The MLB has had a very interesting start to the season. There have been some great performances, and some terrible ones. In today’s article, I will be giving you my pitcher and hitter rankings for Saturday.
The espn fantasy baseball daily notes monday is a blog that has pitcher and hitter rankings for the current day.
The entire 15-game schedule on Saturday has a little bit of everything. We’ve got a good mix of aces, a couple of divisional rivalries, and a few games with playoff significance. There are also a plethora of intriguing streaming choices. Whether you’re in the middle of a fantasy playoff head-to-head battle or still fighting for first place in your rotisserie league, every lineup choice has additional weight. Let’s make the most of them.
Here’s a look at Saturday’s best streaming possibilities, with an emphasis on players who aren’t in more than half of ESPN leagues.
Pitching
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs: Jon Lester (L), rostered in 11% of ESPN leagues: When he was on the Nationals, Lester was perhaps one of the worst pitchers in MLB. In St. Louis, though, he has had a different experience. Perhaps it’s the famed Cardinals devil magic, but the veteran has allowed two or less earned runs in six straight starts, posting a 2.27 ERA in the process. Lester’s underlying statistics remain uninspiring, with a 14 percent strikeout rate that is a career low, but Saturday’s game against the Cubs doesn’t pose much of a danger. This season, the North Siders have been in the middle of the pack versus lefties, with a 26.1 percent K rate.
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Huascar Ynoa (R), Atlanta Braves against. San Diego Padres, 48 percent: We would have avoided the Padres’ offense a month ago, but they’ve run out of gas, ranking 27th in MLB with an 82 wRC+ over the last 30 days. This provides a great chance for Ynoa to take advantage of San Diego’s chilly bats. Since returning from the disabled list, the 23-year-old righty has a 3.93 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 38 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings, and Petco Park is a pitcher’s paradise.
New York Mets vs. Milwaukee Brewers, Rich Hill (L), 40%: Hill has regained his stride after a difficult stretch in June and July, posting a 3.32 ERA with almost a strikeout per inning in his last nine outings (eight starts). Only once in Hill’s last five starts has he allowed more than two earned runs, demonstrating the veteran’s consistent performance. Hill has an intriguing matchup on Saturday against the Brewers, who have lost five straight and have a bottom-five wOBA (.300) in September.
New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox: Nestor Cortes Jr. (L), 42 percent: It’s understandable to be wary of putting Cortes on the mound against a red-hot Red Sox offense, but the 26-year-old southpaw is still worth a look. Cortes has a 2.94 ERA over 64 1/3 innings as a starter, allowing more than three earned runs just once over 12 outings, in addition to piling up Ks with a 10.1 K/9. He’s also kept high-powered offenses like the Blue Jays, White Sox, and Rays at bay, holding them all to two runs or less, so it’s fair to anticipate him to do so again this weekend against Boston.
Pitcher to Stay Away From
Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals: Tarik Skubal (L), 25%: Skubal has a lot of strikeouts and a good matchup against Kansas City, but he’s not a good Saturday streamer. The Tigers seem to want to keep the young lefty’s workload under control for the remainder of the season, as he hasn’t pitched more than three innings or 50 pitches in each of his last three starts. Skubal is an intriguing arm for 2022, but his fantasy worth for this season seems to have passed him by.
The Royals’ bullpen has been out of contention for a while, but there’s still value in it. Scott Barlow has been a top-15 fantasy reliever over the last two weeks while being rostered in just 35% of teams. With a 2.43 ERA and 11.0 K/9, he has 14 saves on the season, including one in each of his last three outings. Barlow has a decent opportunity to make some saves this weekend against the Tigers, another club that has been eliminated from postseason contention for a long time.
Please see our Closer Chart for the most up-to-date team-by-team closer circumstances.
Hitting
Keibert Ruiz (S), 6%, Washington Nationals against. Cincinnati Reds (RHP Vladimir Gutierrez): When the Nationals initially brought him up, Ruiz struggled at the bat, but that has improved drastically in the last week. The rookie’s exceptional contact skills have begun to show up in the big leagues, as he has hit.462/.500/.538 over the last seven games, with multi-hit efforts in four of his last six games. In the meanwhile, Gutierrez has struggled on the mound, posting an 8.84 ERA in his last five outings.
Gavin Sheets (L), 2%, at first base for the Chicago White Sox against the Cleveland Indians (RHP Eli Morgan): Sheets has put up a.379 wOBA in September while mainly facing right-handed pitching, taking advantage of his expanded playing time. On Saturday, he’ll face Morgan, who has an obnoxious 8.31 ERA at Progressive Field this season.
1 Related
Brad Miller (L), 8%, Philadelphia Phillies against. Pittsburgh Pirates (RHP Wil Crowe) at second base: Crowe’s debut date was pushed back from Thursday to Saturday, but he’s still one of the hurlers we want to target. This season, the Pittsburgh pitcher has had one of the worst seasons in baseball, with a 5.77 ERA in 23 appearances, including a 6.55 ERA in his last eight outings. In this key matchup, Miller, who has a.361 wOBA versus right-handed pitching, is a nice method to get exposure to the Phillies order.
