Fantasy baseball daily notes — Pitcher and hitter rankings for Friday
To that end, here are Friday’s array of players in a favorable spot to get your weekend off on the right foot. Everyone is available in at least half of all ESPN leagues.
Johnny Cueto (R), rostered in 9% of ESPN leagues, San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies: While this isn’t ground-breaking data, no team has larger home-road splits than the Rockies. There have been some studies investigating if it’s more than just park factors, but also getting used to balls breaking more. Regardless, using a home pitcher against Colorado has been effective, especially when the overall quality of their lineup is below average when considering neutralized skills. Cueto’s opener was a mixed bag as he fanned an impressive seven Mariners in 5 2/3 innings, but he also walked three while surrendering six hits and three earned runs.
Kohei Arihara (R), 3%, Texas Rangers vs. San Diego Padres: File this under break glass in case of emergency, relegated to just those in head-to-head formats needing to make up ground. Arihara held his own in his debut, though he fanned only one in five frames. The Padres lineup is still finding itself after losing lynchpin Fernando Tatis Jr., though it will benefit from the designated hitter in an American League park.
Austin Gomber (L), 1%, Colorado Rockies at San Francisco Giants: Gomber is listed after Arihara since his rostership level is lower, but he’s a much better option than the Rangers hurler. Before being dealt to Colorado, Gomber was a favorite of early drafters, but that momentum crashed after he was part of Colorado’s return for Nolan Arenado. On Friday, Gomber doesn’t need to worry about Coors Field as he’s on the road in one of the premier pitching venues. The Giants offense is better suited to face a righthander as two of their better hitters, Brandon Belt and Mike Yastrzemski swing from the left side.
Bullpen: The Diamondbacks will need to slow down a soaring Reds offense to generate a save opportunity, but with Joakim Soria and Kevin Ginkel banged up and Chris Devenski away from the team, Yoan Lopez is next man up in the Arizona bullpen.
For the latest team-by-team closer situations, please consult our Closer Chart.
Note: W-L, ERA and WHIP are 2020 statistics
Catcher — Alejandro Kirk (R), 6%, Toronto Blue Jays vs. Los Angeles Angels (LHP Andrew Heaney): Early season lineups indicate Kirk will see action against opposing southpaws. After impressing last season as well as in the spring, Kirk is off to a slow start. However, it’s only a matter of time before he gets it going as his bat is MLB ready. Kirk doesn’t profile as a slugger, but he has enough pop to launch double-digit homers with a solid average for the position.
First Base — Mitch Moreland (L), 3%, Oakland Athletics at Houston Astros (RHP Lance McCullers Jr.): After watching him as an opponent with the Rangers and Red Sox for years, Moreland endeared himself to Athletics with a 10th inning walk off single on Wednesday, as Oakland earned its first win of the season. Like his teammates, Moreland is off to a slow start, but he remains the cleanup batter for a lineup due to turn things around.
Second Base — Donovan Solano (R), 15%, San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies (LHP Austin Gomber): Initially earmarked for a reserve role, Solano has earned at least the small side of a keystone platoon. Since 2018, Solano has slashed .333/.363/.461 in 140 games.
Third Base — Asdrubal Cabrera (S), 11%, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Cincinnati Reds (RHP Tyler Mahle): With Kole Calhoun and now Ketel Marte sidelined, Cabrera has received most of the action at the hot corner. He’s off to a solid start, walking four times with only three whiffs in 23 plate appearances. If he maintains the improved patience, Cabrera is more attractive in points leagues.
Shortstop — Andres Gimenez (L), 49%, Cleveland Indians vs. Detroit Tigers (RHP Julio Teheran): One of the better ploys on abbreviated slates is searching for a steal or two. This way, you may not need to feature a stolen base specialist in your lineup the rest of the week. A Teheran-Wilson Ramos battery is ideal for Gimenez and his teammates to lace up their running cleats.
Corner Infield — Joey Votto (L), 29%, Cincinnati Reds at Arizona Diamondbacks (RHP Taylor Widener): Long-time points-leagues players know how valuable Votto has been over the years. The problem has always been the high cost of acquisition. While he’s obviously not the player he once was, Votto still draws walks and is in the middle of one of the most productive offenses to begin the 2021 campaign.
Middle Infield — Zach McKinstry (L), 7%, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Washington Nationals (RHP Joe Ross): Cody Bellinger has been ruled out at least through Friday’s games, paving the way for McKinstry to stay in the Dodgers lineup. The 25-year-old infielder has taken advantage of his early chances, slugging .600 as four of his first six knocks were of the extra base variety.
Outfield — Akil Baddoo (L), 44%, Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Indians (RHP Zach Plesac): Baddoo has been the talk of the first week of the season as the Rule 5 draftee posted a 1.637 OPS over his first four games. You don’t need me to tell you he won’t keep it up, but he’s brimming with confidence and is in play when he enjoys the platoon advantage.
Outfield — Dexter Fowler (S), 1%, Los Angeles Angels at Toronto Blue Jays (RHP T.J. Zeuch): Fowler is hoping a change in scenery can jumpstart a late career renaissance. Other than spending the 2014 season with Houston, the 35-year-old veteran fly-chaser has toiled in the Senior Circuit. Fowler is off to a slow start in his return to the American League, but draws one of the weaker pitchers on Friday’s docket.
Outfield — Jurickson Profar (S), 18%, San Diego Padres at Texas Rangers (RHP Kohei Arihara): With Fernando Tatis Jr. on the shelf and the designated hitter in play, Profar will almost assuredly be in the lineup to face the organization for which he broke in before heading to Oakland and now San Diego. Profar is an ideal plug-and-play on short slates since he’s a switch hitter, thus is less likely to leave the game. This is especially relevant against a team like Texas with a suspect bullpen.
Hitter ratings account for the opposing starting pitcher’s past history (three years’ worth as well as past 21 days) as well as ballpark factors. “LH” and “RH” ratings account only for left- and right-handed batters, respectively. Weighted on-base average (wOBA) is the primary statistic used in the calculation. Ratings range from 1-10, with 10 representing the best possible matchup, statistically speaking, and 1 representing the worst. So, for example, a 10 is a must-start rating, while a 1 should be avoided (if possible); a 1-2 is poor, 3-4 is fair, 5-6 is average, 7-8 is very good and 9-10 is excellent.