20 Things to Watch: Spencer Schwellenbach, Christian Scott, Mitch Spence (Fantasy Baseball)

With the MLB season in full swing, previewing storylines and aspects of each week is important to get ahead of the curve and gain an edge on your leaguemates.

Let’s look further at 20 things to watch as Week 11 of the fantasy baseball season begins!

Fantasy Baseball 20 Things to Watch: Week 11

Fantasy Baseball Week 11 Schedule Notes

The following teams have just five games this week:
- Tampa Bay Rays at MIA, vs. BAL
- Miami Marlins vs. TB, vs. CLE
- New York Mets at WAS, vs. PHI/at PHI (in London)
- Philadelphia Phillies vs. MIL, at NYM/vs. NYM (in London)

The following teams have seven games this week:
- Baltimore Orioles at TOR, at TB
- Toronto Blue Jays vs. BAL, at OAK
- Washington Nationals vs. NYM, vs. ATL
- Cincinnati Reds at COL, vs. CHC
- St. Louis Cardinals at HOU, vs. COL
- Arizona Diamondbacks vs. SF, at SD
- Colorado Rockies vs. CIN, at STL
- San Diego Padres at LAA, vs. ARI

The London Series

The Phillies and Mets are heading to London this week to face off in a two-game series. The Mets are in shambles right now (more on that later), but the Phillies have been one of the best teams in baseball. Last year in London, the park played very favorites for hitters, so be careful with starting some of the pitchers in this series.

The LOL Mets

The Mets are an absolute mess. They are over 15 games behind the division-leading Phillies. They just dealt with a very awkward situation with Jorge Lopez and recently demoted their best pitching prospect, Christian Scott, and one of the young hitters, Brett Baty. They have called this season a “transition year,” but it feels more like a disaster than a transition.

The Braves’ Lineup

With Ronald Acuna Jr. out for the season, the Braves’ offense is looking much weaker. They did get Sean Murphy back, but that is an unsettled situation, with Travis d’Arnaud also playing well. The Braves don’t want to fall behind anymore in the division, so they will need to see who can be useful and who they need to trade for in the next four to six weeks.

Yu Darvish (SP – SD) & Zac Gallen (SP – ARI)

Both Yu Darvish and Zac Gallen left their last starts with hamstring tightness. Both have pitched like studs but have hit the IL because of their injuries. With the Padres also losing Joe Musgrove, we need to watch how both these teams plan on filling their rotation holes until they can get healthy.

The Orioles’ Rotation

The Orioles recently lost both Dean Kremer and John Means and now Albert Suarez and Cole Irvin are joining the rotation. The Orioles have a ton of Minor League depth to trade from, so if they don’t prove they belong in the rotation, they won’t be there long.

Spencer Schwellenbach (SP – ATL)

Spencer Schwellenbach joined the Braves’ rotation recently and was mediocre in his first start against the Nationals. He skipped AAA and only threw 13 innings in AA before his callup, so he is extremely raw. Still, he has shown good strikeout numbers, along with good command and control in the Minors.

Who is Mitch Spence (RP, SP – OAK)?

Have you heard of this player? I hadn’t until a few weeks ago. However, Mitch Spence has jumped into the A’s rotation and pitched well, throwing 13 innings over his last three starts with a 2.8 ERA and 12 strikeouts since being transitioned to a starter. He doesn’t have amazing stuff, but it is decent, and he has shown good control and command. With the lack of depth in the Oakland rotation, he could be given a pretty long leash.

The Rockies’ Bullpen

I have probably talked about the Rockies’ closer job too often this season. Still, after it appeared that Jalen Beeks had secured the role once Justin Lawrence went down, it may be turning into a committee with Tyler Kinley. No one likely holds this job the rest of the way, but Kinley is widely available and not an awful spec if you are looking for cheap saves.

