Weekly Hitter Rankings: Non-Problem Solved

The Hitter Value Meter is a companion piece to the weekly Pitching Value Meter. While in many leagues offensive roster slots are set 'em and forget 'em, in deeper formats 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, especially in head-to-head formats and leagues with weekly moves instead of daily. The Hitter Value Meter will summarize all that info in one spot, for your roster juggling convenience.

For the week August 3-9

7 GAMES

1. Toronto (vs. MIN 4, at NYY 3) - The Jays solved their non-existent hitting woes by picking up Troy Tulowitzki at the deadline, and now feature an offense that can justifiably be called a juggernaut. The Twins will send their best at them in this four-game set, but they lack a real ace and while Tommy Milone was good for a while there, he's started to stumble and could get crushed by all of Toronto's right-handed power. The series against the Yankees will have an interesting finale as well, as New York will have Luis Severino make just his second major league start Sunday. That's not so much throwing the kid into the deep end as it is throwing him into a shark-infested ocean.

2. Arizona (at WAS 4, vs. CIN 3) - The series against the Nats looks nasty, but aside from Max Scherzer it features a struggling Doug Fister, an inconsistent Gio Gonzalez and Stephen Strasburg making yet another return from the DL, so just about anything is possible. Capping the period against a gutted Reds rotation at home should allow them to make up whatever runs they miss out on in Washington, though.

3. Milwaukee (vs. SD 4, vs. STL 3) - A seven-game homestand in Miller Park seems like a pretty sweet deal, but who do the Brewers have left to take advantage of it? OK, that's a bit of an exaggeration, as Adam Lind remained in town at the deadline and Ryan Braun and Jonathan Lucroy are still around, but the lineup is decidedly diminished without Carlos Gomez and Gerardo Parra. They also get some tough matchups, as even Ian Kennedy has been pitching better for the Padres and the Cards don't have any soft spots in their rotation. Jaime Garcia is the only lefty on Milwaukee's slate.

4. Oakland (vs. BAL 3, vs. HOU 4) - It's odd to see a team with a poor home park for hitters ranked this high, but it's that kind of week. It's not even like the A's are seeing weak pitching. Baltimore sends the resurgent Chris Tillman and Wei-Yin Chen to the mound (along with the fading Miguel Gonzalez), while Houston counters with Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers and Scott Kazmir (along with the inconsistent Collin McHugh). It's seven games in the friendly-ish confines, though, and seeing three lefties gives platoon options like Josh Phegley and Jake Smolinski a chance for some value.

5. San Francisco (at ATL 3, at CHC 4) - It's odd to see a team on a road swing ranked this high, but it's that kind of week. The Giants have done some damage this year away from home, though, and Atlanta serves up Shelby Miller and a couple of rookies (Mike Foltynewicz and Williams Perez) while the Cubs send out Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta, along with a stumbling Kyle Hendricks and likely Dan Haren. With nothing but righties on the slate, Gregor Blanco could get some extra work at Angel Pagan's expense.

6. Washington (vs. ARI 4, vs. COL 3) - These are the kinds of rotations you want to see come to town when you have a long homestand. Jeremy Hellickson and Patrick Corbin have been pitching better lately, and Zachary Godley has been OK through his first couple major-league starts, but Bryce Harper alone could be more than Rubby De La Rosa can handle, and the Rockies' rotation features Jorge De La Rosa (no relation) and two guys who probably shouldn't even be in a major league rotation. Corbin, Jorge DLR and Yohan Flande make it a three-lefty week for the Nats.

7. Houston (at TEX 3, at OAK 4) - The Astros, newly reinforced with Carlos Gomez, take to the road this period but could still put up some nice numbers. They avoid Cole Hamels in Texas, instead getting the mediocre right-hander section of the Rangers' rotation (when Colby Lewis is the hottest pitcher you face in a series, things are looking up), and while Sonny Gray looms Friday they also potentially get desperation call-up Aaron Brooks on Thursday, the lesser prospect Oakland received for Ben Zobrist. As with the Giants this is set to be an all-right-handed week for the 'Stros, so don't expect Jake Marisnick to get off the bench much.

8. San Diego (at MIL 4, vs. PHI 3) - Somewhat surprisingly, the Padres were not dismantled at the deadline, and their reward is a pretty nice slate. They don't get Kyle Lohse, but the rest of the Brewers' rotation isn't exactly chock-full of aces, and Aaron Nola (with all of two major league starts under his belt) is the best the Phillies can manage. Adam Morgan and his 5.42 FIP are the only lefty they see.

9. Atlanta (vs. SF 3, vs. MIA 4) - If the Braves had a better offense, this would've been a great week to take advantage of it. They do get both opposition aces in Madison Bumgarner and Jose Fernandez and while Matt Cain and Jake Peavy aren't awful, the rest of the Marlins' rotation is now a rag-tag bunch of misfit underdogs who'll probably form the basis for a future direct-to-Netflix "Major League" sequel. Bumgarner and Justin Nicolino, probably, make up the lefty portion of their schedule.

