Welcome to the newest edition of the Weekly MLB Preview!
This article is an invaluable tool for the hardcore Fantasy Baseball owner, as it will assist you with mapping out the week ahead, pointing out tips for roster construction and matchups to exploit. Below you’ll find a wealth of information, ranging from a game breakdown grid to an interleague matchup preview. We’ve done all the leg work so you can sit back and focus on the most important thing – winning!
GAME BREAKDOWN GRID FOR WEEK 2 (4/11-4/17)
TEAM | # GAMES | HOME | AWAY | VS LEFT | VS RIGHT |
Orioles | 7 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
Yankees | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
Red Sox | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Blue Jays | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
Rays | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Tigers | 7 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
Royals | 7 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 6 |
White Sox | 6 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
Indians | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Twins | 6 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
Angels | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Mariners | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
Athletics | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
Rangers | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
Astros | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
Nationals | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
Marlins | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
Mets | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
Braves | 7 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 5 |
Phillies | 7 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 5 |
Cardinals | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 5 |
Pirates | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 7 |
Brewers | 6 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
Reds | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 5 |
Cubs | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
Dodgers | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Giants | 6 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
Padres | 7 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
Rockies | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
Diamondbacks | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 5 |
Analysis: The 2016 season has started off with a boom offensively, and you can be sure that Week 2 will feature its own set of fireworks. The chart above provides owners with much more information than it may appear at first glance, as it references teams with matchups which should be exploited. Certain clubs have dramatic road/home splits, or benefit by facing relatively weak opponents. What are a few teams that you should consider moving up a notch?
- Boston Red Sox – The Red Sox are home for the entirety of Week 2. Fenway Park is one of the friendliest to hitters in all of baseball, and the team hit .290 collectively there last season, finishing third best with an .800 OPS.
- Detroit Tigers – Last season the team finished first in baseball with a .281 AVG against LHP, and they face four in Week 2.
- Chicago Cubs – In addition to having all six games at Wrigley, the Cubs also face two of the worst rotations in baseball, the Cincinnati Reds and the Colorado Rockies. Cha-ching.
- Toronto Blue Jays – Of the team’s 232 HR last season, 180 came against RHP, a full 19 ahead of second-place Colorado. The Blue Jays have a .791 OPS against RHP, and five of their six matchups are versus RHP. Exploit the splits!
INTERLEAGUE OUTLOOK
AWAY TEAM | HOME TEAM | # GAMES | DH? | PLAYER(S) IMPACTED |
Pittsburgh | Detroit | 4 | Yes (2) No (2) | |
New York Mets | Cleveland Indians | 3 | No |
STARTING PITCHER RANKINGS
Note: I’ve broken down the rankings below into two separate tables, which is a change from last season. The first table will contain rankings for the top 25 two-start pitchers of the week, and the following table will rank the top 35 one-start pitchers of the week. Enjoy!
RANK | PITCHER | MATCHUP 1 | MATCHUP 2 |
1 | Braves (Chacin) | @Phillies (Morton) | |
2 | @Rays (Moore) | @Mets (Harvey) | |
3 | Marlins (Chen) | Indians (Kluber) | |
4 | Braves (Norris) | @Phillies (Nola) | |
5 | Reds (Finnegan) | Rockies (Chatwood) | |
6 | Orioles (Gallardo) | Blue Jays (Sanchez) | |
7 | Brewers (Jungmann) | Reds (Moscot) | |
8 | @Twins (Gibson) | @Rays (Moore) | |
9 | Wei-Yen Chen | @Mets (Harvey) | Braves (Chacin) |
10 | @Phillies (Nola) | Diamondbacks (Miller) | |
11 | Padres (Shields) | Nationals (Gonzalez) | |
12 | @Tigers (Sanchez) | Brewers (Cravy) | |
13 | Angels (Tropeano) | Royals (Ventura) | |
14 | @Dodgers (Maeda) | @Padres (Cashner) | |
15 | Rangers (Lewis) | @Yankees (Pineda) | |
16 | Yankees (Pineda) | @Red Sox (Price) | |
17 | Diamondbacks (Corbin) | Giants (Samardzija) | |
18 | @Phillies (Morton) | Diamondbacks (Corbin) | |
19 | Indians (Kluber) | White Sox (Rodon) | |
20 | @Astros (Fiers) | @Athletics (Gray) | |
21 | Pirates (Niese) | @Astros (Keuchel) | |
22 | White Sox (Rodon) | Angels (Tropeano) | |
23 | @Mariners (Miley) | Orioles (Jiminez) | |
24 | @Blue Jays (Sanchez) | Mariners (Iwakuma) | |
25 | Anibel Sanchez | Pirates (Nicasio) | @Astros (Fiers) |
Analysis: While the first few names on this list are obvious due to their pedigree and matchups, several names which crept inside the top 15 are rather intriguing. Carlos Rodon demonstrated improved control in his first start this season, and faces two teams which only posted middling offensive numbers in 2015. Juan Nicasio’s first start did little to silence the buzz which he generated out of Spring Training. The Tigers represent his first true test – can he silence the elite bats of Miguel Cabrera and Justin Upton? Normally Sonny Gray would rank higher given his two starts, but his matchup against the Royals’ ace Yordano Ventura caps his upside. Aaron Sanchez had a terrific first outing and is one of the most-added players of the week, but faces two tough matchups against divisional opponents.
RANK | PITCHER | MATCHUP 1 |
1 | @Phillies (Hellickson) | |
2 | Giants (Bumgarner) | |
3 | Zack Grienke | @Padres (Ross) |
4 | @Rays (Odorizzi) | |
5 | Brewers (Nelson) | |
6 | Marlins (Fernandez) | |
7 | @Mets (Syndergaard) | |
8 | Jacob DeGrom | Marlins (Conley) |
9 | Rockies (TBD) | |
10 | @Yankees (Tanaka) | |
11 | @Rays (Archer) | |
12 | @Dodgers (Kershaw) | |
13 | Indians (Carrasco) | |
14 | Tigers (Zimmerman) | |
15 | @Indians (Anderson) | |
16 | @Rays (Smyly) | |
17 | Braves (Wisler) | |
18 | @Twins (Nolasco) | |
19 | Reds (DeSclafani) | |
20 | Yankees (Severino) | |
21 | Reds (Finnegan) | |
22 | @Phillies (Velasquez) | |
23 | Brewers (Anderson) | |
24 | @Twins (Hughes) | |
25 | Reds (Simon) | |
26 | Tigers (Greene) | |
27 | Jordan Zimmerman | @Pirates (Cole) |
28 | Edison Volquez | @Athletics (Hill) |
29 | Diamondbacks (Grienke) | |
30 | @Blue Jays (Stroman) | |
31 | Orioles (Wright) | |
32 | @Rays (Ramirez) | |
33 | White Sox (Sale) | |
34 | Padres (Rea) | |
35 | @Phillies (Eickhoff) |
Analysis: Week 2 features some extremely interesting pitching matchups, most notably Madison Bumgarner vs. Clayton Kershaw, Noah Syndergaard vs. Jose Fernandez, and Carlos Carrasco vs. Chris Archer. Unfortunately for Fantasy owners, since there are so many matchups of SP1s pitted against each other, the wins for elite talent is capped. The middle tiers are filled with upside plays for SP3 talent, such as Richards, Martinez and Stroman.