Sleeper hitters for Week 4 (April 25-May 1)
Always a disciplined hitter, he's been impacting the ball much harder in the early going this year and is among the home run leaders as a result. The Padres will enjoy the second-best matchups of any team this week.
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Though off to a slow start, he's liable to mash against mushy pitchers like Bryse Wilson, Jose Quintana and Justin Steele. In all, he's facing three lefties, against whom he had an .885 OPS last year.
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A big series at Coors Field seems to have earned him the Phillies' trust at third base again, and he'll get to see that staff again this week. He's looking more like the hitter we hoped to see last year, delivering premium exit velocities and a microscopic strikeout rate.
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The Giants have only one lefty on the schedule and a slate full of homer-prone pitchers, which makes it a good time to take advantage of Joc Pederson's hot start. He normally sits against lefties.
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He's cooled off after knocking around the Tigers staff opening weekend but gets similar matchups this week against some of the worst the Royals and Angels can throw at him. The data so far backs up the idea of a sophomore breakout.
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The 32-year-old has turned back the clock after a couple of injury-plagued years, regaining the on-base skills that justify his move to the top of the Yankees lineup. They have the most favorable matchups of all this week.
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Like Hunter Renfroe, Andrew McCutchen did his best work against lefties last year, batting .293 with a 1.027 OPS, and again, the Brewers have three of them on the schedule.
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The bloom is off the rose for this preseason sleeper even though playing time hasn't been the issue. Sure, he doesn't have an extra-base hit yet, but he's struck out only four times and none in his past nine games. These matchups could be enough to get him going.
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He's been difficult to recommend amid a torrid start because of the Rays' insistence on sitting him against lefties, but they have only one of those on the schedule this week. Pitchers like Chris Flexen, Dylan Bundy and Chris Paddack are pretty mashable, too.
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Another keep-the-faith pick, Adam Duvall is the sort of all-or-nothing player who'll drive you crazy at times, but his matchups this week offer the makings of a home run binge.
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