The Blue Jays’ Bullpen

Jordan Romano hit the IL again and will miss at least two weeks, if not longer. Yimi Garcia is the logical next man up, but Chad Green is also in the mix for saves. We need to see if this is a committee or if one person takes the role.

The Mets’ Bullpen

Right after it appeared that Edwin Diaz was getting the closer job back, he hit the IL. This has all the makings of a committee between Adam Ottavino, Reed Garrett and Jake Diekman, but with the Mets struggling, they may want to build up Ottavino’s trade value before the deadline and allow him to hold the role.

Fantasy Baseball Streaming Options

Lance Lynn (SP – STL) vs. COL: Lance Lynn has been up and down this season, but the Rockies are always a good team to stream against when they are on the road.

Cooper Criswell (SP, RP – BOS) at CHW: Cooper Criswell has been very good this year, and while his stuff isn’t overpowering, neither is the White Sox offense.

Hunter Brown (SP – HOU) at LAA: OK, hear me out. I know Hunter Brown has struggled this season, but he has been better lately and the Angels are just wretched without Mike Trout.

Ben Lively (SP, RP – CLE) at MIA: Ben Lively isn’t an overpowering pitcher, but the Marlins may have the worst offense in baseball and play in a great pitcher’s park.

Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers

Tyler Anderson (SP – LAA) vs. SD, vs. HOU: Tyler Anderson is a pitcher due for regression, and this might be the week it hits. The Astros and Padres are very good offenses, but the Padres at least struggle versus left-handed pitching. So, while this one is risky, he is probably worth the gamble in deeper leagues.

Alek Manoah (SP – TOR) vs. BAL, at OAK: I don’t even know if Alek Manoah will be active this week, as he left his last start with elbow issues. If he doesn’t hit the IL, Manoah is a risky bet versus one of the best offenses in baseball, the Orioles. The A’s are a nice matchup that may be worth risking the first part of the two-step.

Matt Waldron (SP – SD) at LAA, vs. ARI: Matt Waldron has been really good recently, throwing 23 innings over his last four starts with a 1.96 ERA and 31 strikeouts. He has done a good job of mixing pitches and keeping hitters off balance. He has two pretty good matchups here versus a bad Angels team and mediocre Angels offense.

Seth Lugo (SP – KC) at CLE, vs. SEA: Seth Lugo has been unreal this season, throwing 78.1 innings with a 1.72 ERA, nine wins and 66 strikeouts. He is due for regression at some point, as he allows a ton of contact, but until that regression hits, you should be starting him.

Trevor Williams (SP – WAS) vs. NYM, vs. ATL: Trevor Williams has also been great and is due for regression, but he has five wins this year and a 2.22 ERA. The matchups aren’t too bad, with the Mets likely missing Pete Alonso and the Braves missing Acuna Jr., so I will continue to roll him out there and hope for the best.

MLB Streamers Two-Start Pitchers Weekly Advice Jorge Lopez Christian Scott Brett Baty Ronald Acuna Jr. Sean Murphy Travis d’Arnaud Yu Darvish Zac Gallen Joe Musgrove Dean Kremer John Means Albert Suarez Cole Irvin Spencer Schwellenbach Mitch Spence Jalen Beeks Justin Lawrence Tyler Kinley Jordan Romano Yimi Garcia Chad Green Edwin Diaz Adam Ottavino Reed Garrett Jake Diekman Lance Lynn Cooper Criswell Hunter Brown Mike Trout Ben Lively Tyler Anderson Alek Manoah Matt Waldron Seth Lugo Trevor Williams Pete Alonso

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About Author

Justin Mason

@JustinMasonFWFB

Justin Mason is the lead fantasy writer and analyst for Friendswithfantasybenefits.com. He is a writer at Fangraphs and Fantasy Pros. You can hear him on the Radio on the FWFB, TGFBI and the Sleeper and the Bust Podcasts. He also runs The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational and the Bay Area Roto Fantasy (BARF) league.