Welcome, fantasy friends and foes, to Week 6 in Fantasy Baseball.
Week 5 highlighted rookies to watch, and we saw Royce Lewis and Juan Yepez shine along with two-start pitchers’ produce. Unfortunately, there will be no trip down memory lane this week, but there will be 20 things to watch in Week 6 in fantasy baseball.
1. Three teams are scheduled to play eight games this week.
The Arizona Diamondbacks and the Chicago White Sox play all eight games on the road. Conversely, the Kansas City Royals enjoy home cooking for all eight games this week.
2. 10 teams will play seven games this week.
This week, three teams will play all seven games, including the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, and the Chicago Cubs. All week, tIn addition, the St. Louis Cardinals are on the road with four games against the New York Mets and three in Pittsburgh to take on the Pirates.
3. 15 teams will take on six games in Week 6.
Four teams will play their half dozen games on the road this week. The Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, and the Washington Nationals will be on the road in Week 6. Only the Toronto Blue Jays will get to stay home all week while they welcome the Seattle Mariners and the Cincinnati Reds to the Rogers Centre.
4. Both Ohio teams are playing only five games this week.
The Cleveland Guardians and the Cincinnati Reds are playing only five games in Week 6, including two games against each other for the Ohio Cup.
5. What does Reid Detmers do in his encore?
Los Angeles Angels rookie southpaw Reid Detmers threw the second no-hitter in MLB this season last week. Detmers no-hit the Tampa Bay Rays, facing 28 batters and walking only one while striking out only two on a career-high 108 pitches. The left-hander took a 1-1 record and a 5.32 ERA into that start. . The rookie started the season in the Angels rotation and had not been impressive until his history-making start. Detmers doesn’t strike out batters, with five being his top mark this season, and has never thrown more than six innings in any of his previous starts. In Week 6, Detmers takes on the Texas Rangers on Tuesday at Choctaw Stadium in Texas. The Rangers are the third-worst hitting team in the league this season so let’s see if Detmers can catch lightning in the bottle again. Fantasy managers should temper their expectations.
6. Ronald Acuna should return this week
Fantasy managers who roster Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna can breathe a little easier now. The MRI on his groin did not reveal any damage, and Acuan should return within a few days. Acuna has missed three consecutive games after starting his season in late April. He has hit safely in 9-of-10 games this season and was slashing .282/.391/.487 with two homers, 5 RBI, and five stolen bases. However, his return can not come soon enough for the Braves and fantasy managers.
7. Battles of Aces at American Family Field
MLB fans will be fortunate to see a battle of aces this week when the Atlanta Braves send out left-hander Max Fried against Corbin Burnes and the Milwaukee Brewers. Fried is 4-2 with a 2.68 ERA and 0.83 WHIP while yielding .212/.232/.307 slash and .260 BABIP. The southpaw leads the majors with a 17.500 SO/BB while leading the NL with an 0.5 BB/9. Corbin Burnes has been equally impressive with a 1-2 record and an outstanding 1.86 ERA and 0.80 WHIP while producing an imposing 50/8 K/BB ratio. The 2021 Cy Young award winner is holding batters to a .170/.226/.311 slash with a .222 BABIP. Get yourself your favorite beverage and enjoy this old-fashion pitching duel.
8. The emergence of Juan Yepez
St. Louis Cardinals rookie Juan Yepez has been a massive lift for the Cardinals’ offense. Yepez is hitting a robust .400/.455/.700 along with a 1.155 OPS. He has five XBH among his 12 hits this season across his 33 PA. Yepez has hit safely in seven of his eight games this season, including a seven-game hitting streak to open his MLB career. He has played at first base and in the outfield, but he has logged more at-bats at designated hitter due to being somewhat limited defensively. Yepez hits either fourth or fifth in the lineup, and his emergence in the Cardinals’ offense has them ranked in the top half of the league in hitting. Somehow Yepez is owned in less than 20 percent of ESPN leagues which makes no sense for a hitter producing impressive results.
9-11. Sneaky Hitter Options
Brandon Drury (2B, 3B, OF – CIN)
Brandon Drury signed a minor league contract with an invite to spring training and made the Reds’ Opening Day roster. Drury has been a surprising development for a dismal Reds team. Drury has been filling in at second base for the injured Jonathan India and playing at third base. Currently, Drury is hitting .260/.336/.550 and leads the team with seven homers and 22 RBI. Drury is among the league-best, with a 52.8 percent hard-hit rate. Drury has been on fire in the 13 games in May with a .294/.383/.627 slash along with a 1.010 OPS and four homers with 15 RBI. Brandon Drury is a valuable fantasy asset who has been on a tear of late, and his multi-position eligibility is a bonus.
Brad Miller (1B, 2B, 3B, OF – TEX)
His overall stats are not overwhelming, but Brad Miller has been on fire in May. In ten games, Miller is hitting .292/.346/.667 with a 1.013 OPS. Miller has smacked three homers with seven RBI and even chipped in three steals. Miller is mostly playing at the hot corner for the Rangers but qualifies at multiple positions. So ride the hot hand and is a valuable addition as a fill-in for fantasy managers.
