Weekly Hitter Rankings: Nothing Like a July Homestand

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 July 27 - Aug. 2

7 GAMES

1. Baltimore (vs. ATL 3, vs. DET 4) - There's no clear-cut best team in the rankings this period, but the Orioles take top spot by virtue of their solid offense, solid home park and middling opposition. David Price is scheduled for the Tigers on Sunday, but other than that Baltimore isn't set to face anyone especially tough, and Price could be in another uniform by then. If Manny Banuelos remains as the Braves' fifth starter then it could be a three-lefty week (along with Price and Alex Wood), but Williams Perez could return from the DL to bump him aside and Price, as mentioned, is on the block, so O's platoon options like Nolan Reimold could be risky plays depending on how the dominoes fall.

2. Texas (vs. NYY 4, vs. SF 3) - There's nothing like a homestand in late July to wake up those Rangers' bats. They do get the best their opposition has to offer, with Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda going for the Yankees and Madison Bumgarner for the Giants, but homer-prone CC Sabathia in Arlington seems like a recipe for pinball numbers, and Tim Hudson looked his age in his first start off the DL.

3. St. Louis (vs. CIN 3, vs. COL 4) - This could be a fun week for Cards hitters. They aren't set to face Johnny Cueto anyway, but a trade could disrupt the already thin Reds rotation, and the Rockies rotation is in a perpetual state of disruption as it is. When Mike Leake is the best starter you're set to face ... what's that? He might get traded too? Even better. Jorge De La Rosa and Chris Rusin make it a two-lefty week for St. Louis.

4. Boston (vs. CHW 4, vs. TB 3) - It's seven home games, but this is a nasty slate of opposition pitchers. The White Sox bring Chris Sale, Jeff Samardzija (if he's still with the club) and Jose Quintana to town, while the Rays counter with Chris Archer. John Danks, pitching Monday, is the only real soft spot. Matt Moore plus the ChiSox trio make it a four-lefty week, which makes Mike Napoli vaguely more interesting and David Ortiz someone to avoid using if you can.

5. Chicago Cubs (vs. COL 3, at MIL 4) - It's a split slate, but home games against the Rockies might as well count double, especially when they currently have no clue who their fifth starter will be, and Miller Park has been generous this year when Kyle Lohse and Matt Garza are on the mound. Seriously, Lohse has an 8.15 ERA at home. Eight point one five. Horrific doesn't begin to describe it. Wily Peralta could come off the DL to make the Thursday start for Milwaukee, bumping out Taylor Jungmann, but that's isn't necessarily an upgrade. Jorge De La Rosa figures to be the only lefty the Cubs see.

6 GAMES

6. Toronto (vs. PHI 2, vs. KC 4) - I can no longer ignore what the Blue Jays hitters have been doing this season. Last week I had them ranked at the bottom and it just felt wrong, no matter what sort of tough west-coast swing they were on. This is a team averaging better than five runs a game ... on the road. At home, they're racking up better than five and a half. Those are Rockies-level home numbers, and that kind of stratospheric production means that until they cool off their homestands have to count for more than normal, even if they're giving away a game to most of the field. In this case they get some generous opposition too, including two Phillies pitchers who aren't Cole Hamels and the struggling Yordano Ventura. They're also set to face two young lefties in Adam Morgan and Danny Duffy, and the Jays are hitting .294/.360/.476 as a team against southpaws. Things could get very ugly for those poor kids.

7 GAMES

7. Detroit (at TB 3, at BAL 4) - The Tigers face a few tough pitchers this week, including Chris Archer and Jake Odorizzi, but the period ends with the inconsistent Kevin Gausman and the faltering Ubaldo Jimenez, who's given up a total of 14 runs in his last two starts, so they'll get a great opportunity to make up for lost time. Wei-Yin Chen's the only lefty taking the hill against them.

8. NY Yankees (at TEX 4, at CHW 3) - If you have to be on the road all week, there are worse places to hit than Arlington and US Cellular. As per usual when a team has a set against the White Sox, the Yankees' slate is chock-full of southpaws as Matt Harrison and Martin Perez join Carlos Rodon and John Danks, so Chris Young should see some extra action.

9. Cincinnati (at STL 3, vs. PIT 4) - The Reds get four home games, but they also get a tough slate of opposition pitchers with Lance Lynn headlining for the Cards and Gerrit Cole and A.J. Burnett leading the way for the Bucs. Jaime Garcia and Jeff Locke make it a two-lefty week.

10. Kansas City (at CLE 3, at TOR 4) - Another long road swing, but the Indians pitching is still scarier in theory than they are in person even with Corey Kluber taking the bump on Wednesday, and the Royals won't get their timing messed up by R.A. Dickey during the four-game set in Toronto, so they squeak into the top 10. On the lefty front, Mark Buehrle and Felix Doubront are set to close the weekend for the Jays, although if they add pitching at the deadline Doubront will be the hurler getting pushed aside.

