Weekly Hitter Rankings: Blue Jays Set to Soar

The Weekly Hitter Rankings is a companion piece to the Weekly Pitcher Rankings. In many leagues, your offensive roster slots are "set 'em and forget 'em." In deeper formats though, where every at-bat counts, knowing which teams have friendly schedules for hitters -- and which platoon bats will be getting more action than usual -- can be valuable information. This is especially true in head-to-head formats and leagues where moves are made weekly rather than daily. The Weekly Hitter Rankings will summarize all that info in one spot, for your roster-juggling convenience.

For the week of April 18-24

7 GAMES

1. Toronto

at BOS (1) – Buchholz (R)
at BAL (3) – Jimenez (R), Tillman (R), Worley (R)
vs. OAK (3) – Bassitt (R), Gray (R), Graveman (R)

The Jays return to the top of the heap thanks to some unreliable opposition and a week spent entirely in AL-East hitter's parks. A full slate of righties means that Justin Smoak should get plenty of chances to shake off his early-season slump, while Chris Colabello could struggle to find at-bats. If you're desperate for someone to plug into your lineup, left-handed hitting Ezequiel Carrera might also be worth a look. Note that Vance Worley's start Thursday could end up going to Kevin Gausman if the latter is deemed ready to come off the DL.

2. Boston

vs. TOR (1) – Happ (L)
vs. TB (3) – Smyly (L), Archer (R), Odorizzi (R)
at HOU (3) – McHugh (R), Fiers (R), Feldman (R)

The gap between the Red Sox and Jays in the rankings formula this week is fairly significant but shrinks considerably given the slow starts of pitchers like Chris Archer and Collin McHugh. Two lefties early on make Chris Young a possible play if your league allows mid-week transactions.

3. Milwaukee

at MIN (2) – Hughes (R), E. Santana (R)
vs. MIN (2) – Milone (L), Nolasco (R)
vs. PHI (3) – Nola (R), Morton (R), Eickhoff (R)

Five home games -- two of which come against the bottom of a weak Twins rotation – make the Brewers a juicy play this week. They also have the good fortune to duck everyone's new favorite darling Vincent Velasquez, although Aaron Nola's 17:0 K:BB through his first 14 innings is pretty great too. A righty-heavy slate and two interleague games in an AL park could mean some extra playing time for Kirk Neuwenhuis or even Ramon Flores, if you're scrounging for at-bats.

4. Chicago Cubs

at STL (3) – Leake (R), J. Garcia (L), C. Martinez (R)
at CIN (4) – Finnegan (L), Moscot (R), Simon (R), Iglesias (R)

A week-long road trip isn't enough to quiet the thunder in the Cubs' bats, especially when four of those games are in Cincinnati against a patchwork Reds rotation. With two lefties in the mix, there will be opportunities for manager Joe Maddon to get Javier Baez into the lineup (possibly at second base, pushing Ben Zobrist to left field), but how much playing time he'll receive is still up in the air.

5. Washington

at MIA (4) – J. Fernandez (R), Conley (L), Chen (L), Koehler (R)
vs. MIN – Gibson (R), Hughes (R), E. Santana (R)

Bryce Harper gets his first look at the shorter, closer fence in Marlins Park, which has seemed much friendlier to homers than it was before in a limited sample size thus far this year. New manager Dusty Baker has also been keeping his bench involved, so look for Clint Robinson, Matt den Dekker and even Stephen Drew to potentially get a start or two.

6. Minnesota
vs. MIL (2) – Anderson (R), W. Peralta (R)
at MIL (2) – Nelson (R), Jungmann (R)
at WAS (3) – G. Gonzalez (L), Roark (R), Strasburg (R)

Weirdly, the Twins play five straight interleague road games this week, so while their overall ranking is solid given the opposition and parks involved, Byung-ho Park should probably be stashed on your bench if you have any decent alternatives available. This ranking also doesn't factor in their terrible, whiff-happy start to the season, so you may want to take it with a grain of salt.

7. Chicago White Sox

vs. LAA (4) – Santiago (L), Shoemaker (R), Richards (R), Weaver (R)
vs. TEX (3) – Lewis (R), D. Holland (L), Griffin (R)

US Cellular still has a reputation as a hitter's park, but in terms of pure run-scoring it's actually favored pitchers in two of the last three seasons, which prevented the White Sox from ranking higher this week. Hector Santiago routinely gets better results than his FIP, but otherwise there are a lot of shaky arms on this slate. That said, the time might be right for either Alex Avila or Dioner Navarro to start rolling and claim the starting gig behind the plate.

8. Arizona

at SF (4) – Peavy (R), Cain (R). Bumgarner (L), Cueto (R)
vs. PIT (3) – Niese (L), Nicasio (R), Liriano (L)

Three lefties on the schedule could make Brandon Drury worth a look, as the D-backs continue to mix and match players all around the diamond – especially since Yasmany Tomas and Chris Owings haven't done much with their at-bats so far.

