Fantasy baseball daily notes: Pitcher and hitter rankings for Saturday
Jameson Taillon (R), rostered in 51% of ESPN leagues, New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers: Taillon’s 6.23 ERA across four starts is no doubt disappointing, but there are indications that better times are ahead. In 17 1/3 innings, the right-hander has racked up 21 Ks and just two walks, and his 2.96 expected ERA suggests he’s encountered some bad fortune. There are enough positives here to trust Taillon against the Tigers, who have had the worst offense in the American League, illustrated by a 79 wRC+ and an MLB-worst 28.7% strikeout rate.
Anthony DeSclafani (R), 55%, San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres: A matchup against the Padres will make most fantasy managers shy away, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with playing it safe. However, on a day when quality hurlers in favorable matchups are hard to find, we have to get creative. Truth be told, DeSclafani has pitched well enough this season to get a look in tougher spots. The righty owns a 1.50 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 9.0 K/9 in five starts, holding opponents to three or fewer runs in each outing. He even held these same Padres to one run over five frames earlier in the season. Unless you’re well ahead in your head-to-head matchup and need to protect your ratios, DeSclafani is a solid streamer on Saturday, even if the circumstances aren’t quite ideal.
Taijuan Walker (R), 32%, New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies: Walker’s season has been a bit of a mixed bag so far. On one hand, he holds a 2.14 ERA, 9.9 K/9, and has yet to surrender a home run in 21 innings. On the other hand, he’s failed to make it past the fifth inning in two of four starts and has had trouble consistently throwing strikes (6.0 BB/9). Even though there is some volatility here, Walker has been solid enough to warrant some consideration against a Phillies club that has yet to really get going offensively, ranking bottom-10 in baseball with a 90 wRC+ and 26.3% strikeout rate.
Trevor Cahill (R), 1%, Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals: It’s admittedly hard to trust Cahill when you see his 7.11 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in four starts, but his 3.25 FIP and xFIP indicate that he’s deserved much better. He’s also missing bats (9.0 K/9), limiting walks (2.4 BB/9), and keeping the ball on the ground (50.8% ground ball rate). Not only that, but his two best starts this season came against the Padres and Twins (2 ER in 11 IP), so he’s proven capable of holding down good offenses. Cahill won’t have to do that on Saturday, though, as the Cardinals have not been a good offense, sporting below-average marks in most offensive categories.
Bullpen: Josh Staumont appears to have secured the closer gig in Kansas City. The hard-throwing righty sports a 0.68 ERA over 11 appearances and has nailed down three saves over the past week. Closer situations are changing so quickly around the league that it can be hard to trust each new arm that earns the role, but Staumont, available in 80% of ESPN leagues, is worth an add if you’ve been searching for saves.
For the latest team-by-team closer situations, please consult our Closer Chart.
Note: W-L, ERA and WHIP are 2021 statistics
Catcher — Sean Murphy (R), 27%, Oakland Athletics vs. Baltimore Orioles (RHP Matt Harvey): After a slow start, Murphy has turned things on with a .982 OPS and three homers in his last nine games. Harvey has been serviceable this season, but his recent track record suggests that he’s due for a blowup, which would serve the Oakland bats well.
First Base — Joey Votto (L), 40%, Cincinnati Reds vs. Chicago Cubs (RHP Zach Davies): 2021 has been a disaster for Davies. Through five starts, he has a 9.47 ERA with more walks than strikeouts. You’re going to want some exposure to the Reds lineup in this matchup, and Votto, who sports a career-best 46.5% hard-hit rate, is a good way to get it.
Second Base — Josh Harrison (R), 15%, Washington Nationals vs. Miami Marlins (RHP Paul Campbell): Harrison has quietly been one of Washington’s most steady hitters, batting .314/.397/.471 while frequently slotting in first or second in the lineup. He should get his licks in against Campbell, one of the lowest-ranked hurlers on the slate.
Third Base — Evan Longoria (R), 42%, San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres (LHP Blake Snell): This boring veteran hasn’t been so boring this season, putting up a .311/.417/.590 triple slash with four homers, 13 runs, and 12 RBI in 21 games. More importantly, Longoria has completely earned that impressive stat line, as his hard-hit rate, barrel rate, and average exit velocity all rank in the 94th percentile or higher. He’ll get the platoon edge against Snell, who has yet to find his groove.
Shortstop — Jose Iglesias (R), 7%, Los Angeles Angels at Seattle Mariners (RHP Ljay Newsome): Iglesias doesn’t bring a ton to the table offensively, but he’s in the midst of a hot stretch, hitting .327 with a pair of homers over the last two weeks. At a top-heavy position where the streaming options are limited, the 31-year-old carries some appeal against Newsome, who is making his first start of the season.
Corner Infield — Jesus Aguilar (R), 49%, Miami Marlins at Washington Nationals (LHP Patrick Corbin): Corbin will surely get things straightened out after a rough April, but for now let’s take advantage of his struggles. Aguilar is the perfect candidate to exploit the struggling southpaw. The slugger has been punishing the ball of late, swatting five homers in his last six games.
Middle Infield — Kolten Wong (L), 46%, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (RHP Dustin May): Since coming off the injured list last week, Wong has hit safely in all six of his starts, with three doubles, two homers and a stolen base. He draws a tough matchup against May, but with the platoon edge in a hitter-friendly park, he’s still in a favorable spot.
Outfield — Sam Haggerty (S), 5%, Seattle Mariners vs. Los Angeles Angels (RHP Griffin Canning): Haggerty has seen increased playing time, starting five of the Mariners’ last six games, and he’s taking advantage of it. He’s batting .389/.476/.611 over the last week with a dinger and a pair of steals while getting reps in left field and at second base. Fire up Haggerty against Canning and his 8.40 ERA.
Outfield — Harrison Bader (R), 3%, St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates (RHP Trevor Cahill): Bader is fresh off the injured list after missing nearly all of April with a forearm injury. Although he has plenty of swing and miss in his game, he also has decent pop and tremendous speed, giving him nice potential for a streaming bat.
Outfield — Hunter Dozier (R), 29%, Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins (RHP Matt Shoemaker): Despite an awful .138/.200/.277 slash line, Dozier is showing life with a pair of homers over the last week. He’s also put up above-average marks in hard-hit rate, barrel rate, and average exit velocity, so better times should be ahead. Dozier matches up well with Shoemaker, who has had trouble keeping the ball in the yard, surrendering five homers in four starts.
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.