Weekly Hitter Rankings: O Canada

The Weekly Hitter Rankings is a companion piece to the Weekly Pitcher Rankings. While in many leagues your 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 where you make moves weekly instead of daily. The Weekly Hitter Rankings will summarize all that info in one spot, for your roster-juggling convenience.

For the period June of 13-19

NOTE: I've begun to incorporate 2016 offensive performance into the home/road splits for each team, and will gradually increase the weight the more recent numbers carry as the season progresses.

7 GAMES

1. Toronto

vs. PHI (2) – Eickhoff (R), Eflin (R)
at PHI (2) – Hellickson (R), Nola (R)
at BAL (3) – Jimenez (R), Gallardo (R), Tillman (R)

Lest you think this ranking for the Jays is purely a product of last year's offense still skewing their numbers, if I use only their 2016 offensive output and give 2015 no weight at all, they would fall all the way to... second. Facing the scrubby veteran portion of the O's rotation at Camden Yards certainly helps, and Zach Eflin's major league debut could be a good day for their bats as well. They'll lose the DH for two games in Philly, but that could cost Justin Smoak at-bats rather than Edwin Encarnacion. The all-righty sked makes Ezequiel Carrera interesting if Jose Bautista's thigh injury lingers into next week.

2. Detroit

at CHW (3) – Shields (R), M. Gonzalez (R), Sale (L)
at KC (4) – Duffy (L), Ventura (R), Volquez (R), C. Young (R)

James Shields' reintroduction to the AL Central begins in earnest Monday, and if his current form holds, a couple of Tigers might well get a week's worth of production in one game.

3. Oakland

vs. TEX (4) – Darvish, (R), M. Perez (L), D. Holland (L), C. Lewis (R)
vs. LAA (3) – Shoemaker (R), Lincecum (R), Weaver (R)

It's not official yet, but it looks as though Tim Lincecum will make his Angels debut on the weekend. He's been OK at Triple-A since signing, but the odds are low that he'll suddenly be a Cy Young candidate again. It's more likely he'll fit right in with the rest of the Angels' mediocre rotation, which makes this period potentially very juicy for the A's after they get through Yu Darvish.

4. Kansas City
vs. CLE (3) – Carrasco (R), Tomlin (R), Kluber (R)
vs. DET (4) – Verlander (R), M. Fulmer (R), Boyd (L), Zimmermann (R)

There's some tough opposition here, but the Royals are at home all week and could exploit the soft spots in this sked. Only one lefty could give Reymond Fuentes some extra at-bats, as Paulo Orlando hasn't been doing much lately.

5. Minnesota

at LAA (3) – Weaver (R), Chacin (R), Santiago (L)
vs. NYY (4) – Sabathia (L), Tanaka (R), Pineda (R), Eovaldi (R)

The elder statesmen in the Yankees' rotation have been dealing, but otherwise this looks like a vulnerable slate for the Twins, especially if Byron Buxton and Robbie Grossman continue to pile up hits.

6. LA Dodgers

at ARI (3) – Greinke (R), Bradley (R), Corbin (L)
vs. MIL (4) – Garza (R), Davies (R), Chase Anderson (R), Nelson (R)

The Dodgers will face Zack Greinke for the first time since the Diamondbacks threw $200 million at him, and likely get Matt Garza's first start of 2016 as well. The Brewers' rotation has looked a lot better recently, though, so this slate could be stingier than the numbers would indicate. The righty-heavy sked should allow Corey Seager to continue his dominant run.

7. Texas

at OAK (4) – Manaea (L), Z. Neal (R), S. Gray (R), Mengden (R)
at STL (3) – Wacha (R), C. Martinez (R), Leake (R)

The A's rotation listed here is a best guess, as Neal isn't confirmed and Rich Hill could return at some point next week. With both Prince Fielder and Mitch Moreland showing signs of life at the plate, it's hard to predict how the playing time at first base will be distributed in St. Louis with no DH available, and Shin Soo Choo could also be back and looking for at-bats as well.

8. Washington

vs. CHC (3) – Hendricks (R), Lackey (R), Hammel (R)
at SD (4) – E. Johnson (R), Friedrich (L), Rea (R), Pomeranz (L)

The Nats duck both Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester against the Cubs, and the Padres' rotation doesn't contain anyone scary at the moment. The two weekend lefties could make Jayson Werth (1156 OPS against LHP this season) an intriguing option in leagues with midweek transactions.

