Fantasy baseball daily notes: Pitcher and hitter rankings for Sunday’s games
The same holds true in fantasy. One great week can take you from the lower half of your rotisserie standings to the top. The best way to make it happen is keep a full lineup and look to upgrade weaker spots. To that end, here are Sunday’s selections to wrap up the week on a high note. Admittedly, there are some familiar names, but this isn’t the time to get cute, being the last day of the scoring period.
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Seth Lugo (R), rostered in 50% of ESPN leagues, New York Mets vs. New York Yankees: The Yankees may have snapped their losing streak on Saturday, but they only scored two runs, needing the help of former reliever Dellin Betances to plate the game-winner on a wild pitch. The Yankees offense remains vulnerable without Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres and Giancarlo Stanton. Lugo can’t be expected to pitch as well as he has out of the bullpen, but he has the skills to succeed as a starter and is catching the opposition at the right time.
Casey Mize (R), 33%, Detroit Tigers vs. Minnesota Twins: Granted, the matchup isn’t ideal but it’s a little surprising Mize is available in two-thirds of ESPN leagues, especially since you folks have done a sharp job of picking up players this season. That said, the Twins are just 19th in terms of runs scored and are fanning at an above-average clip.
Tony Gonsolin (R), 27%, Los Angeles Dodgers at Texas Rangers: Speaking of sluggish lineups, the Rangers are in the basement in the runs department. The extent Gonsolin is stretched out is unclear as he last pitched on August 18. However, he threw six frames in that outing and has likely been working lengthy bullpen sessions on the side.
Griffin Canning (R), 12%, Los Angeles Angels vs. Seattle Mariners: If this seems familiar, it’s what I wrote about Canning for Saturday’s notes, before his start was pushed to Sunday. Canning battled elbow issues all spring but responded well to a PRP injection, avoiding a more serious procedure. That said, he hasn’t been sharp this season, losing 1.5 mph off his fastball with overall spotty command and control. He has a good chance to flip the script on Saturday, facing a Mariners lineup off course with the fifth lowest wOBA while whiffing at a 24% clip.
Bullpen: In what will likely be the first of a handful of weekend deals involving relievers, the Padres acquired Trevor Rosenthal from the Padres. San Diego may install the veteran at closer or he may set up Emilio Pagan. More relevant for those searching for saves, Mike Matheny will likely choose from Greg Holland, Josh Staumont or Scott Barlow to close out games for the Royals. The former Cardinals skipper seems to favor experience, giving Holland the edge. Staumont has closer stuff while Barlow has quietly pitched well, though he was hit hard last time out. It’s speculative, but the pecking order is as listed, Holland, Staumont then Barlow.
For the latest team-by-team closer situations, please consult our Closer Chart.
Note: W-L, ERA and WHIP are 2019 statistics
Catcher — James McCann (R), 11%, Chicago White Sox vs. Kansas City Royals (LHP Kris Bubic): You’ll need to confirm McCann is in the lineup, but the White Sox have usually had him in there with a southpaw on the hill. Plus, Sunday is the day many reserve backstops see action. With a .438/.545/.625 line against lefties, McCann has certainly earned a lineup spot.
First Base — Brandon Belt (L), 14%, San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks (RHP Taylor Clarke): Belt is locked in, slashing .571/.625/1.095 for the week heading into Sunday’s slate. In those 24 plate appearances, he has only fanned three times, drawing a like number of walks.
Second Base — Cesar Hernandez (S), 48%, Cleveland Indians at St. Louis Cardinals (RHP Adam Wainwright): Hernandez continues to be underappreciated despite good production from the leadoff spot, including a pair of long balls hit this past week.
Third Base — Ryan Mountcastle (R), 12%, Baltimore Orioles at Toronto Blue Jays (RHP Tanner Roark): While it’s preferable to use rookies when they enjoy the platoon edge, Mountcastle is crushing all offerings and Roark has been equally generous to both sides of the plate over his career.
Shortstop — J.P. Crawford (L), 23%, Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Angels (RHP Griffin Canning): Crawford has been sitting atop the Mariners’ batting order versus righties and has been playing the part with an 11% walk rate and five steals in six tries.
Corner Infield — Mitch Moreland (L), 44%, Boston Red Sox vs. Washington Nationals (RHP Austin Voth): Moreland is another example of a frequent visitor, but with the week on the line in head-to-head leagues, he’s the type of guy you want with all eight of his homers coming off a right-hander.
Middle Infield — Luis Garcia (L), 10%, Washington Nationals at Boston Red Sox (RHP Zack Godley): The 20-year-old rookie continues to impress, beginning his career slashing .317/.333/.439.
Outfield — Brandon Nimmo (L), 44%, New York Mets at New York Yankees (Undecided): There’s a chance Nimmo has to face Gerrit Cole. This may seem daunting, but the Yankees ace has surrendered ten homers in just 41 IP. Plus, the boroughs play two and since Nimmo is one of the Mets better fly chasers, he may draw both starts.
Outfield — Avisail Garcia (R), 39%, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (LHP Steven Brault): Garcia appears to be in a platoon with Ben Gamel. A lefty is on the hill, so Garcia and his .296/.441/.519 performance against southpaws this season should get the nod.
Outfield — Jackie Bradley Jr. (L), 11%, Boston Red Sox vs. Washington Nationals (RHP Austin Voth): Streaks are largely happenstance or driven by facing weak opposition. As such, Bradley would be in play even if he isn’t in the midst of a heater, toting a five-game hitting streak including a pair of dingers into Saturday’s tilt.
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.