11. Atlanta (at BAL 3, at PHI 4) - The Orioles' rotation just can't seem to get it together. When Ubaldo Jimenez is good, Chris Tillman is bad, and vice versa. Right now the latter scenario applies, and with Kevin Gausman in the mix too the Braves have a chance to do some damage in Baltimore. As for the Phillies, even if Cole Hamels is still around he only starts one of those four games. Aaron Nola looked good in his debut but needs to do it a few more times before he can be considered reliable. Adam Morgan is the only lefty Atlanta's sure to face, with Hamels also currently penciled in.

12. Milwaukee (at SF 3, vs. CHC 4) - Three games in San Francisco doesn't get the week off to a good start, even if they duck Madison Bumgarner, but four home games against the Cubbies gives the Brewers's hitters a shot at salvaging a solid week, especially considering they also duck Jon Lester. Tsuyoshi Wada, assuming he's actually off the DL by then, figures to be the only lefty they'll see.

13. Cleveland (vs. KC 3, at OAK 4) - Edinson Volquez and his 3.72 FIP is the best the Royals have to offer, and the Indians should be able to do some damage at home off Jeremy Guthrie. The trip to Oakland might be less friendly, but the A's staff looks less imposing with Scott Kazmir now in Houston, as Sonny Gray is really the only dangerous starter they have left at the moment. Overall, it's an all-righty week, as well as an alrighty week, for Cleveland.

14. Seattle (vs. ARI 3, at MIN 4) - You'll be forgiven if you need to double-check your scorecard to figure out who the Diamondbacks are sending to the mound in this series. Robbie Ray? Zachary Godley? Sounds like members of a Doors cover band. At least Patrick Corbin is vaguely famous. The Twins get sneaky by slipping Tommy Milone in the middle of their pitch-to-contact triplets (Phil Hughes, Kyle Gibson and Mike Pelfrey), making it a three-lefty week for the M's, so Mark Trumbo might be useful for a change, especially if you believe in the revenge factor.

15. Chicago White Sox (at BOS 4, vs. NYY 3) - The century-old battle between brightly-hued hosiery moves to Boston this week, but the Red Sox haven't exactly kept their rotation powder dry as they'll have to trot out the likes of Joe Kelly and Steven Wright. When Wade Miley might be the toughest pitcher you see in a series, things are looking up. Masahiro Tanaka goes for the Yankees on Sunday though. Only the White Sox's own offensive ineptitude this season keeps them this low in the rankings.

16. Colorado (at CHC 3, at STL 4) - It's seven games, but that's about the only good thing about this road swing for the Rockies. Well, that and a Tuesday spot start from (checks notes to confirm that it's a real name) Dallas Beeler. After that, Colorado faces a lot of stingy pitching in Jon Lester, Carlos Martinez, Michael Wacha and Lance Lynn (fine, and John Lackey too). Even Kyle Hendricks on Monday is no pushover.

6 GAMES

17. Minnesota (vs. PIT 2, vs. SEA 4) - If you're heading to Target Field this week hoping to see some great pitching, well, good luck with that. No Gerrit Cole, no A.J. Burnett, and no Felix Hernandez make this is a pretty sweet deal for the Twins, although they will have to face the returning Francisco Liriano and you never know which version of Taijuan Walker will show up. Liriano, J.A. Happ and Mike Montgomery make it a three-lefty week, so Eduardo Escobar might see some extra at-bats, for whatever that's worth.

18. San Francisco (vs. MIL 3, at TEX 3) - The Giants should be in good shape this period as none of the Brewers' starters are exactly aces, although Kyle Lohse has almost looked like a major-league caliber pitcher on the road this year, and the Rangers' bunch might actually be worse. Matt Harrison did somehow manage to throw six shutout innings in Denver his last time out, although I doubt he could explain how he pulled that one off. Harrison and Martin Perez are the only two lefties the Giants are set to face.

19. Houston (vs. LAA 3, vs. ARI 3) - The Astros got a bit of bad news when the Angels ruled Jered Weaver out for Wednesday's start, but this still looks like a pretty good six-game homestand. Garrett Richards looks to be their toughest task, although they may not have the lefty bats to effectively handle Rubby De La Rosa. Then again, Preston Tucker has heated back up again so maybe they do. C.J. Wilson and Robbie Ray make it a two-lefty period.

20. Oakland (at LAD 2, vs. CLE 4) - A little two-game hop down to Chavez Ravine could be rough, especially with Clayton Kershaw going in the second game, but after that the A's come home to face the non-Corey Kluber portion of the Indians' high-octane but middling-result rotation. Kershaw and Brett Anderson are the only two lefties they'll see.

