The Smash and Grab: 4 Teams With Elite Hitting Opportunities in Week 14
One thing I have learned in my journey in fantasy baseball is that volume is key -- especially in hitting.
In standard rotisserie leagues, only one category is ratio based (batting average), which allows us to maximize at-bats and plate appearances to rack up those counting statistics in runs, home runs, runs batted in, and stolen bases. And as simplistic as the approach seems, the best fantasy players find ways to garner as many shots as possible -- via volume.
Each week, this report will analyze the matchups for the upcoming week to see if any teams in particular stand out from a volume perspective as we gear up for those Free Agent Budget (FAB) bids.
The seven-game teams? Those are obvious. But what about the other matchups? Let's dig in and find out.
Seven-Game Teams (18)
There is a lot of high-powered volume this week. In fact, it may be simpler to say who isn't playing seven games, but here we are. The following teams play (at least) seven games:
Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals.
With so much volume, who sticks out? In alphabetical order:
Boston Red Sox: Starting with a series at home against the Royals is tantalizing, and this offense is surging yet again. Don't sleep on Hunter Renfroe. He's in the midst of one of his patented hot streaks, and he has a .412 OBP in the last 14 days.
Cincinnati Reds: The Reds started a 10-game homestand on Friday, and they get the last seven this week. That'll play, as Great American Smallpark has been a hitter's paradise. The Padres series will feature two arms with a lot of pedigree in Blake Snell and Chris Paddack but they have been massively struggling as of late. Keep an eye on the status of Jesse Winker. Aristides Aquino is normally in a platoon, but with Winker being pulled early, he could see more volume.
New York Mets: This offense is starting to heat up at the dish, and this could be a get-right stretch of games for the Mets. They will start with four in Atlanta, and SunTrust Park ranks top-10 in park factor and home run factor this season. They will then head across town to face the Yankees, and they get the back-end of this struggling rotation.
Six-Game Teams (11)
The majority of remaining teams hit the field for six games. Of these squads, here are some interesting notes:
Oakland Athletics: Things kick off in Minnesota, and they will face the struggling arm of J.A. Happ, and Bailey Ober has been okay as a young hurler. Then, things really get spicy with a four-game set in Atlanta, where no one has been overly spectacular this season, and the park has played very friendly to hitters.
Five-Game Teams (1)
Coors Field
Pittsburgh Pirates (3), St. Louis Cardinals (4)
