Weekly Hitter Rankings: The Second Half Begins

The Hitter Value Meter is a companion piece to the weekly Pitching Value Meter. While in many leagues offensive roster slots are set 'em and forget 'em, in deeper formats where every at-bat counts, knowing which teams have friendly schedules for hitters, and which platoon bats will be getting more action than usual, can be valuable information, especially in head-to-head formats and leagues with weekly moves instead of daily. The Hitter Value Meter will summarize all that info in one spot, for your roster juggling convenience.

For the week July 17-19

(Note: The Hitter Value Meter will preview next week's schedule in its usual Saturday article.)

4 GAMES

1. Chicago White Sox (vs. KC 4) - With the short week, finding extra games or favorable matchups is critical, so any White Sox (and Royals) on your roster become just about must-starts. Danny Duffy's the only lefty they're set to face though, so that only applies to the regulars and not a bench option like Gordon Beckham.

2. Kansas City (at CHW 4) - Per usual, the platoon split gets reversed when a team faces the White Sox, and three of the Royals' four games this weekend come against lefties (John Danks, Jose Quintana and Chris Sale). That makes Paulo Orlando potentially a more enticing play than Jarrod Dyson, though a 50/50 division of labor wouldn't be surprising between them.

3 GAMES

3. Arizona (vs. SF 3) - Home sweet home means the D-backs are at the top of the three-game rankings this week as they enjoy the thin desert air, and Madison Bumgarner's inning during the All-Star Game likely means they avoid seeing him as well, though the Giants haven't yet confirmed their post-break rotation and could slip him in there somewhere.

4. Toronto (vs. TB 3) - The Jays get the best the Rays have to offer in Jake Odorizzi and Chris Archer, plus Erasmo Ramirez, but it's still three home games from the most potent home offense in the majors so far (Toronto's .842 team OPS at home in the first half was actually two points higher than even the Rockies). No lefties on the slate means deep-league options like Ezequiel Carrera and Justin Smoak become a little more interesting, as well.

5. Milwaukee (vs. PIT 3) - The Brewers also benefit from home cooking, and while the Pirates haven't yet confirmed their Sunday starter, Charlie Morton and Francisco Liriano are a slightly less than dynamic duo taking the hill Friday and Saturday.

6. Detroit (vs. BAL 3) - The Tigers' offense is still figuring out how to function without Miguel Cabrera, but three home games against the less-than-inspiring trio of Ubaldo Jimenez, Chris Tillman and Miguel Gonzalez gives them a good opportunity to hit the ground running in the second half. If you're looking for a deep-league longshot play, Marc Krauss could be worth a look.

7. San Francisco (at ARI 3) - It's a high ranking for a team on the road, but the desert air and generous D-backs pitching staff could make your Giants well worth rostering. Arizona sends two lefties to the mound (Robbie Ray and Patrick Corbin) during the series, so Justin Maxwell could get some extra at-bats.

8. Houston (vs. TEX 3) - Another slugging team at home with some tasty matchups. The Astros get Martin Perez making his season debut, Colby Lewis being Colby Lewis and Yovani Gallardo maybe running out of pixie dust after walking nine batters in his final two starts before the All-Star break.

9. N.Y. Yankees (vs. SEA 3) - The Yankees will want to do their former captain proud this weekend after Derek Jeter took home an ESPY ... just kidding. No one cares about the ESPYs. Still, the Yankees are at home, and while Felix Hernandez usually comes up big at Yankee Stadium (1.37 ERA in seven career starts) they should be able to take advantage of Mike Montgomery and Hisashi Iwakuma.

10. Pittsburgh (at MIL 3) - If you have to be on the road there are worse ballparks to hit in than Miller Park, and while the Pirates don't get to face the decrepit part of the Brewers' rotation, Mike Fiers, Jimmy Nelson and Taylor Jungmann aren't exactly aces themselves.

