It is going to be a wild week in MLB as teams have a large disparity of games. Plan ahead, don’t leave yourself having to start a fringe player with only 5 games, if you play in a weekly league. Now that we are officially in crunch time for leagues, don’t let those few counting stats slip through your fingers.
Notable schedules
Nine games: Reds
Eight games: Guardians, Marlins, Pirates, Rays, Blue Jays
Seven games: Diamondbacks, Astros, Twins (DH), Mets, Cardinals (DH), Rangers (DH)
Five games: Nationals, Marlins, Yankees, Brewers, Orioles, Red Sox
10/12 Team two-starters
Hunter Brown (HOU/SP) – Brown is an interesting prospect who gets the Tigers and Athletics. The Astros know how to handle their pitchers and with two soft matchups, makes him my top pitching target for the week. (3-4% FAAB)
Nick Pivetta (BOS/SP) – An average starter who gets the struggling Yankees and home start against the Royals. (1% FAAB)
Trevor Rogers (MIA/SP) – Rogers is having a brutal season. However, he’s thrown quality starts in the last two games. Hopefully, he can keep that going with starts against the Rangers and Nationals. (1% FAAB)
15 Team two-starters
Ryne Nelson (ARI/SP) – Nelson has had a tough year in Triple-A, with a 5.43 ERA in 136 IP. Let’s take that with a grain of salt, as Reno is a very tough place to pitch. He dazzled in debut, 7 innings, 7 Ks, no walks, no runs. He lines up to pitch against the Dodgers and Padres, so this one isn’t for the faint of heart. (1% FAAB)
Mike Minor (CIN/SP) – Well over the hill but gets the Pirates and Cardinals. Should still get some strikeouts though. (1% FAAB)
10/12 Team Adds
Michael Toglia (COL/1B) – Toglia hit 30 homers in the minors and is playing every day for the Rockies. He’s slashed .278/.333/.583 since his promotion. (2-3% FAAB)
Eduardo Escobar (NYM/2B,3B) – Escobar is 14 for his last 33 with 3 homers. He is back to playing every day as well. (2-3% FAAB)
Oscar Gonzalez (CLE/OF) – Gonzales is still only rostered in 77% NFBC 12 teamers despite hitting .296/.327/.474. He is locked into the middle of the Guardians lineup, who plays eight games this week. (2-3% FAAB)
TJ Friedl (CIN/OF) – TJ doesn’t have much power (4.5% barrel, 31.3% HH). Thankfully he plays in Great American and has managed to hit 6 homers along with 6 swipes in 174 PAs. He has been leading off against RHP and the Reds have 9 games this week. A streamer in shallow leagues but should be viable in deeper leagues ROS. (1% FAAB)
Aristides Aquino (CIN/OF) – Aquino is a streaky hitter with good power. He’s 11 for his last 27 (.407) with 3 homers. (1% FAAB)
Spencer Steer (CIN/3B) – 23 homers in just under 500 PAs in the minors this year. Strong plate skills and has been playing almost every day since his call-up. (1% FAAB)
15 Team Adds
Dean Kremer (BAL/SP) – Kremer hasn’t given up more than 3 ERs since August 11th. He won’t rake up the K’s but should be a decent streaming option as he faces the Nationals. (1% FAAB)
Josh Jung (TEX/3B) – Jung is the Rangers top prospect. He’s struggled through injuries early in the year and managed to get 31 games in before his call-up. He has solid plate skills with developing power. He’ll be an interesting name come draft season. (2-3% FAAB)
Romy Gonzalez (CHW/2B,3B) – Romy has a 14%-barrel rate and a 55.8% HH. That’s likely above his true skillset but he is scheduled to face some pretty awful pitchers this week. (1% FAAB)
Alec Burleson (STL/OF) – Burleson hit .331/.372/.532 in Triple-A this year over 470 PAs. He hit 20 homers while stealing 4 bags in as many attempts. His 14.3% K-rate and 6.2% walk rate speaks to an aggressive but high-contact approach. It’s unclear what his role will be with a crowded outfield but is worth a flier in deep leagues. (1% FAAB)
Spencer Torkelson (DET/1B) – A bad year all around for Torkelson, even upon his return to the minors. However, he’s 6-15 this week with only 3 k’s. Maybe he can get something rolling to finish the season. (1% FAAB)
Hi Barrelman,
Good article, gave me lots to consider.
THANKS!