9. Cincinnati

at ATL (4) – C. Kelly (R), Teheran (R), B. Norris (R), Wisler (R)
at HOU (3) – McCullers (R), Fiers (R), Keuchel (L)

Any series against the Braves is a potentially juicy one given the state of their rotation. The Reds don't have a lot of good options to take those DH at-bats in Houston, though, as Ivan De Jesus and Kyle Waldrop might see the starts.

10. San Diego

vs. MIA (3) – Chen (L), Koehler (R), Nicolino (L)
vs. WAS (4) – Roark (R), J. Ross (R), Scherzer (R), G. Gonzalez (L)

Seven-game homestands don't mean quite as much when your home is Petco Park. Three lefties on the slate could give Adam Rosales some action if you're scrounging for at-bats in deep NL-only leagues.

11. Philadelphia

at TOR (2) – Dickey (R), Stroman (R)
vs. TOR (2) – Estrada (R), Happ (L)
vs. ARI (3) – Godley (R), Ray (L), Greinke (R)

The Phillies' offense still lags behind its rotation when it comes to the progress of their rebuild, and seeing a knuckleballer to kick off their four game home-and-home against the Jays isn't going to help them settle in. Tommy Joseph has officially been named the starter at first base, but the two games in Toronto should get Ryan Howard back in for a couple of games at DH.

12. Atlanta

vs. CIN (4) – Simon (R), Finnegan (L), DeSclafani (R), Straily (R)
at NYM (3) – Harvey (R), Matz (L), deGrom (R)

There's a big dropoff in the rankings from the Phillies to the Braves, which isn't surprising when you consider the series in Citi Field. Atlanta could get both Erick Aybar and Gordon Beckham back this week, although the fact that those two guys are actually important to their offense says it all, really.

13. Milwaukee

at SF (3) – M. Cain (R), Bumgarner (L), Cueto (R)
at LAD (4) – Kazmir (L), Urias (L), Bolsinger (R), Maeda (R)

It's seven games, but the Brewers have a rough west coast swing this week where the only bright spot might be that they don't see Clayton Kershaw. Matt Cain comes off the DL to take the Monday start, but he could be rusty. Three lefties, including the painfully young Julio Urias, could give Keon Broxton yet another chance to produce.

6 GAMES

14. Boston

vs. BAL (3) – Tillman (R), T. Wilson (R), Gausman (R)
vs. SEA (3) – Paxton (L), Miley (L), T. Walker (R)

Going purely by the formula and not by games played, the Red Sox would sit third, so consider them to have an honorary seven-game slate this week. There are some volatile, unpredictable starters here, but if anyone can take advantage of that volatility, it's Boston.

15. NY Yankees

at COL (2) – Bettis (R), J. Gray (R)
at MIN (4) – Gibson (R), Dean (L), Nolasco (R), E. Santana (R)

Despite the brief sojourn to Coors Field, there's still a wide gap in the rankings between the Yankees and Red Sox. Given the casualty ward that is New York's first base situation right now, don't be shocked if Alex Rodriguez gets a look there in Colorado.

16. Seattle

at TB (3) – Odorizzi (R), Smyly (L), Andriese (R)
at BOS (3) – Porcello (R), Elias (L), Price (L)

Elias isn't a lock to get that Saturday start, but he looks like the better option ahead of Clay Buchholz. Three lefties is good news for Franklin Gutierrez and Dae-Ho Lee.

17. Baltimore

at BOS (3) – Price (L), S. Wright (R), E. Rodriguez (L)
vs. TOR (3) – Aaron Sanchez (R), Dickey (R), Stroman (R)

The two early lefties could make Joey Rickard worth using in deep AL-only leagues with midweek transactions, but the relatively strong level of competition makes O's hitters iffy plays this week, especially once Manny Machado begins his suspension.

18. Cleveland

at KC (3) – Volquez (R), C. Young (R), Kennedy (R)
vs. CHW (3) – Quintana (L), Rodon (L), Shields (R)

Another middling slate. Despite his recent power surge, be leery of using Tyler Naquin over the weekend, as the Indians have kept him away from left-handed pitching.

19. LA Angels

vs. MIN (3) – Nolasco (R), E. Santana (R), Duffey (R)
at OAK (3) – Graveman (R), Manaea (L), Undecided

The undecided starter for the A's could be Zach Neal, Rich Hill, or a completely different pitcher with two four-letter names. Andrelton Simmons and possibly Daniel Nava could rejoin the Angels' lineup this week, for what that's worth.

