It’s mind-blowing that the fantasy baseball season is roughly halfway complete. Monitor the baseball news with the flood of injury and COVID-19 updates happening daily. As always, we’re listing the teams with easier and tougher week 5 hitter matchups. Also, we’ll look at favorable hitter matchups for several players to plug into your lineup this week.
Last week, we suggested Orioles hitters and most fared well, especially Anthony Santander and Hanser Alberto. Unfortunately, Gio Urshela, Dom Smith, and the rest of the Yankees and Mets hitters missed games due to postponements. There are several fringy hitters this week with juicy hitter matchups. As always, check out Eric’s waiver wire article, the two-start pitcher piece by Chris, and Mick’s streaming pitcher article.
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Week 5 Hitter Matchups
Easier Week 5 Hitter Matchups
- Arizona Diamondbacks – 4 vs. COL, 3 vs. SF
- Tampa Bay Rays – 1 vs. TOR, 3 vs. BAL, 3 at MIA
- Toronto Blue Jays – 1 at TB, 3 vs. BOS, 3 vs. BAL
- Washington Nationals – 1 vs. MIA, 3 vs. PHI, 3 at BOS
Honorable Mentions
- St. Louis Cardinals – 3 vs. KC, 2 vs. PIT (doubleheader on Thursday, 8/27), 3 vs. CLE
- Cincinnati Reds – 4 at MIL, 4 at CHC (doubleheader on Saturday, 8/29)
The pitching staff for the Red Sox, Phillies, Marlins, and Giants rank in the bottom five in wOBA allowed. The Red Sox, Phillies, and Giants also have a terrible ERA as a team ranking in the bottom six. The Reds and Cardinals play eight games with a doubleheader, and volume may be in their favor. The Diamondbacks hitters have picked it up recently with a 116 wRC+ over the last 14 days, and Kole Calhoun is playing well.
Tougher Week 5 Hitter Matchups
- Atlanta Braves – 2 vs. NYY, 3 at PHI
- Chicago White Sox – 2 vs. PIT, 3 vs. KC
- New York Yankees – 2 at ATL, 3 vs. NYM
- Texas Rangers – 4 vs. OAK, 3 vs. LAD
The Braves, White Sox, and Yankees are the only teams to play five games this week with the rest playing six or more. Even with fewer games, the Braves and Yankees play the Mets and Phillies that rank in the bottom ten of the league in ERA and wOBA allowed. We’re just noting the short week for the Braves, White Sox, and Yankees, but you’re starting most hitters on those teams. The Rangers play seven games, but the Athletics and Dodgers rank in the top five in ERA allowed. Also, the Dodgers rank second in wOBA allowed, and the Athletics rank seventh.
Last Week’s Hitters
Week 4 Record: 6-2-2
Record Through 4 Weeks: 19-15-5
Renato Nunez – Loss
Anthony Santander – Win
Hanser Alberto – Win (for batting average)
Pedro Severino – Push
Jesus Aguilar – Win
Tommy La Stella – Win
Gio Urshela – Loss (postponed games)
Dom Smith – Win (postponed games)
Kole Calhoun – Push
Robbie Grossman – Win
Week 5 Hitter Matchups
Kole Calhoun, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
Kole Calhoun shows up here again, and the Diamondbacks have been one of the hotter teams over the last 14 days with a 113 wRC+. Although Calhoun only hit one home run with two runs and one RBI over the past week, he’s heated up in August. During August, he’s hit four doubles, six home runs, 13 runs, and 16 RBI while slashing .273/.324/.606. Calhoun’s expected stats all provide hope for continued success with a .270 xBA (66th percentile), .558 xSLG (88th percentile), and a .383 xwOBA (82nd percentile). Look for Calhoun to continue swinging a hot bat to finish off the month of August even though the Rockies pitch better away from home.
Randal Grichuk, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
Randal Grichuk hit five home runs in a four-game stretch recently, and he’s also heating up in August. In August, he hit three doubles, six home runs, 12 runs, and 15 RBI while slashing .299/.347/.612. Grichuk made changes to his batted ball data with about an 8% increase to his line drive rate up to 27.1% while lowering his fly ball rate to 32.2%. He typically displayed a fly ball heavy approach with a 43.1% career average paired with a much lower 18.9% career line drive rate. The pull-heavy hitting approach for Grichuk still exists with a 44.1% pull rate.
🔥 @RGrich15 this series (so far):
🔹 4 HR 💣
🔹 11 (!!) RBI
🔹 6 HitsIs that…good? 👀 pic.twitter.com/nMuGgQQHr4
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 19, 2020
In the small sample, his Statcast data increased across the board with a 16.9% barrel rate (90th percentile), 90.1 mph average exit velocity (61st percentile), and 47.5% hard-hit rate (73rd percentile). With the increase in line drives, check out Grichuk’s 97.5 mph average exit velocity on FB/LD that ranks 21st behind Jorge Soler. Grichuk should continue the hot-hitting, especially against the Red Sox and Orioles in the week 5 hitter matchups.