Hunter Dozier (R) at third base for the Kansas City Royals against the Detroit Tigers (LHP Tarik Skubal): Dozier has now hit five home runs in September, with a.333/.370/.810 slash line over his last 13 games, after hitting only four in June, July, and August combined. Skubal will start Saturday’s game, but he isn’t anticipated to last long, so Dozier should get several at-bats against Detroit’s shaky bullpen.
Kyle Farmer (R), Cincinnati Reds against. Washington Nationals (RHP Erick Fedde): Kyle Farmer (R), 20 percent, Cincinnati Reds vs. Washington Nationals (RHP Erick Fedde): Farmer hasn’t slowed down in a long time, and we’re not sure why. Since the All-Star break, he’s hit.310/.343/.500, with a.300/.328/.483 triple slash line in September. Fedde, who has had ERAs of 8.02, 5.17, and 5.21 in the previous three months, should contribute to the team’s success.
Brandon Belt (L), 40 percent, corner infield, San Francisco Giants vs Colorado Rockies (RHP Jon Gray): Belt has only put up a 1.024 OPS in the second half. In 18 September games, he had a 1.071 OPS with six home runs and 18 RBIs. And now, at Coors Field, he has the platoon advantage? Don’t give it too much thought.
Andy Ibanez (R), Texas Rangers vs. Baltimore Orioles (LHP John Means): Andy Ibanez (R), Texas Rangers against. Baltimore Orioles (LHP John Means): As a streamer, Ibanez has a lot going for him. In the second half, he hit.310/.359/.489, which is a.310/.359/.489 batting line. He’s also had a lot of success against lefties this season, as shown by his.341/.372/.512 slash line against them. Best of all, Ibanez’s versatility allows him to play first, second, or third base, making him a simple addition to your lineup.
Victor Reyes (S), Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals (RHP Jon Heasley): Victor Reyes (S), 8 percent, Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals (RHP Jon Heasley): With the manner he’s been swinging the stick, Reyes has earned consistent playing time. Since the break, he’s hit.314/.339/.504, displaying a mix of power and speed. Heasley, who appeared overmatched in his maiden big league start last week, could provide plenty of opportunities for the switch-hitter.
Outfield — Lorenzo Cain (R), Milwaukee Brewers against. New York Mets (LHP Rich Hill): Lorenzo Cain (R), 23 percent, Milwaukee Brewers vs. New York Mets (LHP Rich Hill): Cain, at the age of 35, still has some gas left in the tank. He’s hit.319/.407/.574 with three home runs in his last 15 games. In that time, he’s also stolen three bases, making him an unique supply of speed that’s still accessible this late in the season.
Seattle Mariners @ Los Angeles Angels (RHP Jaime Barria): Outfield — Dylan Moore (R), 34 percent: Despite Moore’s poor season, he continues to do things that keep him relevant in fantasy football. He’s still stealing bags, hitting the odd home run, and filling several positions with eligibility. Moore’s power/speed skill combination is in demand right now, with a slash line of.318/.400/.545 over his last ten games.
|
TEAM |
OPP |
OVERALL |
LHB |
RHB |
SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
LAD |
1 |
1 |
1 |
9 |
|
|
@SD |
7 |
7 |
7 |
8 |
|
|
TEX |
8 |
10 |
7 |
8 |
|
|
NYY |
5 |
4 |
6 |
4 |
|
|
STL |
7 |
4 |
7 |
1 |
|
|
@CLE |
8 |
8 |
8 |
1 |
|
|
WSH |
8 |
10 |
7 |
10 |
|
|
CWS |
1 |
2 |
1 |
10 |
|
|
SF |
6 |
6 |
5 |
7 |
|
|
KC |
7 |
8 |
7 |
1 |
|
|
@OAK |
3 |
1 |
4 |
4 |
|
|
@DET |
8 |
4 |
10 |
7 |
|
|
SEA |
4 |
3 |
5 |
6 |
|
|
@ARI |
5 |
4 |
6 |
6 |
|
|
@TB |
3 |
4 |
2 |
4 |
|
|
NYM |
4 |
1 |
5 |
6 |
|
|
TOR |
5 |
1 |
7 |
10 |
|
|
@MIL |
3 |
7 |
1 |
7 |
|
|
@BOS |
6 |
4 |
6 |
8 |
|
|
HOU |
3 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
PIT |
10 |
10 |
10 |
1 |
|
|
@PHI |
4 |
4 |
4 |
1 |
|
|
@CHC |
9 |
5 |
10 |
2 |
|
|
ATL |
3 |
2 |
4 |
10 |
|
|
@COL |
8 |
10 |
6 |
4 |
|
|
@LAA |
8 |
7 |
8 |
7 |
|
|
MIA |
1 |
4 |
1 |
6 |
|
|
@BAL |
5 |
3 |
5 |
1 |
|
|
@MIN |
7 |
7 |
7 |
10 |
|
|
@CIN |
6 |
9 |
5 |
10 |
The fantasy baseball week 12 pitcher rankings is a daily notes article that includes the top pitcher and hitter rankings for Saturday.
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