Welcome fantasy friends and foes to Week 5 in Fantasy Baseball.
The season’s first month is over, and the MLB season has been unpredictable. Fantasy managers are looking for answers, and while I don’t have all of the answers, I do have 20 things that Fantasy managers need to look for in Week 5.
1. The Oakland A’s will be busy in Week 5, with nine games scheduled this week.
Oakland will start the week by visiting Comerica Park to take on the Detroit Tigers for five games, including a doubleheader on Tuesday. The A’s then return home to welcome the Los Angeles Angels for four games, including a doubleheader on Saturday.
2. The Detroit Tigers will play eight games in Week 5.
The Detroit Tigers will enjoy home cooking all week by welcoming the Oakland A’s for five games. The Tigers will then welcome the Baltimore Orioles for a three-game series.
3. Three teams play only five games in Week 5.
The Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, and the Toronto Blue Jays play only five games this week, with the Braves playing all five games at home in Week 5.
4. 19 teams will play six games this week.
Several teams will enjoy Week 5 with all home games, including the Arizona Diamondbacks, Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, and the Washington Nationals. In contrast, the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Guardians, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, and the Milwaukee Brewers will be on the road all week.
5. 6 teams will play seven games this week.
This week, the Chicago White Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates play all seven games at home.
6. 41 years ago this week, Cleveland Indians pitcher Len Barker threw a perfect game
An unforgettable moment in @Indians history: Len Barker's perfect game on May 15, 1981 ??? #OurTribe pic.twitter.com/syTrma8JCI
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) March 23, 2020
On May 15, 1981, Cleveland Indians pitcher Len Barker threw a perfect game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Cleveland Stadium. Barker struck out 11 of the 27 hitters he faced, including seven of the last 11 hitters, and did not have a single three-ball count. There were only 7,290 fans that witnessed the perfection in Cleveland, but if you ask Cleveland fans, everyone was there at the game to see Barker dominate the Blue Jays.
7-10. Promoted Rookies to Watch
Jarren Duran got his second chance in the big leagues with his latest promotion. Duran was on fire at Triple-A Worcester, hitting .397 with two homers, four doubles, 11 RBI, 15 runs, and only 13 strikeouts across 15 games. More impressively, he was 7-of-8 on stolen bases attempts this season. Duran struggled in his first taste in the big leagues last season, hitting just .215/.241/.336 slash with a .578 OPS. The Red Sox offense is desperately looking for a spark, and they are hoping Duran can be the catalyst.
Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa was hit on the hand by a pitch, and luckily it was just a bruise. However, the injury necessitated the call-up of former number one pick Royce Lewis. Lewis missed the past two seasons with COCID and an ACL injury. Lewis returned with a bang at Triple-A St Paul this season, hitting .310/.430/.563 with three homers and 20 RBI, along with five stolen bases across 24 games. He has 15 XBH among his 27 at-bats. Lewis looked ready for his time in the big leagues and got his first MLB hit in his first game. Lewis is the best option at shortstop while Correa is out, but when Correa returns, Lewis has displayed positional flexibility, including playing centerfield at St. Paul.
tick, tick… BOOM!
Jose Miranda hits his first MLB homer for the @Twins! pic.twitter.com/mJP9T3tXMm
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 7, 2022
Miguel Sano is expecting to miss significant time after undergoing surgery to repair a meniscus tear which has led to the promotion of Jose Miranda, who can play multiple positions but is best suited for first base or designated hitter. Miranda is a free-swinger who was hitting .256/.295/.442 at Triple-A before his callup. However, Miranda did make an excellent first impression, smoking his first big league home run in the second deck at 105.5 MPH. Miranda will have ample opportunity for at-bats and will try to build upon his winning the Twins Minor League Player of the Year award last season.
Juan Yepez is an intriguing prospect that had played games at first base, third base, and the outfield while posting a .974 OPS. He led the Class AAA Memphis team with 26 RBI before his callup to the Cardinals when he took the roster spot of infielder Edmundo Sosa who was placed on the COVID-19 list.
Yepez is currently ranked as the Cardinals’ sixth-best prospect and hit 27 dingers and drove in 77 runs in the minors last season. He is now hitting .455/.455/.727 with a 1.182 OPS in 11 plate appearances for the Cardinals, where he played in the outfield and was a designated hitter since his call-up. Yepez has earned the opportunity to keep his bat in the lineup and is a speculative add for fantasy managers.
We are looking forward to witnessing what Yepez does with more at-bats as we hit Week 5.
11-15. Two-Start Pitchers
Paul Blackburn is enjoying the best start of his career with a 3-0 record and yielding a 2.22 ERA, 2.88 xERA, and 0.95 WHIP. He is also producing an 8.51 K/9 and an excellent 1.11 BB/9 while allowing batters to hit .225 against the right-hander. Blackburn continues his hot pitching in Week 5 with starts against the bottom four offense Detroit Tigers and sees the Los Angeles Angels next, who is currently a top-three offense. Considering his hot start, fantasy managers should stick with Blackburn while he is pitching at this level.
