Week 10 has been a wild one. Elly De La Cruz finally got the call for the Cincinnati Reds and has had an incredible start to his career. His teammate, Spencer Steer, has become a speed demon. Matt McLain can’t stop hitting. Andrew Abbott debuted with a one-hitter against the Brewers…it’s literally been the week of the Reds, and I’m loving every second of it.
Outside of the Reds, it’s still been an interesting week of baseball. Luis Arraez has become a hot topic in the baseball and fantasy baseball world. He’s spent this week going 7/12 and raising his batting average to over .400, which makes him incredibly valuable in points leagues. If he’s been off your radar, he’s worth becoming a top trade target in points and roto leagues. His value is stunted a bit in category leagues, but that Marlins offense is rolling, and so is Arraez.
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Favorable Matchups
Tampa Bay Rays: @ OAK (4), @ SDP (3)
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’d know that the Rays are an absolute hauss this season. It’s reached the point where you start to wonder if they have anyone on their roster who CAN’T hit the damn ball. Lining up for four games against the lowly Oakland Athletics is only going to further that thinking. It’s no secret that the A’s are historically bad, and despite their recent offensive surge against the Pirates, their pitching is so poor it won’t much matter.
San Diego offers a bit tougher matchup. At home, the Padres pitching staff has an ERA of just 3.48 while holding hitters to a .218 batting average. The Rays, on the other hand, are the best-hitting team on the road. Their .266-road batting average is the best in the league. Their 50 road home runs are second in the league, and their 169 runs scored are fifth. Something is going to have to give, and I can’t imagine it’s the Rays hitting.
Hitters To Target:
Jose Siri (OF – TB)
It’s hard to argue that Siri has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball as of late. In his last 22 games, he has hit nine home runs, driven in 14, scored 15, and has a 20% barrel rate. He’s historically much worse against lefties, but this season, he’s actually hitting them much better and has shown some surprising pop. Three of his five career home runs against left-handers have come this season. Helps when he’ll be facing at least one this week. He’s hardly owned in fantasy leagues, so get him while he’s hot and facing the worst team in baseball.
Jose Siri with a BOMB and a pimp job! pic.twitter.com/mrsMekY3z8
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 7, 2023
Luke Raley (1B, OF, DH – TB)
To be blunt, there was no reality coming into this season where I or anyone else saw Raley having the season he is. Regardless, mark him down as another one of the hottest hitters in baseball currently. In his 12 games since May 22nd, Raley is hitting .286 with eight XBH, 13 runs scored, and three stolen bases. He’s also managed a 55% hard-hit rate, an average exit velocity of 93.2 MPH, and a walk rate of 14%. He’s offering production in every category and has solidified himself as a fantasy asset in all league types. Look for him to have a big week 11.
Atlanta Braves: @ DET (3), vs. COL (4)
We love a seven-game week for any team around these parts. In Week 11, it’s Atlanta’s turn to join the seven-game start club. They start the week against a Detroit Tigers team whose pitching outside of Michael Lorenzon has been downright bad lately. Their team ERA of 4.42 is the 11th worst in the league, and they hold runners on at just a 68.7% rate, the fifth worst in the league.
After that, they follow it up with four games at home against Colorado. In terms of Stuff+, the Rockies’ pitching staff is the worst in the league by a mile at just an 85. Detroit is actually the second-worst in the league at 93. The Braves and their potent offense should have no issues tearing up both opponents.
Hitters To Target:
Eddie Rosario (OF – ATL)
Eddie Rosario may have started slow, but he’s been putting on a show at the plate recently that’s worth fantasy managers’ attention. As is customary with my weekly planners, I enjoy highlighting hot streaks that I believe will continue, and Rosario fits that bill. In June, he is hitting .333 with three home runs and eight RBI in six games as I type this. He has yet to walk, but his 1.238 OPS should have you excited as hell. He’s going to destroy the meatballs these pitchers will be serving up in week 11.
Orlando Arcia (2B, SS – ATL)
Arcia is a player I had mentioned as a waiver wire priority back in week two. Now nine weeks later, here I am letting you guys know he’s still widely available and should be started. Especially right now. He doesn’t have crazy home run power, but he’s hit over .300 in every month so far, including .391 so far in June. He’s paired that June batting average with a home run, four RBI, and a now three-game multi-hit streak. Second base is still weak, and he’s offering startable production during a time when he’s set to face terrible pitching. Capitalize on these matchups when you can.
WOW! Orlando Arcia ties it up in the 9th inning!
(via @Braves)pic.twitter.com/5zHf2VQyPs
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 9, 2023
Matchups To Avoid
Milwaukee Brewers: @ MIN (2), vs. PIT (3)
As much as we love a seven-game week for the Braves, we hate a five-game week for literally anyone. The Seattle Mariners were the first team on my week 10 for this exact reason. While five games suck, the Brewers’ offense has been the definition of a suckfest as well. Since May 21, they’re hitting just .219 with a .668 OPS.
They face off against a Twins squad sporting the best Pitching+ number in baseball. Going against Lopez and Ober is going to be a very tough back-to-back matchup. Pittsburgh’s pitching isn’t quite as good, but Mitch Keller has proven to be dominant, and guys like Rich Hill and Oviedo have shown flashes of shutdown ability this season.
Hitters To Avoid:
William Contreras (C – MIL)
He may be one of my favorite catchers for the 2023 season, but not in Week 11. He is hitless in seven of his last 11 games with no XBH outside of the three home runs he’s hit. For the season, he’s hitting just .226 with an OPS of .668 against right-handers, who he’s going to get a heaping helping of in his five games this week. You can find better production at the catcher position elsewhere.
Wowww, that was fun to watch, William Contreras. pic.twitter.com/SK188v9mpq
— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) April 8, 2023
Willy Adames (SS – MIL)
Did he just hit a home run? Yes. Does that change my feelings about Adames heading into week 11? No. Adames had a two-hit game on June 7th. Until that point, Adames hadn’t had a multi-hit game since one month prior on May 7th. Much like Contreras, the home runs have been there, so there’s always perceived value, but Adames is a one-trick pony at this point. He’s not hitting and has a 30.6% strikeout rate in that same timeframe. Look elsewhere in week 11.
New York Yankees: @ NYM (2), @ BOS (3)
The Yankees have three strikes against them in week 11. The first strike is they only play five games…boooooo…the second strike is their first two games that come against Verlander and Scherzer. Strike three would be the fact that they play all five of their games on the road. On the road this season, the Yankees are hitting just .236, and, let’s be honest, most of their production has been thanks to Aaron Judge. With him being on the IL, the Yankees are stuck fending for themselves against great pitching while on the road. Hard pass.
Hitters To Avoid:
Anthony Volpe (SS – NYY)
I understand he’s one of everyone’s favorite rookies in 2023. I also understand he had a stretch there earlier in the year that gave us a glimpse of just how good he can be. The problem is, at least on the road, he’s not delivering on that glimpse he gave before. Currently hitting .184 with just three home runs away from tiny Yankee Stadium, starting the week facing Verlander and Scherzer alone should be enough to make fantasy managers shy away from the young speedster.
Anthony Rizzo (1B – NYY)
I’ll give Rizzo a ton of credit this year. He’s made some pretty drastic improvements and has seen his production improve. Especially in the batting average department. The problem is that much like Volpe, a lot of that production comes at their hitter-friendly home park. On the road, Rizzo is hitting just .212 and has a total of one hit in the month of June thus far. He’s not gonna stay down for long, but this week isn’t going to be the week he turns it around.
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