The season is finally here! Welcome to the 2023 fantasy baseball season!
With the season just beginning, looking at some important storylines and aspects this week is important to be ahead of the curve and gain an edge on your leaguemates.
20 Things to Watch: Week 2
Week 2 Schedule Notes
No teams are scheduled to play just five games. The following teams have seven-game weeks:
- Baltimore Orioles (vs. OAK, at CHW)
- Boston Red Sox (at TB, vs. LAA)
- New York Yankees (at CLE, vs. MIN)
- Tampa Bay Rays (vs. BOS, at TOR)
- Minnesota Twins (vs. CHW, at NYY)
- Oakland A’s (at BAL, vs. NYM)
- Philadelphia Phillies (vs. MIA, at CIN)
- Cincinnati Reds (at ATL, vs. PHI)
- Milwaukee Brewers (at ARI, vs. SD)
- Pittsburgh Pirates (vs. HOU, at STL)
- St. Louis Cardinals (at COL, vs. PIT)
- San Diego Padres (at NYM, vs. MIL)
Francisco Alvarez Arrives
Francisco Alvarez is a top catching prospect and is now up for the Mets, with Omar Narvaez out for two months with a calf injury. Alvarez has a bat that is good enough that he should still play full-time at DH when he isn’t behind the plate, making him the conversation as a top-12 catcher upon arrival.
Burnes Toast
Corbin Burnes was the top pitcher in drafts for most people this season, but he has struggled mightily through his first two starts, allowing 10 earned runs in 9.1 innings while striking out just six. His home run and walk rates are up significantly, and the swinging strike rate is down to 6.1% from 15.5% last year. He has a two-start week this week, and if he struggles again, fantasy managers are in some real trouble.
Giants Questions
We are used to the San Francisco Giants playing games with their lineups, but now they are doing it with their rotation. Many assumed that Sean Manaea was in the rotation to start the season with Anthony DeSclafani as the long man/sixth starter, but that was flipped on its head when the Giants started DeSclafani versus the White Sox and stated they would bring in Manaea as a follower. DeSclafani did so well that they let him go six innings before Manaea struggled in relief. If this is a trend, then Manaea isn’t worth much in fantasy, and DeSclafani becomes much more interesting.
Musgrove Returns
Joe Musgrove is expected to return to the Padres after starting the season on the IL with a fractured toe. He is lined up for a decent two starts, but it remains to be seen if the Padres will let him go deep into the game coming off the injury and if they stick with a six-man rotation with seven games on the docket.
Nationals Treasures
Josiah Gray and MacKenzie Gore have shown some pretty interesting growth through spring, and their opening starts. They are former top prospects that the Nationals acquired in big trades from the Padres and Dodgers. They look like they could be taking the next step but have tough matchups against Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani of the Angels. I am not advocating starting them, but they are interesting stashes for the future and should be on your watch list or bench.
Muller Time?
You don’t get a lot of fantasy value from the A’s, but Kyle Muller has started off the season well and is worth monitoring. He has thrown 10.2 innings and allowed just three runs while striking out eight. He is probably someone you should ignore in 10 and 12-team leagues, but in deeper formats, he should be rostered as a former prospect of note with a rotation spot on lock in a great place to pitch.
Are The White Sox Washed?
Both Michael Kopech and Lance Lynn got hammered in starts versus the Giants, which is concerning, considering San Francisco is an offense you shouldn’t be scared of. Kopech has often struggled with consistency, and Lynn had reduced velocity, so we need to see a bounce back this week as they face the Pirates (Kopech) and the Twins (Lynn).
Straw(man) Argument
Myles Straw has hit .364/.517./.409 with a Major League-leading five stolen bases this season. He is making really good contact and showing a fantastic approach with a 20% walk rate and a 10% strikeout rate. It is probably just a hot streak, but he could also lead the Majors in stolen bases with a good average if things continue to go well for him.
MJ, Not The GOAT
MJ Melendez is struggling mightily, hitting .095/.269/.286 with just one home run this season. He is striking out 46.2% of the time and has the worst zone contact percentage in all of baseball at 58.3%. Now the Royals have struggled as a team, so maybe he and they will break out of it. Yet, at some point, he will lose time if things don’t improve quickly.
Brian Anderson No Longer Boring
For years Brian Anderson was talked about like he was a good fantasy investment despite the fact he was about as bland as can be from a fantasy perspective. However, he was traded from the cavernous park in Miami to a great one in Milwaukee, and he now has the best barrel rate and batting average in all of baseball to go along with three bombs. He is playing every day and should be rostered in all formats.
Can Gunnar Hit Lefties?
Gunnar Henderson is one of the top prospects in baseball, and many people drafted him early in their leagues. He is struggling to start the season, which is a concern, but the bigger concern is if he can hit lefties. He struggled mightily against them last year, which we saw during his time in the Minors. He faces three southpaws in the first four games of the week versus the Athletics, so it is important to see whether or not he can hit bad lefties or he could find himself in a platoon.
Is David Villar For Real?
David Villar is hitting .273/.385/.591 with two home runs. He’s shown some really nice power numbers in the Minors and in a short stretch in the Majors last season, but now he is getting full run and has the ability to hit 30 bombs if he can keep the playing time. The catch is the strikeout rate. He is striking out 30% of the time right now, which is what he did in his 52 games last year. If he can make enough contact, he could be a monster. However, he could lose his job if he continues to strike out. This is something to watch.
Steaming Options
Carlos Carrasco (SP – NYM) | at OAK
Carlos Carrasco got hit around in his first start, but there is no better streaming matchup to cure what ails you than the Athletics in Oakland. Carrasco is no longer the stud that he once was, but he should be able to handle the A’s.
Ryne Nelson (SP – ARI) | at MIA
Rybe Nelson has amazing stuff, but he can’t always command it. There is some risk here, but he gets a great matchup in Miami and is a nice gamble if you need strikeouts at the end of your week.
Jhony Brito (SP – NYY) | at CLE
Jhony Brito looked pretty impressive versus the Giants in his debut but was sent down following the game because the Yankees didn’t need a fifth starter. He is returning for a start at Cleveland and is an under-the-radar streamer that could end up sticking in the rotation for a while if he is good again.
Anthony DeSclafani (SP – SF) | at DET
As mentioned above, DeSclafani looked great in his first start and draws a Tigers team no one should be afraid of. There is some risk here that the Giants don’t let him go deep with Manaea waiting in the pen, but if he can stay efficient as he did against the White Sox, it could be a nice way to end the week.
Marco Gonzales (SP – SEA) | vs. COL
Now hear me out! Marco Gonzales is not a good pitcher, especially for fantasy, but the Rockies hitters almost always struggle in their first series outside of Colorado, and this will be the first game away from Coors after a week-long stretch at home. This has risk, but it could be an easy win.
Two Start Recommendations
Jose Suarez (SP – LAA) | vs. WAS, at BOS
Jose Suarez was one of my late draft targets for deeper leagues this year because of a pitch mix change that resulted in an under-the-radar breakout in 2022. He didn’t fare very well in his first start, but this is a nice two-step here that I am gambling with.
Grayson Rodriguez (SP – BAL) | vs. OAK, at CHW
Grayson Rodriguez was impressive in his first start against a tough opponent in the Rangers, throwing five innings and allowing two earned runs on four hits and a walk while striking out five. The Orioles will be careful with him because they don’t want to overuse him, but these are two good matchups that should make him worth using.
If you want to dive deeper into fantasy baseball, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Baseball Tools as you navigate your season. From our Lineup Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team, and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy baseball season.
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