20. San Francisco

vs. MIL (3) – Chase Anderson (R), Nelson (R), Guerra (R)
at TB (3) – Archer (R), Moore (L), Odorizzi (R)

The Brewers' rotation has been pitching better than their numbers recently, but Chris Archer is still pitching worse so it somewhat balances out. Angel Pagan should be back, but the righty-heavy slate should get Jarrett Parker a few at-bats even if he's no longer the strong side of a starting platoon in a corner OF spot.

21. Arizona

vs. LAD (3) – Bolsinger (R), Maeda (R), Kershaw (L)
at PHI (3) – Morgan (L), Eickhoff (R), Undecided

The Sunday start likely belongs to Zach Eflin, unless he completely falls on his face in his debut. With Yasmany Tomas and Brandon Drury scuffling, Peter O'Brien might actually get a chance to prove himself as a major league hitter.

22. Chicago Cubs

at WAS (3) – Scherzer (R), G. Gonzalez (L), Strasburg (R)
vs. PIT (3) – Liriano (L), Niese (L), Nicasio (R)

The early series looks a lot tougher than the later one, but keep in mind that Jameson Taillon and/or Tyler Glasnow could bump aside the Pirates' underperforming starters at a moment's notice. Three lefties should keep Javier Baez in the lineup, while restricting Chris Coghlan's chances of making an impact in his return to Chicago.

23. Miami

at SD (3) – Rea (R), Pomeranz (L), Perdomo (R)
vs. COL (3) – Chatwood (R), Butler (R), Bettis (R)

Unless he goes nuts in Arizona this weekend, at some point during this righty-heavy period (I'm going to say Friday against Tyler Chatwood), Ichiro Suzuki should pass Pete Rose in career hits once you include Ichiro's production in Japan. I can't think of a better player to claim the Hit King crown.

24. Chicago White Sox

vs. DET (3) – Boyd (L), Zimmermann (R), Pelfrey (R)
at CLE (3) – Bauer (R), Salazar (R), Carrasco (R)

Tim Anderson gets a fairly rude introduction to the majors this week. The righty-heavy slate should give J.B. Shuck plenty of at-bats, but there's no guarantee he'll do much with them.

25. Tampa Bay

vs. SEA (3) – T. Walker (R), Karns (R), Iwakuma (R)
vs. SF (3) – Samardzija (R), Peavy (R), M. Cain (R)

With no lefties on the horizon, Rays hitters like Logan Morrison and Brad Miller could get a bit of a boost, but Tampa has the third-worst home offense in MLB and is worst in the AL at 3.3 runs per game, so don't get your hopes up.

26. NY Mets

vs. PIT (3) – Nicasio (R), Locke (L), G. Cole (R)
vs. ATL (3) – Blair (R), C. Kelly (R), Teheran (R)

Depending on the results of his MRI on Saturday, Gerrit Cole could miss this start and be replaced by one of the Pirates' elite pitching prospects, so it may not make much difference from the Mets' perspective. Alejandro De Aza could also see some extra at-bats if Michael Conforto continues slumping.

27. Pittsburgh

at NYM (3) – deGrom (R), Syndergaard (R), Colon (R)
at CHC (3) – Arrieta (R), Lester (L), Hendricks (R)

Gulp. There's a brutal stretch of pitching to have to face. If you can bench your marginal Pirates hitters this week, do it.

5 GAMES

28. Houston

at STL (2) – J. Garcia (L), Wainwright (R)
vs. CIN (3) – John Lamb (L), Undecided, Finnegan (L)

With the approximate Super-2 deadline now gone, the Reds have suddenly decided their top pitching prospects are ready to be called up. What are the odds? If Cody Reed gets the nod Saturday, that would put four lefties on the Astros' slate, which could make Evan Gattis worth using at catcher (especially with no DH available in St. Louis).

29. Colorado

vs. NYY (2) – Eovaldi (R), Nova (R)
at MIA (3) – J. Fernandez (R), Conley (L), Chen (L)

Well, at least the Rockies get a couple of home games. Jose Reyes will be eligible to join the roster this week, but whether he actually does remains to be seen.

30. St. Louis

vs. HOU (2) – Fister (R), McHugh (R)
vs. TEX (3) – Hamels (L), Darvish (R), M. Perez (L)

With only five games and both Rangers' aces on the slate, there's not a lot of appeal here. Matt Adams and Brandon Moss are both red-hot, but with two lefties on the way, they may not get enough at-bats to stay in the zone.