With the second half of the fantasy baseball season likely happening for you, it has officially become crunch time. In the last few weeks, this article has done a great job of spotlighting players to key in on to help you win these matchups. Honestly, some of them have been easy. The Reds playing this week at home against the terrible Rockies pitching was a no-brainer.
We’ve also done a great job of highlighting the guys you should be avoiding. Jorge Mateo was a prime example this week and as it turns out, he’s done essentially nothing. Next week we have some matchups that are just as unfavorable. One positive this week, though, is that there are no teams that play just five games. This should help make a lot of players a bit more viable.
Now, let’s get into exactly who you should be focusing on to dominate your fantasy matchup in week 13.
Fantasy Baseball Week 13 Planner
Favorable Matchups
Los Angeles Dodgers: @ COL (3), @ KC (3)
Six games on the road aren’t much of a big deal for this Dodgers team. So far this season, only four other teams have scored more runs on the road than LA has. Their .228 team batting average isn’t ideal, but they’ve hit 63 away home runs to make up for it. Only the Braves have hit more with 64.
The Rockies and Royals have the worst and fourth-worst pitching staffs in baseball in terms of stuff+. Their Pitching+ numbers aren’t all that great, either. For the year, the Rockies (5.49 ERA) and Royals (5.17) trail only the Oakland Athletics for the worst ERA in baseball. The Dodgers are in line to put on a hit parade this week.
Players To Watch
James Outman (OF – LAD)
Is he the James Outman that lit the fantasy baseball world on fire to start the year? No. But to be honest, he doesn’t need to be. Outman has played three career games against the Rockies. In those three games, he’s hit 5/11 with four XBH and six RBI. He absolutely tore the cover off the ball. Two of those games came at home. Now that he’ll get to experience hitting at Coors Field fully, he may get back to his April form.
Max Muncy (2B, 3B, DH – LAD)
For the record, as I write this, Muncy is still on the IL. Reports are that he should be back by this weekend, though. And when he gets back, the power shall return. In his career, Munch has hit 13 HR and drove in 37 RBI in 42 games at Coors Field. He’s hitting .455 with a home run and four RBI on the road against the Royals. He’s already hit 18 home runs this season. Look for the power to continue next week.
Seattle Mariners: vs. WAS (3), vs. TB (3)
It’s been a minute since I put a team facing the Tampa Bay Rays on my favorable matchups list. This is also the first time I’m putting my Seattle Mariners on here, if memory serves me correctly. Granted, they’ve had their struggles recently, but they did just put 10 runs up against the Yankees. They have also struggled with strikeouts, but they’ve had some bright spots on the team as well. Washington has struggled recently in the pitching department, and Tampa Bay just potentially lost another starter in Shane McClanahan for a bit, so who knows who they’ll be starting? The matchups are looking juicy.
Teoscar Hernandez (OF – SEA)
Teoscar had a rough start to the year. He’s since picked it up in a big way. In June, he’s slashing .333/.400/.603 with eight XBH and 13 RBI. His strikeout rate for the month of June is down to a manageable 25.8%, and he’s actually started taking walks. The 16.7% barrel rate and 54.8% hard-hit rate are something to watch as well. Hernandez should do just fine with these two enticing matchups coming up next week.
Teoscar Hernández career Avg / OPS by month
Mar/Apr- .240 | .752
May – .238 | .675
June – .277 | .831
July – .267 | .871
Aug – .257 | .814
Sept/Oct – .271 | .872He’s not a bad signing. Give him time, he’ll be just fine.#SeaUsRise
— Blake Meyer (@Buhhlockaye) May 31, 2023
Ty France (1B, 3B – SEA)
France has quietly been one of the most productive hitters in baseball over the past month. Hitting .301 with eight doubles, four home runs, and 16 runs scored. Surprisingly, France hasn’t been as notoriously good at hitting with runners in scoring position. Despite that, he’s still finding a way. His 92.3% zone contact rate points towards someone who’s going to start driving in more runs sooner rather than later. This week feels like the perfect time.
Matchups To Avoid
San Francisco Giants: @ TOR (3), @ NYM (3)
Look, let’s be real. San Fran has been hot this month. Like really hot. Their 112 runs scored are second only to Atlanta in June. That’s where this gets tricky. Because when you check their upcoming schedule and check out their guys who’ve been overachieving, it becomes a week of matchups that can go south very quickly. Toronto’s 3.68 xFIP in June is the second-best in baseball. New York is likely to show up with both Verlander and Scherzer on the mound next weekend. Feels too much like a trap, especially for certain players, for me to be comfortable starting many Giants players.
Luis Matos (OF – SF)
Matos was a guy who came up with a little pop, a little speed, and a solid hitting ability. To this point, though, we really haven’t seen any of that power, and it doesn’t feel like it’s showing up any time soon. He’s currently hitting .259 with a 4.5% barrel rate, 27.3% hard-hit rate, and an average exit velocity of just 81.3 MPH.
The 10 runs scored and two stolen bases are nice, but it’s hard to expect more from someone who has yet to show the ability to do so. He’s been a popular waiver wire addition the past week, but at this point, he’s someone I’m avoiding ahead of week 13.
Michael Conforto (OF, DH – SF)
Mired in a pretty impressive slump, Conforto lands himself on the avoid list despite a fairly good season overall. 12 home runs, 37 RBI, and a 42.5% hard-hit rate are all great. The issue is he’s become such a boom-or-bust player that he’s getting difficult to roster outside of deeper league formats. He’s currently managed just one hit in his last 25 at-bats with one RBI. Don’t be surprised if he continues to struggle against these two rotations.
Michael Conforto muscles one out to give the @SFGiants the lead. ? pic.twitter.com/BNl8W09kyD
— MLB (@MLB) May 24, 2023
Pittsburgh Pirates: vs. SDP (3), vs. MIL (3)
It’s not often I put a team playing all their games at home on my avoid list. Honestly, though, if anyone deserves it, the Pirates definitely do. They’ve lost 10 straight and scored just 24 runs in those 10 games. They line up against the Padres and Brewers. Two teams with top-tier pitching are finally starting to come around and dominate. In a week where they’re likely to face Snell, Darvish, Burnes, and Peralta, it’s best to key in on guys from other teams.
Andrew McCutchen (OF – PIT
The prodigal son has returned to Pittsburgh this season and overall had a fairly good season, at least at the beginning of the year. Since June 3rd, it’s been a different story. Hitting just .179 with one XBH and a .667 OPS, he has offered essentially no value in the fantasy baseball world. He’s only barreling the ball up 3.3% of the time, and his timing at the plate has been off quite a bit. He’s late on a ton of pitches during this stretch, hitting 36.7% of the balls the other way. Not great for a traditional pull hitter. He’s not likely to right the ship this week.
Connor Joe (1B, OF – PIT)
It’s been a rough week for Connor. In his last six games, he’s hitting just .190 with a 33.3% strikeout rate. He’s been a solid contributor in XBH this season with 26 already, but he has just one in the last week. A lot of that stems from the fact that his hard-hit rate has been just 23.1% and his 70% contact rate isn’t turning any heads. Joe is a fun player to roster when he’s on a heater, but when he’s cold, it’s not pretty. These pitching matchups are likely too dominant for him to find enough success to get back on track.
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