What do you want me to say?
It stinks, this list. It's a big, steaming pile.
Though 2019 is a year in which competent starting pitching is scarcely available, there are just seven teams with what I'd consider to be favorable matchups in Week 19. Which isn't to say that's the only pool from which I draw my sleeper hitters, but when the matchups aren't there, it's hard to go out on a limb for a scrubby player.
And then there's the small matter of a trade deadline coming up this week, potentially disrupting all of our presumptions about playing time. It's mostly bad teams represented here, after all, and with bad teams, most everyone's a candidate to be moved.
I'm not approaching this list with much confidence, in other words, and I'm suggesting you don't either. Yes, there comes a point when you might have to scrounge the waiver wire for a short-term fix, and I'm happy to help with that unenviable task. But recognize that this week more than ever, it's about making the best of a difficult situation.
Oh, and if you own Nelson Cruz, recognize that he's probably sitting out half the week. The Twins play a series at Miami, where the DH isn't a thing. Sorry!
Here's the best you'll find among those owned in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues.
Top-10 Sleeper Hitters
This pick is less an endorsement of Oscar Mercado's circumstances this week than an acknowledgement he's been too darn good to sit. And yet he's still available in a quarter of CBS Sports leagues. He does at least get the Angels' patchwork rotation for three games, and with all the different ways he's capable of contributing offensively, he should be able to put together a respectable line.
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The Dodgers are one of just five teams playing seven games this week, which would mean a lot more if we could trust them to play Alex Verdugo every day. More realistically, he'll start just five of those games, but three of them are at Coors Field.
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Another home run Thursday means Miguel Sano is enjoying a bit of a power binge, and the matchups this week are at least decent against the hit-or-miss Marlins and Royals rotations.
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With his latest hot streak, Renato Nunez is suddenly on pace for 39 homers and 95 RBI, which might say more about 2019 in general than Nunez specifically. Still, he's indeed hot and may well keep it going this week against pitchers like Dinelson Lamet, Ryan Borucki, Aaron Sanchez and Thomas Pannone.
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The Reds have finally decided Josh VanMeter and his near-1.100 OPS at Triple-A is worth an honest look in the majors, starting him in four straight games. He homered in three of them and reached base three times in the fourth. He doesn't have a dedicated position and may not get to play much against left-handed pitchers, but the Reds have five righties on the schedule this week.
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It seems like I keep recommending Ian Desmond because he has a full week of home games, and it seems like he continues to do nothing with that recommendation, having slipped into a pretty lengthy slump now. And yet the numbers still say he has an .891 OPS at home. They also say he has a .970 OPS against lefties, and he's expected to face three of those.
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Does Ryan McMahon deserve to rank ahead of Ian Desmond? His numbers are pretty awesome now at home, too, where the Rockies are playing all six of their games this week, and he's been productive there more recently. The three lefties on tap don't help him as much, though.
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The Blue Jays' matchups are indeed spectacular this week, featuring seven games against pitchers like Mike Montgomery, Jake Junis, Asher Wojciechowski, Aaron Brooks and Dylan Bundy. Is Justin Smoak the sort of player who we can trust to take advantage of them? Not really, but he plays every day, doesn't strike out much and will have stretches when he homers with some frequency.
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Brandon Belt has had a bad year, and he plays in a bad park. He plays in two great parks this week, though — Philadelphia and Colorado — against mostly suspect pitchers. His numbers are at least respectable on the road, where he's batting .258 with an .813 OPS.
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Who is this guy? Why am I recommending him? I don't like it any more than you do, but former Rule 5 pick Anthony Santander, who wasn't even productive in the juiced-ball environment of Triple-A earlier this year, is somehow crushing it as the Orioles' primary center fielder, batting .413 (19 for 46) with four homers in his past 10 games. And you may have heard they have good matchups this week.
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Best hitter matchups for Week 19
1. Dodgers @COL3, SD4
2. Blue Jays @KC3, @BAL4
3. Phillies SF3, CHW3
4. Giants @PHI3, @COL3
5. Orioles @SD2, TOR4
Worst hitter matchups for Week 19
1. Diamondbacks @MIA1, @NYY2, WAS3
2. Yankees ARI2, BOS4
3. White Sox NYM3, @PHI3
4. Mariners @TEX2, @HOU3
5. Pirates @CIN3, NYM3
