Welcome, fantasy friends and foes, to Week 11 of the 2022 Fantasy Baseball Season. I hope all the fathers and grandpas have a fantastic Father’s Day!
Last week was filled with mixed emotions, and my pitching recommendations did not go as planned. However, the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays series lived up to the hype, with the Yankees sweeping the series in three close games. Gabriel Moreno has been electric for the Toronto Blue Jays when he plays, but it begs the question, why isn’t Moreno playing every day? Well, two of three ain’t bad as Meat Loaf once sang, so let’s go hit Week 11.
After celebrating Fathers Day, share the top 20 things to watch for in Week 11 in Fantasy Baseball.
1. Week 11 Schedule Highlights
A total of 18 teams will get ready for six games this week. Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers. Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners, and the Toronto Blue Jays will be traveling all week with all six games on the road. Only the Los Angeles and the Minnesota Twins will enjoy home cooking all week. We will see 10 teams play seven games in Week 11, including the Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and the San Diego Padres, playing all seven at home this week.
2. Two teams playing only five games
The Texas Rangers and the Washington Nationals will only play five games in Week 11. These two teams will match up for a three-game series when the Nationals visit Choctaw Stadium to take on the Rangers.
3. Aaron Judge (OF-NYY) is the MVP front-runner
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is the front-runner for MVP this season. Judge is hitting .306/.381/.657 and leading all of baseball with 25 homers, a .657 slugging percentage, 54 runs scored, and a 1.059 OPS. He is producing phenomenal Statcast stats by currently being in the top two percent in the following average exit velocity (95.9 mph), maximum exit velocity (116 mph), and hard-hit percentage (62.1%). Judge tops the league with a 16.8 Brls/PA%. Judge is on pace to smack 65 home runs this season. Just think, it is just starting to get hot. Watch for those baseballs.
4. Yankees win pace
The 2022 New York Yankees are on pace to win a historic 120+ games, breaking the 116 wins set by the 1906 Chicago Cubs and the 2001 Seattle Mariners. The Yankees lead MLB in wins with 49 and have the fewest losses with 16. There are currently in the middle of a nine-game winning streak and hold a commanding 12-game lead over the second-place Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East. Their offense has produced the most home runs in the league with 105, seven more than the second-place Atlanta Braves. Additionally, the Yankees pitchers lead the big leagues with a 2.74 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and .212 BAA. Furthermore, the Yankees have the best run differential in MLB with +140, which is 30 runs better than the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers. They are the best team in baseball, and we are witnessing baseball history.
5. Albies suffers a fractured foot during a swing
Amid an impressive winning streak, the Atlanta Braves received some devastating news. Second baseman Ozzie Albies was injured during the at-bat and diagnosed with a fractured left foot. Albies are a crucial component in the Braves’ offense. However, he has been struggling this season. Albies is slashing a career-worst .244/.289/.405, but the team will miss his energy, and his track record suggests that the two-time All-Star will return to make his typical significant impact. Albies underwent foot surgery to repair the fracture and was placed on the 60-day injured list. The two-time Silver Slugger Award winner is still expected to return this season, with early projections set for late August.
Who is going to fill in for Ozzie Albies? The likeliest candidate is former Milwaukee Brewer Orlando Arcia, who never seemed to match the hype surrounding him but has produced two seasons of 15+plus home runs while with the Brewers. The Braves utilityman has started the first two games without Albies and has been fantastic. Arcia is 6-for-8 with homers in both games and should be a capable temporary replacement in the Braves lineup. The Braves also recalled Phil Gosselin, who will not make much of a fantasy impact but can play multiple defensive positions.
6. White Sox lose Hendriks to forearm strain
The Chicago White Sox placed closer Liam Hendriks on the injured list with what is being called a forearm strain. However, flexor strains are typically forerunners for more serious elbow problems. Hendriks is one of the best closers in baseball and the two-time AL Reliever of the Year. He was well on his way to his third award this season with 16 saves and a 2.81 ERA in 25 appearances. Unfortunately, the White Sox continue to suffer injuries to key players, with several on the injured list.
Nevertheless, they are trying to keep pace in the AL Central, where they are third with a 30-31 record. The White Sox will now turn to veteran right-hander Joe Kelly, who was just reinstated from the injured list, to take over the closer role. Kelly, who has just five career major league saves, will lead a short-handed bullpen along with Kendall Graveman to keep the White Sox in the race.
7. The Blue Jays lose Ryu for ROS
The Toronto Blue Jays announced that left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu will undergo elbow surgery with the extent unclear. Ryu will require a complete Tommy John surgery or a partial repair, which we will not know until he is under the knife. The southpaw will miss the remainder of the 2022 season in either scenario. The Blue Jays signed Ryu to a big free-agent deal in 2020 and served as the ace, posting a 2.69 ERA. Last season, he was deemed reliable but took a step back, producing a 14-10 record with a 4.37 ERA. In six starts this season, the veteran starter was 2-0 with a 5.67 ERA. Ross Stripling will take over Ryu’s turns in the rotation and has established himself as a valuable streaming option in deeper leagues. The veteran right-hander is 2-1 with a 2.81 ERA and 24/2 K/BB ratio across his seven starts this season. The Blue Jays will look to add rotation improvements at the August 2 trade deadline. Their No.3 and No.4 starters, Jose Berrios and Yusei Kikuchi, have been maddeningly inconsistent and disappointing this season.