9. Cincinnati

vs. COL (3) – Lyles (R), J. De La Rosa (L), Bettis (R)
vs. CHC (4) – Arrieta (R), Lester (L), Lackey (R), Hammel (R)

The Reds are at home all week, but heading into the teeth of the Cubs' rotation puts a damper on their upside. Left field remains a pretty even split between Adam Duvall and Scott Schebler, so while the righty-heavy schedule suggests Schebler is the better play, they'll likely see roughly equal at-bats.

10. LA Angels

at CHW (4) – Rodon (L), Latos (R), Sale (L), Quintana (L)
vs. SEA (3) – F. Hernandez (R), Iwakuma (R), Miley (L)

Facing the White Sox always ensures a series full of lefties, and the Angels get to face another southpaw in Wade Miley this week. Despite his slow start to the season, that makes Craig Gentry a solid play in deep formats, especially if you're looking for a bit of a boost in steals.

11. San Francisco

vs. ARI (4) – R. De La Rosa (R), Ray (L), Greinke (R), S. Miller (R)
vs. MIA (3) – Cosart (R), J. Fernandez (R), Conley (L)

AT&T Park is only home sweet home for the Giants' pitchers, and having to face the likes of Jose Fernandez and Zack Greinke (who looked a little more ace-like in his last start Friday in San Diego) won't help matters.

12. Miami

vs. WAS (4) – Roark (R), Strasburg (R), J. Ross (R), Scherzer (R)
at SF (3) – Samardzija (R), Peavy (R), Cain (R)

There doesn't appear to be any weak links in the Nationals' rotation at the moment, although the Marlins at least get to face the weaker part of the Giants' staff. An all-righty slate puts Justin Bour firmly in contention for an active roster spot in shallower leagues where he might otherwise go unused, and Ichiro Suzuki might also get a couple more chances to chase that elusive 3000th hit.

6 GAMES

13. LA Dodgers

at ATL (3) – Wisler (R), Teheran (R), W. Perez (R)
at COL (3) – C. Bergman (R), J. Gray (R), Chatwood (R)

The Dodgers' bats will be treated to the thin air of Coors Field, putting them right at the top of the rankings among six-game teams. In fact, if I were ranking purely by weekly score and not by games played, they'd creep into the top 10 where they'd be tied with Cincinnati. With a slate full of right-handed pitchers, it'd be a great time to plug in one of their left-handed bench bats if they had anybody healthy, but Chase Utley is the only player who might benefit. It's a good spot to use Joc Pederson if he's one of your reserves in a shallow league, however.

14. NY Mets

at PHI (3) – Eickhoff (R), Velasquez (R), Hellickson (R)
at ATL (3) – B. Norris (R), Chacin (R), Wisler (R)

Another all-righty slate is great news for Michael Conforto, and while the Mets spend the week on the road, being away from Citi Field (and getting to face the NL East bottom-feeders) won't be such a bad thing for their hitters. All eyes will be on Vincent Velasquez to see what he can do for an encore, but overall this is a generous set of opposition pitchers.

15. NY Yankees

vs. OAK (3) – Surkamp (L), Graveman (R), R. Hill (L)
vs. TB (3) – E. Ramirez (R), Moore (L), Smyly (L)

A six-game homestand looks even better when you factor in who the A's will be sending out to the mound, but an even split between lefties and righties could somewhat neutralize the Yanks' ability to clear the short right-field porch in the Bronx. It could mean a healthy workload for Aaron Hicks, though.

16. Baltimore

vs. TOR (3) – Stroman (R), Dickey (R), Estrada (R)
at KC (3) – C. Young (R), Medlen (R), Ventura (R)

The series against the Jays could feature a lot of souvenirs in the bleachers given both teams' affinity for the long ball. Another week with no lefties could give Pedro Alvarez a chance to get going at the plate, and could also give Hyun-soo Kim some playing time.

17. Texas

vs. HOU (3) – Feldman (R), Fister (R), Keuchel (L)
at CHW (3) – Danks (L), Rodon (L), Latos (R)

Dallas Keuchel found his control in his last start, but even if he's back to Cy Young form, this is an unimpressive collection of arms being thrown at the Ranger. The even lefty-righty split will be an interesting challenge for rookie Nomar Mazara, who's been a fixture in the starting lineup since being called up but could sit against Keuchel and/or Carlos Rodon given his minor league struggles against same-side pitching.

18. Kansas City

vs. DET (3) – Greene (R), Zimmermann (R), Pelfrey (R)
vs. BAL (3) – Gallardo (R), M. Wright (R), Jimenez (R)

The Royals are home all week and are yet another team without a lefty in sight on their slate, which means the playing-time mix in right field could tip back in Reymond Fuentes' favor.

19. Colorado

at CIN (3) – Simon (R), Iglesias (R), Melville (R)
vs. LAD (3) – Kazmir (L), Maeda (R), A. Wood (L)

It's not a full week at Coors Field, but facing a weak Reds rotation at the Great American Ballpark might be the next best thing. Colorado also ducks Clayton Kershaw, one of the few pitchers capable of shrugging off the Coors factor. Two non-Kershaw lefties on the weekend also make Ryan Raburn and Mark Reynolds solid options in leagues with mid-week transactions. This ranking may seem low, but there's actually very little difference in the numbers from the Mets at 14 to the Rockies at 19.

