It’s important to keep an eye on some key storylines and aspects this week to stay one step ahead and gain an advantage over your league mates.
Fantasy Baseball: 20 Things to Watch: Week 23
Fantasy Baseball Week 23 Schedule Notes
- No team has only five games this week.
- The following teams have seven games this week:
- Tampa Bay at OAK, at LAD
- Toronto Blue Jays vs CIN, vs LAA
- Houston Astros vs BOS, at BAL
- Los Angeles Angels at KC, at TOR
- Oakland Athletics vs TB, vs MIL
- New York Mets vs BAL, at SD
- Cincinnati Reds at TOR, at PIT
- Pittsburgh Pirates at TEX, against CIN
- San Diego Padres vs MIN, vs NYM
Dylan Crews (FROM – WHAT)
Dylan Crews is expected to make his major league debut on Monday against the Yankees. Crews is a top prospect who has a .270 batting average with 13 home runs and 25 stolen bases in 397 plate appearances between AA and AAA this season. Crews has plenty of raw power but hasn’t fully tapped into it yet, but he should play every day and there’s plenty of potential.
The Orioles rotation
Kyle Bradish, Zach Eflin, John Means, Grayson Rodriguez and Tyler Wells would be a better rotation than many teams currently have, but those are Orioles starters on the injured list (IL). Adding to the problems is the recent return of Trevor Rogers, who was part of their trade deal. Currently, the Orioles have Cade Povich and Cole Irvin to fill the gaps, but we’ll have to see if any of them can keep the Orioles in the race for the playoffs.
Bobby Miller (SP – LAD)
Bobby Miller has struggled mightily this season, posting a 7.49 ERA in 39.2 innings. His last start was one of his better ones, but he still allowed two home runs. The Dodgers need him to get back into form as they currently have weak rotation players, but he will need to continue to improve to keep his spot in the rotation.
Osvaldo Bido (SP, RP – OAK)
Osvaldo Bido was great, throwing 50 innings with a 3.24 ERA and 51 strikeouts. The underlying numbers are very different, with a 2.81 xERA and a 4.78 xFIP. He pitches in the comfortable confines of Oakland, but this week he’s headed to Cincy, a hometown-friendly ballpark. We’ll have to see if he can continue his winning streak.
Connor Norby (2B, 3B, OF – missing)
Connor Norby was called up by the Marlins and has been in great form ever since, batting over .300, with two home runs and a stolen base. He is moving up the lineup. If he can continue to hit like this, he will be very valuable despite the terrible lineup around him.
Mason McCoy (SS – SD)
Mason McCoy is a former prospect who was never highly rated but had some really good minor league seasons. He’s with the Padres due to Ha-Seong Kim’s injury. If McCoy plays every day, he has some interesting value in deeper leagues as a guy with a lot of swing and quite a bit of speed.
Calls in September
In early September, MLB rosters will expand to 28 players, which means some young players who aren’t major league players will be called up to the team. One of those players is likely to be Jasson Dominguez of the Yankees. On more competitive teams like the Yankees, players will have to fight for playing time, but on teams not competing for a playoff spot, those young players could get a lot more playing time. Keep an eye on the players moving up later this week.
Chaos in the Cubs closer
The Cubs decided to release Hector Neris last week as he was nearing a benchmark that would have triggered an option for next season, so they need a new closer. Porter Hodge got the first save opportunity, Jorge Lopez the second. Hodge seems to be the first choice, but we’ll have to wait and see if this is a committee or if one of these guys gets the job.
Jared Jones (SP – PIT) returns
Jared Jones has done a fantastic job of rehabbing in the minor leagues and is expected to return this week to face the Cubs. While I’m not a huge fan of bringing players fresh off the injured list into the starting lineup, Jones has a ton of potential and has played enough in the minor leagues to make the same in the major leagues.
Paul Sewald (RP – ARI)
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo stated over the weekend that he would like to have Paul Sewald as the team’s closer. Sewald has had ups and downs this season and lost the closer job, but this is a vote of confidence that we should keep an eye on. Justin Martinez has done the job so far, but if the manager has expressed his preference, they will eventually give it back to Sewald.
Streaming options
Jack Leiter (SP – TEX) at CWS
Jack Leiter is expected to be called up on Wednesday and would have a fantastic matchup against the worst team in baseball.
David Peterson (SP, RP – NYM) at CWS
David Peterson has been great and faces the worst offense in baseball against left-handed pitchers.
Keider Montero (SP – DET) against LAA
Keider Montero has been pitching well lately and now faces a weak Angels offense that struggles against right-handed pitchers.
Two-start options
Michael Lorenzen (OF, SP – KC) at CLE, at HOU
Michael Lorenzen has been fantastic since being traded to the Royals, and while the underlying numbers aren’t great, he’s been very effective. The matchup with the Astros isn’t great, but Cleveland is struggling offensively and I don’t know how you can bench him when the results in Kansas City have been so good.
Tobias Myers (SP – MIL) against SF, at CIN
Tobias Myers has been fantastic, but there will be a regression. He mixes pitches and sequences well, so the regression could be delayed until next season, or it might not be as massive as the underlying numbers suggest. Until the regression happens, though, keep using him, especially against a bad San Francisco offense.
Brant Hurter (SP – DET) at CWS, vs. BOS
Unless Boston has a top-five offense, this would be a pretty easy game considering Brant Hurter has been good since he was promoted. He gets an opener, so it’s easier to set up for a win. I think I’d risk it, especially in daily lineup leagues where you can decide Boston’s start later in the week.
Mitchell Parker (SP – WAS) vs NYY, vs CHC
Mitchell Parker has had ups and downs lately and the Yankees are pretty risky to start. However, the Yankees have more problems with left-handed hitters and the Cubs aren’t very good offensively, so this could be a surprise game.
Andrew Heaney (SP, RP – TEX) at CWS, vs. OAK
I think a lot of people would put Andrew Heaney here based on the matchups alone, but there is some risk involved. The A’s have been pretty good against lefties this season and Heaney is the kind of pitcher who can shut down difficult lineups but gets done in by bad ones.
Kyle Harrison (SP – SF) at MIL, vs. MIA
Kyle Harrison was quietly really good in the second half, especially when you bench him because of his terrible start in Cincinnati. The start in Milwaukee is a little scary, but the one at home in Miami is so exciting. You play against him in most formats.
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