8. Phillies going to dreaded closer committee
Corey Knebel won the closer job out of spring training but has produced mixed results. He is 2-5 with a 3.24 ERA and 11 saves this season but has been nursing shoulder tightness recently. Additionally, he just blew his fourth save and a below-average 20.7 percent strikeout rate while producing a 14.4 percent walk rate which ranks among the worst in the big leagues. The Philadelphia Phillies have had a roller-coaster season so far in 2022. From firing manager Joe Girardi to producing an 11-2 record in June, the Phillies are now forced to employ the dreaded closer-by-committee approach. Look for veteran closer Brad Hand, who owns a 1.96 ERA across 18.1 innings, and hard-throwing Seranthony Dominguez, who is 4-0 with a 1.88 ERA and 12.0 K/9 to form a one-two punch in the Phillies bullpen.
9. Rendon to undergo season-ending wrist surgery
Los Angeles Angels continue their roller-coaster season by announcing that third baseman Anthony Rendon will undergo season-ending wrist surgery. Rendon was hitting .228/324/.383 with five homers and 24 RBI, scoring 15 runs across 45 games. After being deemed reliable with the Washington Nationals, Rendon has played only 155 games total for the Angels over three years. Interim manager Phil Nevin mentioned that the team would utilize a combination of Matt Duffy, Tyler Wade, and Jack Mayfield to take over at the hot corner. Nothing to see here for fantasy managers.
10-11. Two-Start Recommendations
Zach Davies (SP – ARI)
Zach Davies has two plus matchups in Week 10 against the San Diego Padres and the Detroit Tigers. Yet, he will still probably go under the fantasy radar. Davies has been outstanding in his three June starts. The right=hander has surrendered a 1.31 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP while registering a 20/3 K/BB ratio across 20.2 innings. He is yielding an 85.8 average exit velocity, placing him in the top ten percent of the majors. Full stream ahead!
Spencer Strider (SP – ATL)
Spencer Strider has shined since moving into the Atlanta Braves starting rotation. Strider is 2-0 with a 1.76 ERA and 0.98 WHIP while producing a 24/8 K/BB ratio in his last three starts. His Statcast page is lit up like a Christmas tree with top ten finishes in xBA (.193), xwOBA (.233), and a 38.6 percent strikeout rate. His Week 11 matchups against the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers, but can you afford not to have him in your lineups?
12. Oneil Cruz (SS – PIT) continues to wait for his shot
Oneil Cruz should already be in the Pittsburgh Pirates everyday lineup, but MLB’s stupid service time issues got another victim. Cruz has been struggling at Triple-A Indianapolis to start the season after being demoted at the start of the season. However, he has been hitting the cover off the ball lately to a .291 batting average and seven dingers in 22 games. Once Cruz hits the service time mark, look for the 23-year-old slugger to cement his spot in the Pirates’ everyday lineup.
13. Alex Kirilloff (1B, OF – MIN) is back with the Twins
The Minnesota Twins have called up former top prospect Alex Kirilloff to take the roster spot of second baseman Jorge Polanco, who they placed on the 10-day injured list with lower back tightness. Kirilloff was tearing the cover off the ball at Triple-A St. Paul. He produced a .359/.465/.641 slash, He has looked to be over his frequent wrist injuries that have hampered his promising big league career. Kirilloff will play the majority at first base, some corner outfield, and some DH for the Twins. Kirilloff has gone 1-for-2 with a double and two RBI in his return to the Twins. Check your waiver wire to see if an impatient manager dropped Kirilloff and add him immediately.
14. Detroit Tigers call up OF prospect Riley Greene
The Detroit Tigers promoted their top prospect outfielder Riley Greene to the big leagues. All Greene did in his MLB debut was record his first Major League hit and reach base safely four times. Greene was drafted fifth overall by the Tigers in 2019, and he has met expectations, hitting .301/.387/.534 with 24 home runs and 16 steals across Double-A and Triple-A last season. Greene was on the verge of making the Opening Day roster until a fractured right foot forced Greene out of action than working through injury rehab. Finally, after 17 minor league games, the 21-year-old was deemed ready to jump to the big leagues. Greene is a five-tool player who will bring much-needed excitement and confidence to a 25-40 Detroit Tigers ballclub.
15-20. Hot or Not
Hot
Rafael Devers (3B – BOS)
Rafael Devers continues to prove that he is one of the best hitters in baseball with a great week. Devers slashed .316/.519/.947 and smacked four runs with 11 RBI. He also scored nine runs and stole a base while only striking out one time in his 19 at-bats.
Ryan Mountcastle (1B, OF – BAL)
Mountcastle has started to heat with the weather, including his efforts this past week. He slashed .387/.387/.903 with four homers and eight RBI, scoring nine runs in 31 at-bats.
Carlos Rodon (SP – SF)
Rodon continues his excellent season with the Giants by earning two starts this past week. Rodon pitched 14.2 total dominant innings in those two wins and allowed zero earned runs while striking out 16 batters.
Not
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2B, SS – MIA)
After a hot start to the 2022 season, Chisholm cooled off last week. He only had two hits and struck out nine times in 20 at-bats.
Juan Soto (OF – WAS)
Soto didn’t help fantasy managers this week with only two hits in 19 at-bats. Although one of those hits was a home run, there are plenty of frustrated fantasy managers out there this week with Soto in their lineups.
Eric Lauer (SP – MIL)
After three consecutive promising starts, Lauer has been lit up in his last couple of outings. In 11.2 innings, the Brewers southpaw surrendered 12 earned runs on 13 hits, including six homers. He also issued five free passes but somehow found a way to finish 1-1, but he killed roto managers this week.
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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.