21. Pittsburgh (at MIN 2, at CIN 4) - This doesn't seem so bad really. Ervin Santana hasn't found his form yet, Johnny Cueto will probably get traded... what's that? Santana's blanked two consecutive opponents, and it would be just like the Reds to ask for too much for Cueto and not end up trading him at all? Don't be such a downer, man. Things'll work out for the Pirates. They always do... oh, wait. It's an all-righty period, but Pittsburgh doesn't have any particularly effective platoons going at the moment so that probably won't matter. Still, if you want to gamble on Travis Ishikawa getting some run in the wake of a Pedro Alvarez deal, be my guest.

22. Miami (vs. WAS 3, vs. SD 3) - You'd think six home games would rank better, but then again these are the Giancarlo Stanton-less Marlins we're talking about. James Shields has found his mojo again for the Padres and while Max Scherzer hasn't been able to keep pace with his ridiculous first half, he's still darn good. Doug Fister and Ian Kennedy are both struggling right now though, so things aren't entirely bleak for Miami.

23. N.Y. Mets (vs. SD 3, vs. WAS 3) - See above, but moreso. All three Padres (James Shields, Tyson Ross and Andre Cashner) are pitching pretty well right now, although Shields might be pitching well enough to get himself dealt, and things won't get any easier against the Nats even if Max Scherzer isn't on the slate. Gio Gonzalez is the lone lefty here.

24. L.A. Angels (at HOU 3, at LAD 3) - Well, the Angels avoid both Dallas Keuchel and Clayton Kershaw, so yay? They don't avoid Scott Kazmir and Zack Greinke though, nor Lance McCullers and Michael Bolsinger. When Collin McHugh is the weak link in your slate, you know it could be a long, cold week for your hitters. Kazmir and Brett Anderson make it a two-lefty period.

25. San Diego (at NYM 3, at MIA 3) - While the Padres get the toughest hitters parks the NL East has to offer this period, they don't get the toughest pitching matchups. Jon Niese and Bartolo Colon are downright hospitable compared to who the Mets could be sending to the mound, and while Jose Fernandez could make their Sunday miserable, the Marlins don't have anyone else particularly worth worrying about, especially if Mat Latos gets dealt.

26. Washington (at MIA 3, at NYM 3) - See above, but moreso. Getting a terrifying glimpse into their future, the Nats take a tour of rival NL East aces in their natural habitats this week, kicking things off with Jose Fernandez on Tuesday before facing the Mets' Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard triumvirate on the weekend. In between it's Tom Koehler and Dan Haren (or whatever fungible Quad-A arm replaces Haren after he's traded) though, so Washington hitters will at least get a small window in which they actually have a chance to cross the plate.

27. Arizona (at SEA 3, at HOU 3) - No thank you please. A weird inter-league road swing that includes Felix Hernandez and Dallas Keuchel just feels like a cruel joke is being played on the D-backs. They will, however, get to use the DH all period, which probably means their four-headed outfield can all get regular at-bats, and seeing Scott Feldman on the slate will probably seem like an oasis in the AL West desert. Keuchel and Mike Montgomery looks to make it a two-lefty week.

28. Tampa Bay (vs. DET 3, at BOS 3) - This ranking assumes that the price will be wrong on Detroit's ace at the trade deadline, and David Price will still be in uniform on Tuesday and looking to show the Rays up back in Tampa. If he's off the menu, bump them up a few spots, although their weak offense limits their ceiling no matter who they're up against. Eduardo Rodriguez and Wade Miley make it potentially a three-lefty week, so Joey Butler and Brandon Guyer looks like slightly better plays than normal.

29. Philadelphia (at TOR 2, vs. ATL 4) - If only the Phillies had the horses to actually take advantage of this slate. Two games in the Rogers Centre against iffy pitching in Felix Doubront and R.A. Dickey, then four home games against a talented but young Braves rotation... ah, if only. Where have you gone, Chase Utley, Phils Nation turns its lonely eyes to you. Woo woo woo. Doubront and Alex Wood make it a two-lefty period.

5 GAMES

30. L.A. Dodgers (vs. OAK 2, vs. LAA 3) - Even with all five games at home, there's little reason to run with your Dodgers this week given how many at-bats you'll be giving away. However, if you really need a reason, they will face four straight lefties after seeing Sonny Gray on Tuesday (Drew Pomeranz, Hector Santiago, Andrew Heaney and C.J. Wilson). While in standard formats your Dodgers should be stowed on your bench, in deeper leagues where platoons can matter, players like Justin Turner and Alex Guerrero look a bit more appealing.