Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Caleb Durbin, Ty France top adds based on weekly hitter matchups
It’s a busy week with half of the league playing seven games. Only the Rockies play five games in Week 19. With the MLB Trade Deadline approaching, it’s time to examine those rosters to identify strengths and weaknesses. This will be the final in-season fantasy baseball article that covers the weekly hitter matchups, with most of the pitching data remaining the same from a team-level standpoint.
That said, we’ll examine the notable team schedules before identifying hitters to add and stream in shallow-, medium- and deep-league formats.
Notable Team Schedules in Week 19
Athletics (4 vs. BOS, 3 vs. DET)
The Athletics face four left-handed starting pitchers in Week 19. Three of them come in the Boston series, including Payton Tolle, Jake Bennett and Patrick Sandoval. That will limit playing time for Carlos Cortes, Jeff McNeil and Lawrence Butler among their strong-side platoon options. That’s a bummer because the Athletics will play seven in their hitter-friendly home park.
Braves (3 at NYM, 4 vs. WSH)
Like the Athletics, the Braves face four left-handed starting pitchers this week. Thankfully, the Braves don’t have many fantasy-relevant, strong-side platoon options.
Red Sox (4 at ATH, 3 at LAD)
The Red Sox will face four right-handed starting pitchers in Week 19. Anthony Seigler and Masataki Yoshida might take a hit to their playing time. However, Seigler has started in six out of eight games against a left-handed starting pitcher. Look toward Seigler’s way in deep leagues based on playing time and batting average, with a solid 79.7% contact rate.
Cubs (4 at STL, 3 vs. NYY)
The Cubs project to face five right-handed starting pitchers in Week 19. They have a relatively stable lineup without any strong-side platoon options.
Reds (3 vs. CLE, 4 vs. PIT)
There are six right-handed starting pitchers on the schedule for the Reds. Like the Cubs, the Reds don’t have any regular platoons, so not much is actionable other than starting with their reliable hitters with all seven games at home in Cincinnati.
Rockies (2 at SD, 3 vs. KC)
Only five games on the schedule for the Rockies with three at home to close out the week. The only positive is that they project to face all right-handed starting pitchers in Week 19. That benefits Mickey Moniak and Troy Johnston.
White Sox (4 vs. NYY, 3 at TB)
The White Sox have five right-handed starting pitchers on the schedule. Both lefties will be in the Yankees series against Max Fried and Ryan Weathers. Andrew Benintendi and Tristan Peters should benefit, though they haven’t sat against all lefties.
Marlins (3 vs. PHI, 4 at NYM)
Miami has six right-handed starting pitchers on the schedule. Griffin Conine and Jakob Marsee should earn extra plate appearances this week.
Mets (3 vs. ATL, 4 vs. MIA)
The Mets will face five right-handed starting pitchers in Week 19. The lone lefties come against Atlanta, including Martín Pérez and Chris Sale. Jared Young might be a hitter to stream in deep leagues, especially in the latter half of the week.
Yankees (4 at CWS, 3 at CHC)
Four right-handed starting pitchers are on the schedule for the Yankees. Trent Grisham played in three of four games against a left-handed starter since returning from the injured list on July 3, so he shouldn’t be impacted much. In deeper leagues, you could speculate on Ryan McMahon.
Pirates (3 vs. ARI, 4 at CIN)
The Pirates will face five right-handed starting pitchers in Week 19. Besides Chase Burns and Hunter Greene, the Pirates could take advantage of softer matchups this week. Jacob Gonzalez could be a sneaky deep-league hitter to stream.
Mariners (1 at TEX, 3 at LAD, 3 vs. MIN)
The Mariners will face four left-handed starting pitchers in Week 19, including Jordan Montgomery, Justin Wrobleski and Eric Lauer. Luke Raley will be impacted, with Dominic Canzone earning more playing time. Canzone has started against a left-handed starter in four out of seven games since June 15.
Giants (3 vs. MIL, 4 at SD)
The Giants project to face five right-handed starting pitchers, with one in each series, including Shane Drohan and JP Sears. It doesn’t look like the Giants have many strong-side platoon players.
Cardinals (4 vs. CHC, 3 at TOR)
This is a weird one. The Cardinals face five left-handed starting pitchers in Week 19, leading to possible weak-side platoon options in play. Nathan Church’s playing time might be at risk, though he started in five out of nine games against a lefty starter since July 1. It could benefit José Fermín or Nelson Velázquez, though both might be risky options as weak-side platoon hitters.
Rangers (1 vs. SEA, 3 at TB, 3 at HOU)
The Rangers project to face five right-handed starting pitchers in Week 19. Both left-handed starters come against the Rays, including Ian Seymour and Shane McClanahan. That should benefit Joc Pederson and Evan Carter as strong-side platoon options.
