BY: SOME GUY NAMED STEVE
The weekend is the most crucial part of each week in fantasy baseball. Whether you are in a points or categories league, a couple starts on the weekend can make or break your week. Today I am going to give you a few pitchers to pick-up who are available in most leagues and will help your teams this week.
Huascar Ynoa: Atlanta Braves SP (38.0% ESPN Ownership)
Projected Start: Saturday April 17th at Chicago Cubs
Huascar Ynoa has quietly been on fire this season and is still available in over half of ESPN leagues. Ynoa has pitched in three games this year(two starts) and has 15 strikeouts and only one run allowed in 12 innings pitched. Ynoa has a 0.75 ERA and a 0.67 WHIP on the year and as long as the 22-year-old has a rotation spot for the Braves, he should be owned in all leagues.
This weekend Ynoa faces a Cubs offense that has been struggling mightily. The Cubs have a MLB worst 2.67 runs per game and strike out at the 3rd-highest rate(10.17 times per game). The game will be played at Wrigley Field which has been very kind to pitchers so far. In the six games played at Wrigley, no total score has exceeded eight runs and the Cubs only have 19 runs in those six games. Ynoa’s ability to strike batters out combined with a struggling Cubs offense, make this a dream match-up that you don’t want to miss out on.
Casey Mize: Detroit Tigers SP (32.9% ESPN Ownership)
Projected Start: Saturday April 17th at Oakland Athletics
The next pitcher on today’s list is the former first-overall pick, Casey Mize. After a very disappointing season last year, Mize has started to look like a top prospect once again. In 2021, Mize is 1-0 with nine strikeouts, four walks, nine hits, a 0.82 ERA, and a 1.18 WHIP in 11 innings pitched. What’s most impressive about this start is that Mize faced two very good offenses in the Twins and the Astros.
This Saturday, Mize faces the Oakland Athletics who are 16th in the MLB at 4.31 runs per game. Now the A’s have won five-straight games but four of those have been on the road and the Athletics offense has not been as good at home. In eight home games this season Oakland is 2-6 and averaging only 3.13 runs per game.
As a former top prospect, Casey Mize is the type of player whose ownership will explode after another great start. If you want to avoid missing out on his potential, I would grab Mize this weekend and play him for his start vs the Athletics. If he has another great start you might’ve found yourself an ace to hold onto for the remainder of the year.
Robbie Ray: Toronto Blue Jays SP (24.9% ESPN Ownership)
Projected Start: Saturday April 17th at Kansas City Royals
The final pitcher on this week’s list is the riskiest, but has the highest upside. Robbie Ray is a pitcher who always seems to fall into the “streaming” category for fantasy baseball. Ray isn’t consistent enough to stay on a roster all year long, but definitely has the “stuff” to give owners a quality start with a lot of strikeouts. This season Robbie Ray has only pitched once (against the Yankees) and threw five innings, giving up three hits, three walks, two runs, and striking out three.
This Saturday, Ray faces the Kansas City Royals who up to this point in the season have been one of the MLB’s better offenses. However, the Royals strikeout 9.82 times a game (21st in MLB) and I expect regression from their offense in the coming weeks. Robbie Ray always has high strikeout potential and could punch out seven or more batters in this match-up.
With a great Toronto offense behind him, if you need strikeouts for the weekend then Ray is your guy. If he can find a way to limit the walks, Robbie Ray is in a great spot to get you the strikeouts you need with potential to get a win, quality start, and even help your era.
Honorable Mentions
With the Braves vs Cubs game starting at 2:20pm on Friday I wanted to make sure that everyone reading this had a chance to grab the pitchers before Friday’s rosters locked so I did not include any pitchers starting Friday night on the list. However, all league rules are different so I have mentioned a few Friday starters below as well as others on Saturday and Sunday.
- Wade Miley: Cincinnati Reds (36.9% ESPN Ownership) – Sunday April 18th vs Indians
- Anthony DeScalfani: San Francisco Giants (34.3% ESPN Ownership) – Friday April 16th at Marlins
- Adrian Houser: Milwaukee Brewers (10.8% ESPN Ownership) – Friday April 16th vs Pirates
- Aaron Sanchez: San Francisco Giants (3.1% ESPN Ownership) – Saturday April 17th at Marlins
In case you missed it check out this week’s podcast –
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