Manuel Margot (OF – TB)
Manuel Margot is an outstanding defensive outfielder but just mediocre at the plate until this season. Margot started the season slowly but has picked up his production at the plate with an excellent .334/.404/.494 along with a .898 OPS. Margot has three homers with 21 RBI and has stolen five bases across 26 games. Additionally, he owns an impressive 13.1 percent strikeout rate while still possessing a .370 BABIP and an above-average 42.7 percent hard-hit and 32.9 percent line drive rates. With matchups versus the Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles in Week 6, there is no reason that his hot May should not continue.
12-17. Hot or Not
HOT
Bryce Harper (OF – WAS)
Bryce Harper has been limited to being a designated hitter due to a partially torn UCL in his elbow, but that has not stopped him from being a beast at the plate. In his last 27 at-bats, Harper is hitting .482/.531/1.000 with a 1.531 OPS. He has smacked three homers and has seven RBI to go with his eight extra-base hits out of 11 total hits and has even chipped in three stolen bases.
Giancarlo Stanton (OF – NYY)
Giancarlo Stanton puts a clinic on being a power hitter in the big leagues. Stanton slashed .364/.423/1.046 with a 1.469 OPS and five homers with 14 RBI in 22 at-bats. His Statcast numbers are ridiculous, with a spectacular 59.8 percent hard-hit rate and 26.8 percent barrel rate. Balls are screaming off his bat at 98.4 average exit velocity. Stanton is hitting .300 on the season. What more can you ask from a slugging outfielder?
Pablo Lopez (SP – MIA)
Over his last two starts, Miami Marlins starter Pablo Lopez has given up only one earned run while striking out 16 and allowing only two walks across 15 innings. Overall, Lopez has produced a 4-1 record with a 1.26 ERA and 0.81 WHIP in his seven starts. Lopez takes on the Washington Nationals in Week 6, who he shut out across six innings while giving up only three and striking out six in his win in late April.
NOT
Robbie Grossman (OF – DET)
Robbie Grossman was a popular sleeper selection coming into this season after going 20/20 last season. However, Grossman has been dismal this season, including hitting only .043/.267/.043 with a .067 BABIP across 30 plate appearances.
Kris Bubic (SP – KC)
Kris Bubic has been rough to watch this season. Bubic owns a 9.95 ERA, 1.97 WHIP, and 8.72 FIP in his last four starts. Bubic is allowing 3.6 HR/9 and 6.4 BB/9 along with 11.3 H/9. I am getting nauseous just writing this.
Aaron Civale (SP – CLE)
After a promising 2021 season, Aaron Civale was looked upon to hold up the back of the Cleveland Guardians rotation. However, he has been brutal to watch over his past five starts. Civale has produced an ugly 10.54 ERA while coughing up 13.1 hits per nine innings. On the bright side, he is striking out batters at 10.1 K/9. Unfortunately, Civale has struggled all season and shouldn’t be on many fantasy rosters now.
18-19. Intriguing Two-Start Pitchers
Tony Gonsolin (SP – LAD)
The Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitching, which was supposed to be their weak link coming into the season, is far from it. The Dodgers starters are posting an impressive combined 2.11 ERA to dominate baseball. One of the critical components of their starting staff is right-hander Tony Gonsolin. Gonsolin is doing his share of dominating with a 3-0 record and has pitched to a 1.33 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 3.45 FIP with a 23/13 K/BB ratio across 27 innings. Gonsolin will have a bottom-seven offense in his two starts next week when he faces off against the Arizona Diamondbacks. His second start has the right-hander taking on the red-hot Philadelphia Phillies offense. The opponent doesn’t matter when it comes to Gonsolin.
Yusei Kikuchi (SP – TOR)
Kikuchi had a brutal start in his first month in a Toronto Blue Jays uniform. The former All-Star posted an atrocious 5.52 ERA and 1.91 WHIP with a disastrous 13/13 K/BB ratio across 14.2 innings. However, the southpaw has turned it on since the calendar flipped to May. In his two starts this month, both against the New York Yankees, Kikuchi is 1-0 with a 2.38 ERA and 0.79 WHIP with a 14/4 K/BB ratio across 11.1 innings. Kikuchi will look to keep the momentum rolling this week against his former team, the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds. Both teams rank in the bottom ten offenses in the league and are deplorable against lefties. However, the left-hander has been getting the job done lately, which should continue against these middling offenses.
20. Two OF prospects were sent back to Triple-A
Two outfield prospects on many fantasy analysts’ sleepers list have been optioned to Triple-A. Seattle Mariners outfielder Jarred Kelenic was hitting only .140 with three homers, ten RBI, and four stolen bases. Kelenic had just three hits in his last 52 plate appearances, including 36 strikeouts. Minnesota Twins outfield prospect Alex Kirillof was optioned to Triple-A after dealing with a persistent wrist injury that has been a nuisance for the past two seasons. Kirillof returned from the injured list and went 4-for-12 for the Twins, but the team felt that the 24-year-old needed the opportunity to get at-bats every day, and it would benefit Kirillof to gain his confidence back. Both outfielders won’t be facing big-league pitching next week and could not return for an extended period.
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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.