This week, the Cincinnati Reds ace returns to make his 2022 season debut Monday against the Milwaukee Brewers in his first of two starts. In his second start, he faces off against the Pittsburgh Pirates, who ranked in the bottom ten in the league offensively. Castillo pitched well in his three minor league rehab starts. He owned a 0.87 ERA with 16 strikeouts across 10.1 innings across three starts. However, the Reds need help on the pitching front, where they held a league-worst 6.96 ERA.
Although Corey Kluber will be starting against two top ten offenses in Week 5, fantasy managers should consider getting Kluber in their Week 5 starting lineups. Kluber is 1-1 with a 2.36 ERA and 1.050 WHIP with 25 strikeouts across 26.1 innings. Kluber is yielding an above-average .224/.276/.327 slash along with a .603 OPS. The veteran right-hander is pitching as well as he did during his time in Cleveland.
Jameson Taillon is off to a strong start this season with a 2-1 record and 2.84 ERA across five starts. Additionally, Taillon yields an above-average batted ball metric and an impressive 0.7 BB/9. Taillon is taking on the Toronto Blue Jays and the Chicago White Sox, which are not ideal matchups, but fantasy managers should take advantage of his hot start and get Taillon in their Week 5 lineups.
This Kyle Wright curveball ? pic.twitter.com/0hj9sSpt29
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) May 4, 2022
Kyle Wright has been one of the biggest surprises in the first month of the season. The right-hander is 3-1 with an outstanding 1.74 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. He is holding hitters to a .209/.275/.264 slash and a .539 OPS. Wright produces an above-average batted ball and owns a 30.6 percent strikeout rate. In Week 5, Wright takes on the Boston Red Sox, who currently own a bottom-five offense in his first start. Then, he takes on the San Diego Padres for the second time in the young season in his second start. When he took on the Padres last month, Wright went five innings while allowing two earned runs and striking out nine in a no-decision. Getting Wright in your Week 5 lineup is the right decision.
16-18. Elite Matchups to Watch in Week 5.
Garrett Whitlock (SP-BOS) vs. Kyle Wright (SP-ATL)
Since Whitlock got promoted to the starting rotation, he has made three starts and has allowed only two earned runs in 12 innings. In addition, he owns an 18/2 K/BB ratio across 12 innings. Unfortunately, the Red Sox are 0-3 in those starts due to an inept bullpen. Next, Whitlock will take on Kyle Wright and the Atlanta Braves in Atlanta, and Wright has been equally as impressive with a 3-1 record and 1.74 ERA. I can’t wait to watch this one on Tuesday night.
Drew Rasmussen (SP-TB) vs. Kevin Gausman (SP-TOR)
Drew Rasmussen has been a pleasant surprise for the Tampa Bay Rays. Rasmussen is 3-1 with a 3.13 ERA across his five starts. Batters are only hitting .176 against the right-hander. Kevin Gausman is paying huge dividends on his new contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. He has a 2-1 record with a 2.27 ERA and a 0.49 WHIP. He leads the AL with a 0.49 FIP and has not allowed a walk or a home run this season. Let’s see what Gausman can do against the Rays, a top-ten offensive team this season.
Dylan Cease (SP-CWS) vs. Luis Severino (SP-NYY)
Fantasy managers projected a breakout season from Dylan Cease this season, and so far, he has not disappointed. Cease is 3-1 with a 2.48 ERA, 0.931 WHIP, and 1.97 FIP. He is yielding an increbile.165/.246/.233 slash and owns an impressive 33.9 percent strikeout rate. The return of Luis Severino has been very triumphant for the New York Yankees. Severino holds a 2-0 record with a 3.75 ERA and 23/7 K/BB ratio across five starts. This battle of right-handers will be a pitching delight.
19. The current MVP
After the season’s first month, the current MVP is San Diego Padres’ third baseman, Manny Machado. Machado is leading the league in average (.382), WAR (2.6), hits (39), and tied for the league lead in total bases (67). He has also swiped six bases on his way to a dominant start to the 2022 season.
20. The current Cy Young
A surprise selection as the present Cy Young is Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly. Kelly leads the league in innings pitched (37), ERA (1.22), and WAR (1.9) while producing a 3-0 record. Kelly also owns a 2.05 FIP and has not allowed a home run in his six starts. Kelly has taken over as the ace of the Diamondbacks and has been the best pitcher this season.
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Dennis Sosic is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Dennis, check out his archive and follow him @CALL_ME_SOS.
Dennis Sosic is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Dennis, check out his archive and follow )him@CALL_ME_SOS.
