Happy Friday #Family! It is the final weekend of the MLB regular season, and this is my last coach of the 2021 year. We’ve had a great time cashing lots of lineups together, and I hope that continues for all of you as we head into the MLB playoffs. Friday is a large slate, which means lots of options, but also lots of pitchers that probably shouldn’t be starting in the Majors right now. Let’s take a look at some red hot hitters, some guys with great matchups, and a couple of situations that certainly intrigued me as we head into the final three days. Good luck FANation!
Top Tier
Shohei Ohtani, 1B/OF, LAA – What else would we expect from him besides finishing this historic season red hot? Ohtani has three multi-hit games in the last five and has hit .350 with four home runs, seven RBI and two stolen bases in the last week. Marco Gonzales hasn’t had a terrible season, but his ERA is over 4.00 at home and he has allowed at least one home run in seven straight starts and 11 home runs total over that span. Ohtani actually hasn’t had great success against him in the past, but he has hit 17 home runs off left-handed pitching this season and does have one against Gonzales in his career. Look for him to go over 100 RBI tonight to cap off his amazing run.
Trea Turner, 2B, LAD – It was September 11th the last time Turner didn’t have a hit in a game, and he is hitting .407 with three home runs and five RBI in the last week. The Brewers are sending Eric Lauer to the mound who has had a great season, but Turner will be better. The Dodgers star has scorched left-handed pitching to the tune of a .385 average and 1.088 OPS for the season and has three hits in seven at-bats in his career against Lauer including a double.
Wander Franco, SS, TB – His impressive on-base streak came to an end last night, but Franco has still been everything we anticipated since his arrival to the Majors. The Rays play the Yankees tonight who will pitch Nestor Cortes who has been pretty good since being inserted into the rotation. However, he has been really prone to the long ball and has allowed at least one home run in ten straight starts. Franco has faced him twice and has a hit against him but has been wearing out left-handed pitching. He has hit .356 against them with a 1.044 OPS and four of his seven home runs despite nearly 100 fewer at-bats against them.
Mid-Tier
Byron Buxton, OF, MIN – As always, when healthy this guy can be pretty special. He is coming down the stretch hot, hitting .350 with four home runs in the last week including two last night. The Royals are sending prospect Jon Heasley out who was great the last time out, but also surrendered four runs, including two home runs, in four innings in his first outing. His minor league stats weren’t bad, but he also allowed 18 home runs in 21 starts at Double-A. Buxton has a .983 OPS against right-handed pitching and has also powered 13 of his 18 homers out of the park against righties.
Randy Arozarena, OF, TB – I’ll take more of the team that is tied for the most runs in baseball this season down the stretch. The Rays outfielder is finishing the season right as he has hit .313 with a home run and four RBI in the last week. He struck out the one time he faced Nestor Cortes, but 11 of the 13 home runs the Yankees pitcher has allowed have come against right-handed hitters. Arozarena also has hit 37 points higher against lefties and has half of his home runs against left-handed pitching despite 139 fewer at-bats against them. He also has hit .306 off left-handers in his career.
Nate Lowe, 1B, TEX – He has a .911 OPS in the last week, so he makes it count when he gets hits. I would have thought that Lowe would have had slightly better numbers than he is going to finish with, but I like his matchup today. The soon-to-be Cleveland Guardians (might as well start getting used to that now, huh?) send Eli Morgan to the mound on Friday. He was fantastic last time out, but to call him inconsistent would be being polite. He has allowed 18 home runs in 17 starts this season, and his ERA is north of 5.00. Lowe has faced Morgan three times and has a hit in each at-bat with a single, double, and a home run while driving in three runs. 13 of Lowe’s 17 home runs have come against right-handed pitching and this looks like a great spot today.
Value Tier
Christian Yelich, OF, MLW – It has been a wildly disappointing season for Yelich, and although he didn’t play yesterday, he has been on a nice streak. He has hit .353 in the last week with a home run and two multi-hit games. He will face Clayton Kershaw who is obviously a tough matchup, but he did allow three earned runs, including two home runs in his last outing. Yelich has also hit .500 against Kershaw with nine hits in 18 at-bats including a double and two home runs. He hasn’t hit lefties well in general this year, but last season he did hit .314 against left-handed pitching. The matchup is tough, but the price is right, and he is a good cost savings for a high talent player.
Lane Thomas, OF, WSH – He has three multi-hit games in the last week including two doubles, a home run, and four RBI. Thomas has also been leading off for the Nats, which maximizes his plate appearances. He faces Eduardo Rodríguez on Friday who is an average pitcher at best, but Thomas has been spectacular against left-handed pitching. He hasn’t faced Rodriguez, but his has hit .397 with a 1.135 OPS against left-handers in 2021. Thomas is also hitting .287 at home which is 73 points higher than away from Washington. His price tag is attractive, and can really help you fill that roster with studs elsewhere without giving up production.
David Fletcher, 2B, LAA – I know. He has like one hit in the last two weeks, but I am digging deep here, and this is a batter vs pitcher situation. Fletcher has hit lefties well his whole career and has a .319 average with both of his home runs against southpaws. He also has had great success against tonight’s starter Marco Gonzales where he has hit .333 in 33 career at-bats with three doubles, a triple, and two home runs. He is dirt cheap, and he isn’t going to return 20 fantasy points, but he will help you pay up for a stud pitcher or hitter and still give you the value on the price tag you are looking for.
David Peralta, OF, ARZ – We are diving deep here, and Peralta hasn’t even been playing every single day. However, for those of you who like the batter vs pitcher stuff he has hit a ridiculous .425 off of Jon Gary in his 40 career at-bats against him with a double and two triples. Gray surprisingly has a half run higher ERA away from Coors Field this season and if Peralta is in the lineup, he might not be a bad dart throw.