10. Miami (vs. NYM 3, at ATL 4) -Matt Harvey and Shelby Miller are no fun, but otherwise this isn't a bad slate for the Marlins, as Bartolo Colon, Jon Niese and Julio Teheran are all having their troubles lately, and the Braves' rookie hurlers haven't been setting the world on fire either. Niese is the only lefty they're set to face.

11. Chicago Cubs (at PIT 3, vs. SF 4) - The Cubs are another team that would rank higher this week if they hadn't had so much trouble scoring runs at home in 2015. They do miss both Gerrit Cole and Madison Bumgarner though, and their schedule is neatly split between three Bucs lefties (Francisco Liriano, J.A. Happ and Jeff Locke) and the four Giants' righties, which presents all kinds of good platoon streaming options in deeper leagues if you have Chris Coghlan and/or Chris Denorfia rostered.

12. Minnesota (at TOR 4, at CLE 3) - Toronto has set its rotation so that David Price starts the opener of the Yankees' series, meaning the Twins give him a miss. That's about the only good news, though, as knuckleballer R.A. Dickey pitches Monday and messes up Minnesota's timing to start the week, then it finishes it off facing Corey Kluber. Mark Buehrle's the only lefty on the slate.

6 GAMES

13. NY Yankees (vs. BOS 3, vs. TOR 3) - The Yankees' offense isn't quite as good as the Jays this year, and they didn't add any All-Star shortstops at the trade deadline, but this is still a team that can score a lot of runs at home. With Eduardo Rodriguez showing signs of fading the Red Sox won't be sending anyone scary to the mound, but Toronto is slotting David Price into its rotation so that he takes the mound to start the weekend series, which could stifle the Yankees' fireworks a bit.

14. Detroit (vs. KC 3, vs. BOS 3) - The Tigers' offense, already missing Miguel Cabrera, will be even more under-powered after dealing Yoenis Cespedes, but the Red Sox's beleaguered rotation should more than make up for that. The Royals should prove to be a stiffer challenge, sending Johnny Cueto and a somewhat-improved Yordano Ventura to the mound. Danny Duffy, Brian Johnson and Wade Miley make it a three-lefty week for Detroit, so new platoon left fielder Rajai Davis should see some extra work.

15. St. Louis (at CIN 3, at MIL 3) - Eep. The Reds are planning to send David Holmberg (and his 4.40 ERA and 5.07 K/9 ratio at Triple-A) to the mound Wednesday as, I guess, some sort of sacrificial offering to the Cards. The rest of Cincinnati's rotation, or Milwaukee's for that matter, isn't that better, though the Brewers do have Wily Peralta back. It's a road week, but a road in good hitters' parks against generous pitching, so there's some value here.

16. Kansas City (at DET 3, vs. CHW 3) - Without David Price heading it up, the Tigers' rotation is a distinctly sad bunch. Justin Verlander has at least shown flashes of his old self, but Alfredo Simon and Buck Farmer are long rallies waiting to happen for a team like the Royals. Kansas City also ducks Chris Sale, though Jeff Samardzija (strangely undealt at the deadline) and Jose Quintana are no slouches. Quintana and John Danks, who apparently either produces scoreless outings or gets crushed, are the only two lefties on the Royals' ledger.

17. Colorado (vs. SEA 3, at WAS 3) - No matter who they're facing, a home series for the Rockies is a chance to produce some crooked numbers. That said, if anyone can shut them down at home it'll be Felix Hernandez, though the King is then followed by probable J.A. Happ replacement Roenis Elias and Taijuan Walker, who can't seem to string together two good starts in a row, so whatever good work he does will probably be for naught. The series in Washington will probably be ugly, with Max Scherzer bringing down the hammer Sunday. Elias is the only lefty the Rockies will get.

18. Seattle (at COL 3, vs. TEX 3) - High-scoring games in Coors work both ways, especially when the lowest FIP the Rockies will send to the mound in this series is Chris Rusin's 4.62. The Rangers' series should be stingier as Cole Hamels takes the hill Friday, but Martin Perez and Colby Lewis are no great shakes. With three lefties on the slate, including one at altitude, Jesus Montero becomes an intriguing play.

19. Cincinnati (vs. STL 3, at ARI 3) - It's six games in good hitters' parks, but the home series against the Cards will be tough with old-timer John Lackey joining young fireballers Carlos Martinez and Michael Wacha on the mound. The trip to Phoenix should be a little more forgiving, though Robbie Ray, Zachary Godley and Patrick Corbin have pitched pretty well lately.