Nationals (3 vs. TOR, 4 at ATL)
The Nationals will face five right-handed starting pitchers in Week 19. The two lefties come in the Atlanta series against Martin Perez and Chris Sale. Luis Garcia Jr. doesn’t sit against all lefties, but maybe he plays six out of seven this week. The riskier potential strong-side platoon options for the Nationals include José Tena, Keibert Ruiz and Jorbit Vivas. All of which would be deep-league options.
Shallow- and Medium-League Hitter Pickups
Caleb Durbin, 2B/3B, Red Sox (40% Rostered)
Since June 15, Durbin has been a strong fantasy asset. He has seven home runs, six steals and a .308 batting average since the middle of last month. Durbin has been pulling the ball into the air more often, with a 45.6% pull rate and 39% flyball rate since the middle of June. Before June 15, Durbin had a 43.9% pull rate and a 30.8% flyball rate.
Furthermore, Durbin posted a 68.5 mph bat speed before June 15, which jumped nearly two mph to 70.2 mph. Durbin has shown strong plate discipline, with an 86.1% contact rate and 6.5% swinging-strike rate. That helps keep Durbin’s floor high from a batting average perspective. He needs to pull the ball down to the line to maximize his home run potential with below-average to mediocre power skills.
The Red Sox play four games on the road against the Athletics and three against the Dodgers. Durbin should continue hitting well into Week 19, making him a shallow-league option to pick up and stream for batting average and steals.
Ty France, 1B, Padres (30% Rostered)
I recommended a different Padres’ hitter last week, but Ty France stole the show with two home runs in Week 18 after a two-homer game on June 19 before last week. France has been hitting the ball harder with an 8.2% barrel rate per plate appearance, over three points above his career norm. That has been supported by France pulling the ball into the air (20.3%) more often this season, over four points above his career average.
Since June 15, France has been rolling with 10 home runs, 44 runs plus RBI and a .319 batting average. Ride France’s hot bat with better power metrics supporting the performance into Week 19.
Tommy Edman, 2B/3B/OF, Dodgers (33% Rostered)
Edman missed most of the season with an injury. However, he has been rolling since he returned. Edman has a .337 batting average with two home runs and three steals, fueled by his .413 BABIP. For context, Edman’s career BABIP is under .300, so it will regress at some point. It’s early, but Edman boasts a 5.3% barrel rate per plate appearance, over two points above his career norm.
Target Edman for batting average and speed, though there could be sneaky power if he maintains an average barrel rate.
Travis Bazzana, 2B, Guardians (37% Rostered)
The season-long numbers look solid for Bazzana from a power and speed standpoint. However, he ran cold in June, with four home runs, four steals and a .189 batting average. Bazzana’s profile suggests he might be better in points or OBP formats, given his season-long 11.7% walk rate. Since July 1, Bazzana has two home runs, three steals and a .224 batting average, though his .333 OBP reminds us that he still finds his way on base.
The Guardians face the Mets and White Sox in Week 19. Nolan McLean might be the toughest matchup this week, but he has been rocky at times. Look toward Bazzana in OBP and points leagues in Week 19.
Deep-League Hitter Pickups
Tim Tawa, 1B/2B/OF, Diamondbacks (4% Rostered)
We’ve talked about Tawa in the past as a deep-league hitter to add. Though the Diamondbacks lineup is top-heavy, Tawa has been hitting well since being recalled on July 5. He has three home runs, two steals and a .304 batting average. Six of Tawa’s seven season-long barrels came since July 5, showing he has been hitting the ball harder.
Tawa isn’t a household name, but he has been performing well and is worth streaming in Week 19 in deeper formats.
Joey Ortiz, 3B/SS, Brewers (7% Rostered)
The Brewers will face the Giants and Angels, two of the worst pitching staffs overall. Ortiz bats toward the bottom of the lineup, making him a deep-league option. Since June 15, Ortiz has four home runs, three steals and a .290 batting average with a .338 BABIP. Four of Ortiz’s eight season-long barrels came since June 15. Ortiz has been running more often with an 18% stolen base opportunity rate, though he has struggled to convert his chances into steals (66%).
Playing time is favorable for Ortiz without the standout skills, making him a consideration to add and stream in deeper leagues.
Trevor Larnach, OF, Twins (8% Rostered)
The Twins project to face five out of six right-handed starting pitchers in Week 19. Since July 1, Larnach has started against two of eight left-handed starting pitchers. He crushes righties, with a 147 wRC+ this season, meaning we’ll want to monitor these righty-heavy schedules. Larnach has been pulling the ball into the air (23%) more often, nearly five points above his career average. Interestingly, Larnach’s 5.4% barrel rate per plate appearance has been similar to his career norm, so the pull-heavy profile hasn’t impacted the exit velocities.
Scoop up Larnach as a deep-league strong-side platoon option in Week 19.
