Fantasy baseball daily notes: Pitcher and hitter rankings for Friday’s games
Look for some runs to be scored Friday night as over half the pitching field registers a projected Game Score of 50 or below. Even so, there are a handful of arms in a good spot to add to your lineup. Batters are plentiful as always.
Good luck this weekend. Here are Friday’s highlighted options, all available in at least half of ESPN leagues.
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Anthony DeSclafani (R), rostered in 27% of ESPN leagues, Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals: This is a make good opportunity for DeSclafani as he was hit hard by the Pirates last time in what was perceived to be a good matchup. The righthander hasn’t pitched since that day, meaning he’ll be working on seven days rest. After setting a career high in fastball velocity last season, DeSclafani has added another half tick to his heater this year, boding well for a rebound. Homers are DeSclafani’s primary issue and since returning to action, the Redbirds have a 2.7% home run rate, a mark well below average.
Adam Plutko (R), 6%, Cleveland Indians vs. Detroit Tigers: With Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac still relegated to the alternate training site, Plutko gets at least one more turn in the Indians rotation. He hasn’t pitched will since called up, but the 28-year old righty draws a struggling offense as the Tigers are averaging just 3.33 runs per game the past week while fanning at a generous 26% clip.
Kolby Allard (L), 4%, Texas Rangers at Seattle Mariners: Allard held his own after inheriting Corey Kluber’s spot in the rotation before a rude introduction to Coors Field where the Rockies put a six-spot up in just three frames. The script is flipped for Allard as he looks to bounce back against another lesser offense as the Mariners have matched the Tigers in runs the last week whiffing 25% of the time.
Logan Webb (R), 2%, San Francisco Giants vs. Arizona Diamondbacks: Webb faces a bigger challenge as the Diamondbacks have been productive lately. However, the NL West tilt will be played in pitcher-friendly Oracle Park. Webb has been inconsistent with his control to start the season but has only allowed one homer in 20 1/3 innings.
Looking ahead, the Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins play a pair on Saturday and both teams closers are available in over 50% of ESPN league. Daniel Hudson has garnered five saves for the defending champs while Brandon Kintzler has three for the Fish.
For the latest team-by-team closer situations, please consult our Closer Chart.
Note: W-L, ERA and WHIP are 2020 statistics
Catcher — Sean Murphy (R), 17%, Oakland Athletics vs. Los Angeles Angels (LHP Andrew Heaney): After busting out last September, Murphy was slow out of the gate after the 2020 reboot. However, he’s collected hits in his last five starts, with extra base hits in the last four.
First Base — Evan White (R), 5%, Seattle Mariners vs. Texas Rangers (LHP Kolby Allard): With the caveat While fouled a ball off his knee and could miss the game, the 24-year old rookie is beginning to display why the Mariners signed him to a six-year deal as he’s pounded three homers and a double over the past week.
Second Base — Kolten Wong (L), 34%, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds (RHP Anthony DeSclafani): Earlier, it was mentioned DeSclafani suffers from bouts of gopheritis. He also is one of the better arms to target for steals. Wong has the pop and speed to take advantage of both, likely from the leadoff spot.
Third Base — Evan Longoria (R), 5%, San Francisco Giants vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (LHP Robbie Ray): Longoria is another batter enjoying a solid stretch as he’s slashed .350/.417/.700 the past week. If strikeouts were the only category for pitchers, Ray would be a first-rounder with 27 in 22 frames. However, he’s also walked 20 while serving up seven homers.
Shortstop — Luis Garcia (L), 6%, Washington Nationals vs. Miami Marlins (RHP Elieser Hernandez): In full disclosure, Hernandez came close to making the cut in the pitching section. If it were at home in Marlins Park, he probably would have been featured. With the NL East meeting in hitter-friendly Nationals Park, the risk was deemed too severe. One of the reasons is Garcia demonstrating he’s ready for The Show, posting a .977 OPS since his August 14 promotion.
Corner Infield — Todd Frazier (R), 13%, Texas Rangers at Seattle Mariners (LHP Nick Margevicius): The Rangers offense has been one of the early season disappointments. Frazier isn’t tearing it up, but with a pair of homers and seven doubles, he’s doing his part.
Middle Infield — Cesar Hernandez (S), 40%, Cleveland Indians vs. Detroit Tigers (RHP Michael Fulmer): Fulmer is starting for the Tigers and while he’ll be handing the ball to lefty Tyler Alexander, he’s on tap to pitch longer than the standard opener. Using opposing hitters in a case like this is tricky since some will be taken out for their platoon partner. One way to circumvent this is using a switch-hitter. This is even more advantageous when they hit at the top of the order.
Outfield — Clint Frazier (R), 45%, New York Yankees at New York Mets (RHP Rick Porcello): Righty, lefty, it doesn’t matter which side of the batter’s box is occupied with Porcello on the hill, he’s equally magnanimous. Frazier’s stint as a regular will be ending soon, but as long as he’s still in the lineup, he’s a threat to hit one out of the yard.
Outfield — Avisail Garcia (R), 45%, Milwaukee Brewers at Pittsburgh Pirates (RHP Chad Kuhl): The revamped Brewers lineup has Garcia leading off with a righty on the hill. Garcia’s on base skills are lacking, but he does possess 84th percentile spring speed, helping him score seven runs in his last eight games.
Outfield — Brian Goodwin (L), 22%, Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Athletics (RHP Mike Fiers): With Justin Upton mired in a season-long malaise, Goodwin continues to get chances and is producing, especially in terms of power as 11 of his 20 hits have gone for extra bases, fueling a healthy .571 slugging percentage.
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. A “*” means that the pitcher lacks requisite career major league data to produce an accurate hitter rating; these are the author’s ratings.