20. Houston

at TEX (3) – Griffin (R), Hamels (L), M. Perez (L)
vs. BOS (3) – S. Wright (R), Buchholz (R), J. Kelly (R)

There's some evidence to suggest that hitters fare worse the day after facing a knuckleballer, so while this doesn't look like much of a pitching slate outside of Cole Hamels, don't be surprised if Clay Buchholz produces one of his occasional gems. Evan Gattis isn't playing every day at DH for the Astros yet, but back-to-back lefties could give him a chance to find his groove.

21. Seattle

at CLE (3) – Carrasco (R), Salazar (R), Cody Anderson (R)
at LAA (3) – Tropeano (R), Santiago (L), Shoemaker (R)

Both road series feature two tough matchups and an iffier one, so overall this doesn't appear to be a great period for the Mariners. With only one lefty on the slate, you can safely park Franklin Gutierrez and Dae-Ho Lee on your bench.

22. Cleveland

vs. SEA (3) – Miley (L), T. Walker (R), Karns (R)
at DET (3) – Verlander (R), Anibal Sanchez (R), Greene (R)

This isn't a bad slate, all things considered, but it's not a great one either. The righty-heavy sked could get Tyler Naquin some playing time, although so far the Indians have been content giving Rajai Davis the bulk of the at-bats in center field.

23. Pittsburgh

at SD (3) – Rea (R), Pomeranz (L), Shields (R)
at ARI (3) – Corbin (L), R. De La Rosa (R), Ray (L)

Between spending the full week on the road, the potentially tough opposition on the mound and the alternating lefty-righty pattern, it's tough to fathom the Pirates' hitters getting into much of a rhythm. John Jaso has yet to face same-side pitching this season, so he might be best left on the bench in shallow formats despite his hot start.

24. Tampa Bay

at BOS (3) – J. Kelly (R), Porcello (R), Price (L)
at NYY (3) – Sabathia (L), Tanaka (R), Pineda (R)

The Rays trek north for a divisional road trip to face a mixed bag of opposing pitching, highlighted by best the Red Sox and Yankees have to offer. Logan Morrison should continue to dominate the first-base at-bats, but neither he nor Steve Pearce have an extra-base hit yet, so if Pearce catches fire that could change in a hurry.

25. Oakland

at NYY (3) – Pineda (R), Eovaldi (R), Severino (R)
at TOR (3) – Aaron Sanchez (R), Happ (L), Stroman (R)

The A's face an impressive collection of young flamethrowers this week (plus J.A. Happ) as they make a tour of the AL East. Given their usage thus far, Coco Crisp could see most of the action in center field over Billy Burns as the position seems like more of a strict platoon than anyone expected.

26. Philadelphia

vs. NYM (3) – Syndergaard (R), Verrett (R), Colon (R)
at MIL (3) – Z. Davies (R), Chase Anderson (R), W. Peralta (R)

Jacob deGrom's absence makes this slate more tolerable, but Mets' sixth starter Logan Verrett is better than some teams' No. 4's, so the Phillies could still have a rough beginning to the week. Having no lefties on the horizon means Ryan Howard and Cedric Hunter should both see plenty of action.

27. Detroit

at KC (3) – Ventura (R), Kennedy (R), Volquez (R)
vs. CLE (3) – Tomlin (R), Kluber (R), Carrasco (R)

Another stingy collection of opposing arms could keep the Tigers' bats in check this week, but the all-righty slate is good news for Anthony Gose, who had an OPS 167 points higher against righties than lefties last year.

28. San Diego

vs. PIT (3) – Liriano (L), Cole (R), Locke (L)
vs. STL (3) – Wainwright (R), Wacha (R), Leake (R)

This is where things get really dire in the rankings, at least according to the numbers. Six games in Petco Park is never fun for hitters, so facing this group of pitching won't exactly make things any easier -- although Adam Wainwright's poor start might make him more vulnerable than it seems on paper. The Padres' makeshift platoon at third base could make Adam Rosales an interesting deep-league play early in the week, with Alexi Amarista taking over for the weekend.

29. St. Louis

vs. CHC (3) – Lackey (R), Hammel (R), K. Hendricks (R)
at SD (3) – Cashner (R), Erlin (L), Rea (R)

This ranking seems low, given that the Cardinals duck both of the Cubs' aces and get Robby Erlin in place of the injured Tyson Ross, but facing the weaker Padres' arms in Petco Park makes it tougher to really take advantage of them. With a righty-heavy slate, the door could be open for Brandon Moss to wrestle the first base job away from Matt Adams if he keeps cranking home runs when he gets a chance.

30. Atlanta

vs. LAD (3) – A. Wood (L), Stripling (R), Kershaw (L)
vs. NYM (3) – Harvey (R), Matz (L), Syndergaard (R)

The Braves are probably going to linger near the bottom of the rankings this season even at the best of times, but facing a slate that includes Clayton Kershaw and three Mets young guns just further cements their standing in the cellar. Three lefties, however, make platoon options like Tyler Flowers, Jeff Francoeur and Gordon Beckham at least worth considering in deep formats.