Teoscar Hernandez, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
When he makes contact, this guy crushes the ball. Teoscar Hernandez’s Statcast page lights up red all over. His 95.8 mph average exit velocity and 62.5% hard-hit rate both rank in the 99th percentile. In August, Hernandez has eight runs, three doubles, five home runs, and 11 RBI while slashing .277/.299/.544. He hardly walks with a 4.1% walk rate, and the strikeout rate is slightly down at 30.6% with a career 31.7% strikeout rate.
Similar to Grichuk, Hernandez’s 29.7% line drive rate is up, and which is a good sign. Hernandez has also lowered his ground ball rate and increased his fly-ball rate. Over the last 14 days, the Blue Jays are the 4th hottest team with a 133 wRC+. Continue to plug Hernandez into your lineup with his hot streak and juicy hitter matchups against the Red Sox and Orioles.
Willy Adames, SS, Tampa Bay Rays
Sneakily, Willy Adames is putting up a solid season with eight doubles, two home runs, 16 runs, eight RBI, and one steal while slashing .286/.382/.494. Adames made changes by increasing his line drive rate to 26.7% and increasing his pull rate to 48.9%. His Statcast data backs up the solid start with a 48.9% hard-hit rate (86th percentile) and his 97.4 mph average exit velocity on FB/LD that ranks 22nd. Plug Adames into your lineup with confidence as he faces the Orioles and Marlins in the week 5 hitter matchups.
Asdrubal Cabrera, 1B/2B/3B, Washington Nationals
No, this isn’t a joke – Asdrubal Cabrera is hitting well to start the season with five home runs, 11 runs, and 16 RBI while slashing .266/.330/.544. His batted ball profile is concerning with a 20.3% line drive rate and a 45.3% ground ball. Cabrera’s Statcast data hovers around average with a 90.2 mph average exit velocity (66th percentile) and a 37.5% hard-hit rate (43rd percentile). On the flip side, the positional flexibility and reasonable counting statistics make him a quality bench bat in most leagues. Cabrera faces some of the worst pitching staffs with the Marlins, Phillies, and Red Sox. Plug him in and ride the wave even with the unappealing batted ball data.
Jesse Winker, OF, Cincinnati Reds
Let’s keep this simple, Jesse Winker is one of the hottest hitters in all of baseball. Throughout August, Winker’s hit three doubles, six home runs, ten runs, nine RBI, and one steal while slashing .404/.517/.851. Winker’s Statcast page shows red all over and put him into your lineup with confidence again this week.
THIS MAN IS ON FIREEEEEEE!!!#TakeTheCentral pic.twitter.com/MujLNgYVJP
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) August 15, 2020
Sleeper Hitters
Luis Garcia, 2B, Washington Nationals
The Nationals called up one of their top prospects, Luis Garcia, and he hit the ground running with one home run, three runs, and four RBI while slashing .286/.318/.476. Although it’s a small sample, Garcia plays every day, and they face some of the worst pitching staffs in the league. Add him off waivers and plug him into your lineup in deeper leagues as a sleeper in the week 5 hitter matchups.
Luis Garcia (#3 #Nationals prospect) entered into the history books yesterday as the first player born in the 2000's to record a home run. @MMarino31’s take:
As seen, there is still room within his swing for power to develop & here’s the first sight of it.#Natitude #PLive pic.twitter.com/C7847McWPE— Prospects Live (@ProspectsLive) August 18, 2020
Freddy Galvis, 2B/SS, Cincinnati Reds
On the season, Freddy Galvis has ten runs, five home runs, and ten RBI while slashing .232/.312/.493. In a recent eight-game stretch (8/8 – 8/20), Galvis heated up with three home runs, four runs, and five RBI while slashing .310/.333/.655. His Statcast data is not worth mentioning, with most sections being average or below average. However, it’s nice to see his 9.6% walk rate up from his 5.5% career average as he typically puts the ball in play often. The Brewers and Cubs are slightly better than the middle of the pack in wOBA and ERA allowed. In deeper leagues, Galvis is a sneaky sleeper hitter this week.
Brad Miller, 3B, St. Louis Cardinals
Since the Cardinals activated Brad Miller from the injured list, he’s straight-up crushing the ball. Through nine games, Miller has two doubles, two home runs, four runs, ten RBI, and one steal while slashing .348/.467/.696. Although it’s a small sample, ride the hot streak for the gloveless swinger with eight games as a sleeper in the week 5 hitter matchups.
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