Fantasy Baseball: Best and worst remaining matchups for both pitchers and hitters
Which pitchers and hitters will be most impacted by schedule going forward?
By
Scott White
•
3 min read
Matchups aren't everything. Anytime we venture into these waters, I like to reiterate that a good player trumps a good matchup.
But with so little of the season remaining and long-term consequences now basically out the window, it's worth pursuing whatever edge you can in the week-to-week. The trade deadline, now long since passed, has widened the gap between the best teams and the worst, and there are advantages to be gained in the margins.
The goal here is to help you identify some of those advantages, whether it's to get a jump on your competition with regard to the waiver wire or to help you plan your lineup decisions for the final two-plus weeks.
What follows are four tables, each depicting eight teams: the ones with the best remaining hitter matchups, the worst remaining hitter matchups, the best remaining pitcher matchups and the worst remaining pitcher matchups. For each team, I suggest a few players who could be impacted by the matchups. Some players are too high-end to mention. Others are too low-end to mention. The ones I do mention are in that middle range that may actually be subject to start/sit decisions.
It doesn't mean you have to start or sit them based on whatever table they're in. Again, matchups aren't everything, and each individual week brings its own considerations anyway. I'm only giving you a general overview of the next two-plus weeks, with a particular emphasis on the next two since so many lineups are already locked in for the rest of this one.
It's meant to be just a rough guide given that we don't know which pitchers are pitching on which days, but it gives you something to work with when trying to maximize your roster for the home stretch.
Best remaining matchups for hitters
| This week | Next week | Final week | Impacted players | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| @PHI3 @MIL3 | MIN2 STL4 | @PIT3 @STL3 | -Frank Schwindel -Ian Happ -Rafael Ortega -Patrick Wisdom | |
| LAA3 @TEX3 | @DET3 @CLE3 | CIN2 DET3 | -Andrew Vaughn -Cesar Hernandez | |
| @PIT3 LAD3 | PIT3 WAS4 | @CHW2 @PIT3 | -Kyle Farmer -Tyler Naquin | |
| @MIN3 @NYY3 | KC4 CHW5 | @KC3 @TEX3 | -Amed Rosario -Bobby Bradley -Myles Straw | |
| @ATL3 WAS3 | LAD3 SF3 | WAS3 @ARI3 | -C.J. Cron -Brendan Rodgers -Elias Diaz -Raimel Tapia | |
| OAK3 SEA3 | @CLE4 @DET3 | CLE3 MIN3 | -Adalberto Mondesi -Nicky Lopez -Andrew Benintendi -Carlos Santana | |
| @NYY1 CLE3 @TOR3 | @CHC2 TOR4 | DET3 @KC3 | -Miguel Sano -Max Kepler -Luis Arraez | |
| BOS3 @KC3 | @OAK4 @LAA3 | OAK3 LAA3 | -Ty France -Abraham Toro -Jarred Kelenic -Luis Torrens |
Worst remaining matchups for hitters
| This week | Next week | Final week | Impacted players | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| @LAD3 @HOU3 | ATL4 LAD3 | @SF3 COL3 | -Josh Rojas -Daulton Varsho -Carson Kelly -Pavin Smith | |
| @CHW3 OAK3 | HOU4 SEA3 | @TEX3 @SEA3 | -Jo Adell -David Fletcher -Max Stassi | |
| @WAS3 PIT3 | WAS3 @TB3 | @NYM4 PHI3 | -Jesus Aguilar -Jazz Chisholm -Jesus Sanchez -Bryan De La Cruz | |
| STL3 PHI3 | @BOS2 @MIL3 | MIA4 @ATL3 | -Michael Conforto -Jonathan Villar | |
| @KC3 @LAA3 | SEA4 HOU3 | @SEA3 @HOU3 | -Matt Chapman -Mark Canha -Josh Harrison | |
| CIN3 @MIA3 | @CIN3 @PHI4 | CHC3 CIN3 | -Ke'Bryan Hayes | |
| @SF4 @STL3 | SF3 ATL4 | @LAD3 @SF3 | -Trent Grisham -Tommy Pham -Eric Hosmer -Adam Frazier -Wil Myers | |
| @TOR3 DET4 | TOR3 MIA3 | @HOU3 @NYY3 | -Austin Meadows -Mike Zunino |
Best remaining matchups for pitchers
| This week | Next week | Final week | Impacted players | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| @SEA BAL3 | NYM2 NYY3 | @BAL3 @WAS3 | -Nathan Eovaldi -Eduardo Rodriguez -Nick Pivetta | |
| @PHI3 @MIL3 | MIN2 STL4 | @PIT3 @STL3 | -Kyle Hendricks | |
| LAA3 @TEX3 | @DET3 @CLE5 | CIN2 DET3 | -Dylan Cease -Reynaldo Lopez | |
| @MIN3 @NYY3 | KC4 CHW5 | @KC3 @TEX3 | -Aaron Civale -Triston McKenzie -Cal Quantrill | |
| OAK3 SEA3 | @CLE4 @DET3 | CLE3 MIN3 | -Carlos Hernandez -Brady Singer -Mike Minor -Daniel Lynch | |
| @CHW3 OAK3 | HOU4 SEA3 | @TEX3 @SEA3 | -Jose Suarez | |
| @DET2 CHC3 | STL4 NYM3 | @STL3 @LAD3 | -Eric Lauer -Adrian Houser | |
| CHC3 @NYM3 | BAL3 PIT4 | @ATL3 @MIA3 | -Kyle Gibson -Ranger Suarez |
Worst remaining matchups for pitchers
| This week | Next week | Final week | Impacted players | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| @LAD3 @HOU3 | ATL4 LAD3 | @SF3 COL3 | -Zac Gallen -Madison Bumgarner | |
| NYY3 @BOS3 | @PHI3 TEX4 | BOS3 @TOR3 | -John Means | |
| @ATL3 WAS3 | LAD3 SF3 | WAS3 @ARI3 | -German Marquez -Jon Gray -Kyle Freeland -Antonio Senzatela | |
| MIN1 @BAL3 CLE3 | TEX3 @BOS3 | @TOR3 TB3 | -Jordan Montgomery -Nestor Cortes -Corey Kluber -Jameson Taillon -Luis Gil | |
| CIN3 @MIA3 | @CIN3 @PHI4 | CHC3 CIN3 | -Bryse Wilson | |
| @SF4 @STL3 | SF3 ATL4 | @LAD3 @SF3 | -Yu Darvish | |
| @TOR3 DET4 | TOR3 MIA3 | @HOU3 @NYY3 | -Shane McClanahan -Luis Patino -Michael Wacha -Ryan Yarbrough | |
| MIA3 COL3 | @MIA3 @CIN4 | @COL3 BOS3 | -Josiah Gray -Patrick Corbin -Erick Fedde |
