The dog days of summer are upon us. Well, not necessarily in Massachusetts, where the temperature was in the 50s in the morning for most of the past week, but I digress. Soon, the sprint towards the finish line will be upon us. For now, we have a busy week ahead of us in MLB as we approach an early Labor Day. There are a dozen teams with seven-game slates and plenty of matchup info to digest. Here are some things to consider when deciding which hitters to start this week. Welcome to the Week 23 Hitting Planner for fantasy baseball.
More great Fantasy Baseball Analysis: Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire | Weekly SP Rankings | Pitching Streamers | Two-Start Pitchers | Hitting Planner | Lineup Analysis | MLB Injury Report | Risers and Fallers | Prospect Report | Advanced Stats | Under the Radar | Overvalued & Undervalued
Week 23 Schedule Notes
There is no shortage of volume in Week 23. As mentioned earlier, twelve teams will play a whole week without an off day. The other 18 teams will play six games. Most of the seven-game weeks are of the home/road split variety. There are only two teams with seven-game home weeks and three that play seven on the road. Only four teams in the Majors have Monday off. Fantasy managers in leagues with multi-week transactions should rest easy knowing that there are no day games on either Monday or Friday. We should have most lineup information available by the time rosters lock on those days.
Week 23 Starting Pitching Matchup Notes
Houston, we have liftoff! The Houston Astros not only get the best matchup rating in the Week 23 Hitting Planner, but it is the best matchup rating of the season. And yes, you guessed it – they face the Colorado Rockies. However, it is not only the Rockies that Astros hitters should take advantage of this week. Houston also faces Victor Mederos and Kyle Hendricks in their series against the Los Angeles Angels. Mederos has allowed 12 earned runs and 24 baserunners in 13 innings across three starts this year. Hendricks has been his middling self for most of the season. He has allowed 12 earned runs and 25 baserunners in 14.1 innings over his last three starts. Houston’s lineup is very right-handed heavy, and they do exclusively face right-handed starting pitchers this week. But the matchups are too good to ignore.
The Texas Rangers have been very platoon-heavy recently. It will be interesting to see if that continues this week, as the team has placed Evan Carter and Marcus Semien on the Injured List. Texas faces four left-handed starting pitchers this week. We should see plenty of Josh Jung, Ezequiel Duran, and Cody Freeman. In addition, there is a good chance that both catchers (Kyle Higashioka and Jonah Heim) will split time between catching and handling the DH spot. In that scenario, Joc Pederson and Rowdy Tellez are the players most likely to lose playing time in Week 23. The Atlanta Braves will face three lefties over the weekend when they face the Philadelphia Phillies. Nacho Alvarez Jr. has been playing well in place of Austin Riley. He may be worth a look for fantasy managers struggling at the corner infield spot.
Week 23 Ballpark Effects Notes
The Athletics will host six games this week. As a result, they have the best ballpark rating in the Week 23 Hitting Planner. The problem from their standpoint is that they face some tough starting pitching. They will be up against Tarik Skubal and Jacob deGrom, as well as other capable pitchers such as Charlie Morton, Casey Mize, Jack Leiter, and Merrill Kelly. Playing in Sutter Health Park is more likely to help their opponents. After their three-game set in Sacramento, the Tigers travel to Kansas City. That is another ballpark that is generally hitter-friendly. None of the pitchers that Detroit faces are overpowering, so this is a good week to start your Tigers hitters. They only face one left-handed starter, though, so beware of platoon situations.
Week 23 Hitting Planner for Fantasy Baseball
| Team | Games | Home | Road | v. LHP | v. RHP | LHB | RHB | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI | 7 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 97.3 | 100.6 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 6.5 | 3.5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4.14 |
| ATH | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 110 | 108 | 2 | 5 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 4 | 3 | 4.00 | |
| ATL | 7 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 103.6 | 99 | 3.5 | 5.5 | 5 | 5.5 | 3 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 4.07 |
| BAL | 7 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 99.6 | 98.4 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 5 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 6 | 5.5 | 4.93 |
| BOS | 7 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 105.1 | 100.9 | 6.5 | 6 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 5.00 |
| CHC | 6 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 103.5 | 104.5 | 5.5 | 7.5 | 3 | 6.5 | 7 | 6.5 | 6.00 | |
| CHW | 7 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 99 | 98 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4.5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4.79 |
| CIN | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 101 | 103 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 5 | 5 | 5.5 | 4.67 | |
| CLE | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 97 | 97 | 5 | 3.5 | 6 | 3.5 | 3 | 6 | 4.50 | |
| COL | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 106 | 106.5 | 2.5 | 5 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 3.5 | 4.08 | |
| DET | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 105.5 | 105 | 5 | 7 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 6 | 4 | 5.33 | |
| HOU | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 100 | 100 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 8 | 6.5 | 4.5 | 6.92 | |
| KC | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 100 | 100 | 5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 6 | 4.5 | 2 | 4.75 | |
| LAA | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 99 | 98.5 | 3.5 | 5.5 | 3 | 7.5 | 4.5 | 7 | 5.17 | |
| LAD | 6 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 99 | 104 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 4.75 | |
| MIA | 7 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 100.1 | 98.4 | 5 | 3.5 | 5.5 | 5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4 | 4.57 |
| MIL | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 96.9 | 99.3 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 5 | 4 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 4.93 |
| MIN | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 99.5 | 102 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.50 | |
| NYM | 7 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 98 | 98 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 5.5 | 4 | 4 | 3.5 | 5.5 | 4.07 |
| NYY | 7 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 99.9 | 98.4 | 4.5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 7.5 | 5 | 5.5 | 5.21 |
| PHI | 7 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 101.4 | 98.6 | 4.5 | 4 | 4 | 3.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 5 | 4.86 |
| PIT | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 102.9 | 101.4 | 5 | 5.5 | 3 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 5.36 |
| SD | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 97 | 96 | 6 | 5 | 3.5 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 4.92 | |
| SEA | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 95 | 93 | 5.5 | 3.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5 | 5 | 5.00 | |
| SF | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 95 | 96 | 3.5 | 5.5 | 5 | 3 | 6.5 | 6 | 4.92 | |
| STL | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 100.7 | 101.4 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4.43 |
| TB | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 99.5 | 99 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 4.5 | 5.75 | |
| TEX | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 104 | 102.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 6.5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5.08 | |
| TOR | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 98 | 101 | 3 | 6 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.17 | |
| WAS | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 101.5 | 99 | 5 | 6 | 3.5 | 5.5 | 5 | 5 | 5.00 |
Fantrax is one of the fastest-growing fantasy sites in the fantasy sports industry, and we’re not stopping anytime soon. We are the most customizable, easy-to-use, and feature-rich platform in the industry, offering the greatest fantasy experience for your dynasty, keeper, redraft, and best ball leagues. Fantasy sports doesn’t sleep, and neither does Fantrax, with seasons running 365 days a year. Take your fantasy leagues to the next level now at Fantrax.com!
