 10 days, according to A’s beat reporter Jane Lee. Cahill is a worthy stash option on the disabled list or fantasy benches in leagues as shallow as 12-team mixers.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
