It’s the final countdown! The home stretch is here. It is time for you to make a move in the standings and push toward the top. With only two weeks left in the season, it is more crucial than ever to find every home run or stolen base possible. Quick Grades is here to help!

Each week I rank the top 100 hitters without bias using various data. I take games played, park factors, matchups, and projections to help you find the top hitters for the upcoming week. I have described the process in more detail below and have the top-100 projected hitters for the week. Thanks for stopping by, and best of luck in your leagues this week.

The Quick Grade Series

Each week, I will provide breakdowns of hitters with a grade range from 40 to 100. Think about a school grade (90-100 being an A, 80-89 equaling a B, 70-79 = C, and so on). Grades are weighted based on several different factors that I discuss below.

Week 23 covers games for the week of Monday, September 19, through Sunday, September 25.

You can find last week’s Quick Grades here.

How It Works

We established that each hitter would have a grade based on four categories that would land them a total score between 40 and 100. Each of the four categories will be graded from 10 to 25, placing us at that total score. Here is what goes into it:

• Games Played – Let’s start simple. The more games played weekly, the more stats a player can accumulate. Maximizing plate appearances for fantasy baseball is huge. It is a no-brainer if the player you roster has seven games versus a different player having five games. If a team is scheduled to play seven games that week, the team’s hitter will get 25 points. Six games earn a hitter 23 points, and five games drop you down to 20. If a team is set to play more than seven games weekly, that player will get 27 points for games.
• Ballpark Factors – Is a hitter playing four games in Coors? What about three in Oakland? These things matter. We will use the FantasyPros park factors to help us out there. I have created an algorithm that gives each ballpark a score from 10-25. Then factoring in how many games a hitter plays at a specific park each week, a score of 10-to-25 is given.
• Matchups – Does a hitter have strong splits against a left or right-handed pitcher? What if they face three lefties this week with a poor split against lefties? We factor that in.
• Projections – Finally, we will factor in projections. I will update using FantasyPros projections and scale them down to a weekly projection. It is not perfect, but projections with the other factors can help project how a player might perform.

Week 23 Hitter Grades (9/19-9/25)

Team to Stream: San Francisco Giants

The Giants draw seven games next, and even though they are all on the road, four games in Coors Field provides a boost. After four in Coors, the Giants head to Arizona for a three-game set. Kyle Freeland will be the only pitcher with a sub-five ERA that the Rockies will throw against the Giants. The Diamondbacks will throw Zac Gallen on Thursday, meaning the Giants miss him by one day. Look for a strong week from Joc Pederson, Lamonte Wade Jr, and Brandon Crawford.

Team to Fade: Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies are clinging on to a wild card spot, but the next week could prove tough for their hitters. Though all six games are at home, they get two games with the Blue Jays, who are making a strong push against the Yankees. The Phillies finish the week against the Braves, who will need to win nearly every night to take the division crown from the Mets. The Blue Jays will bring Stripling and Gausman to the mound, while the Braves have Odorizzi, Strider, Wright, and Morton lined up.

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Chris Clegg is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Chris, check out his archive and follow him @RotoClegg.