20. Pittsburgh (vs. CHC 3, vs. LAD 3) - It's six home games, but the Pirates could be seeing a lot of tough pitches in those six games. The Cubs send their best with Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta and Jason Hammel on the hill, while Clayton Kershaw is set to begin the weekend series for Los Angeles, though his ongoing pain in the glute could end up bumping him forward a spot or two in the rotation. New Dodgers Mat Latos and Alex Wood are slated to round things out, making it a three-lefty week for the Bucs and putting Mike Morse on the hot seat to prove his worth with his new club.

21. L.A. Angels (vs. CLE 3, vs. BAL 3) - As always, you never quite know what you're going to get out of Cleveland's starters, but at least at the moment Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar all have a bit of momentum behind them, so this could be a rough series for the Angels' bats. You could say much the same thing about the Orioles' staff, but while Chris Tillman has turned things around Ubaldo Jimenez has started to go full Ubaldo after his great start to the season, and Kevin Gausman is even more of an enigma than the Tribe's trio. With no lefties on the slate, Shane Victorino and C.J. Cron could get squeezed for playing time.

22. L.A. Dodgers (at PHI 3, at PIT 3) - While they spend all week on the road, three games in Philadelphia against what the Phillies laughingly refer to as a rotation is still a decent way to kick things off. Aaron Harang, who at least looked competent in his first start off the DL on Thursday, represents the biggest threat. Things immediately go downhill in Pittsburgh though, with Gerrit Cole set to greet the Dodgers on Friday and Francisco Liriano closing the series out Sunday.

23. Texas (vs. HOU 3, at SEA 3) - The Astros' rotation is now fairly stacked, so even though the Rangers skip Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers and Scott Kazmir could still give their cross-state rivals fits. Houston's fifth starter is still technically Scott Feldman, but if Mike Fiers gets the nod instead that's going to be three very different looks in three games. Things don't get much better in Seattle either, as while Mike Montgomery seems to have lost his control, Felix Hernandez closes things out Sunday.

24. Tampa Bay (at CHW 3, vs. NYM 3) - The Rays are another team with a bifurcated schedule this week, as the White Sox send three lefties to the mound (Jose Quintana, Chris Sale and erratic rookie Carlos Rodon) while the Mets counter with two of their awesome young righties (Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard) plus less awesome, much older righty Bartolo Colon. Given the platoons Tampa employs all over the diamond, this makes most of their hitters tough to rely on in leagues with weekly transactions but excellent streaming possibilities in daily transaction formats.

25. Cleveland (at LAA 3, vs. MIN 3) - This is about as vanilla as a schedule can get. The Indians don't face any pitchers that are particularly hot or cold, nor great or awful on the season. They get one home series and one road series, neither of them in parks that are especially biased toward hitters or pitchers. They also face only one lefty (Hector Santiago), so there's nothing out of line about this period from a platoon perspective either. It is what it is.

26. Boston (at NYY 3, at DET 3) - Both rotations the Red Sox see this week are somewhat diminished from what they were just a couple weeks ago. With Michael Pineda on the shelf the Yankees' rotation lacks a certain power element, but rookie Luis Severino will try to fill that void in his debut. As for the Tigers, David Price is now in Toronto and while Daniel Norris is a decent prospect, he is in no way a replacement for Price. If Boston could hit, this slate might look pretty juicy. Norris and CC Sabathia are the only two lefties they'll face.

27. Chicago White Sox (vs. TB 3, at KC 3) - The White Sox offense has shown signs of sputtering to life recently, but they could have a tough time maintaining that momentum against Jake Odorizzi and Chris Archer. Things look a little friendlier in Kansas City, as Chicago avoids new ace Johnny Cueto and instead sees the likes of Jeremy Guthrie and Danny Duffy.

28. NY Mets (at MIA 3, at TB 3) - The Mets pay a visit this week on all the Florida retirees with fond memories of Ron Swoboda and Tom Seaver, or even Dwight Gooden and Keith Hernandez, unlike those ungrateful grandkids of theirs. Would it kill them to call once in a while? There are no premium pitching matchups on the slate, as the Mets miss both Jose Fernandez and Chris Archer, but the rest of the Rays' rotation should at least offer a bit of resistance. Justin Nicolino and Matt Moore make it a two-lefty period.

29. Baltimore (at OAK 3, at LAA 3) - West coast swings can be tough, and this one is no exception. The O's do manage to duck Sonny Gray, but even the lesser members of Oakland's rotation like Jesse Chavez can be stingy and O.co Coliseum doesn't help matters. Andrew Heaney and Garrett Richards, the two young guns for the Angels, lead off their series while Matt Shoemaker, suddenly relevant again after allowing no more than two runs in any of his last five starts, takes the hill Sunday.

30. Philadelphia (vs. LAD 3, at SD 3) - It's fitting that after finally dealing away Cole Hamels and Jonathan Papelbon, the Phillies find themselves at the bottom of this week's rankings. Zack Greinke headlines for the Dodgers but Alex Wood and Brett Anderson would each be the No. 1 starter for Philly, while the Padres' rotation has looked a lot better recently. Andrew Cashner is the closest thing to a weak link in this slate.