11. St. Louis (vs. NYM 3) - Seriously, do the Cardinals need any more luck? They get Matt Holliday back, and a series against the Mets features only one of their young guns, with Noah Syndergaard joining Jon Niese and Roly-Poly Bartolo Coloney, err, Bartolo Colon, on the hill this weekend for New York. It really just doesn't seem fair.

12. Cincinnati (vs. CLE 3) - It's not the best set of opposition pitchers, but it never is with the Indians. The Reds are still at home, though, and while Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco will probably be tough, maybe Trevor Bauer will have some jitters leading off Cleveland's post-break rotation.

13. Washington (vs. LAD 3) - The Nationals get both Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, with Michael Bolsinger sandwiched between, so if you're a fan of good pitching this is probably the series you'll be glued to this weekend. Washington's still at home, though, which does count for a little something.

14. Baltimore (at DET 3) - A couple years ago, facing Anibal Sanchez, David Price and Justin Verlander on the road would have seemed like a brutal way to begin the second half. Only one of those three pitchers is living up to his billing this season, though, so the O's could turn in some solid numbers this weekend.

15. Tampa Bay (at TOR 3) - You know who you don't want to see in your second game coming off a four-day layoff, as you try to get your timing back at the plate? A knuckleballer. That's the slate the Rays are stuck with, though, as Drew Hutchison, R.A. Dickey and Marco Estrada lead off the second half for Toronto. No lefties is good news for the likes of John Jaso and David DeJesus, at least.

16. Philadelphia (vs. MIA 3) - The Phillies are at home, which is a plus. Jose Fernandez takes the hill on Friday, though, which is a minus. The Marlins don't really have any other reliable starters, though, which is a plus. Dan Haren pitched surprisingly well in the first half, though, which is a minus. Add it all up, and it's about as average a slate as you can get.

17. Texas (at HOU 3) - All-Star Game starter Dallas Keuchel looms on Sunday, so the Rangers should do what they can against Collin McHugh and fresh-off-the-DL Scott Feldman. Granted, that could be a lot, as the meat of the Texas order features a lot of left-handed power. Mitch Moreland may not be done being useful, and Josh Hamilton may not get a better chance to get on track.

18. Oakland (vs. MIN 3) - The A's haven't been too bad at home this season, but the Twins' seemingly endless parade of pitch-to-contact righties has also been better than expected, so it's a bit of a wash. Ervin Santana likely still has a bit of rust to shake off, but Phil Hughes's gopherballitis will be less of an issue than usual in Oakland's stadium, and Kyle Gibson keeps teasing being pretty good. No lefties on the slate means Josh Phegley is best left on the sidelines, though.

19. L.A. Angels (vs. BOS 3) - Do the Red Sox even have any good starters left? OK, fine, Eduardo Rodriguez has been solid, but Wade Miley and Rick Porcello, umm, haven't. This looks like a good spot for the Angels' hitters to hit the ground running in the second half, and with two lefties on the schedule, C.J. Cron and Dan Robertson could be worth a second look.

20. L.A. Dodgers (at WAS 3) - The Nationals' rotation may not be at full strength, but it's not like there are weak links in it. The Dodgers get Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister and Max Scherzer, which I suppose is a nice slate if you have shares in Andre Ethier, but otherwise could be a tough trio on whom to score.

21. San Diego (vs. COL 3) - This ranking might be low given the opposition, but until the Padres start scoring runs on the regular at home, I'm going to keep rating Petco Park as a tough place to hit. Jorge De La Rosa has also been crazy stingy on the road this season (1.67 ERA in five starts), though, so leading off the bottom third might be about right. Chad Bettis and Kyle Kendrick figure to provide much less fierce opposition Saturday and Sunday.

22. Cleveland (at CIN 3) - For the moment, Johnny Cueto is still a Red, and he joins Mike Leake and Anthony DeSclafani in staring down the Indians this weekend. That makes David Murphy a useful asset, and Ryan Raburn someone you can leave on the bench.

23. Atlanta (vs. CHC 3) - The Cubs are trotting out their best to begin the second half, which means Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta (plus Kyle Hendricks, who hasn't embarrassed himself this season), so even though the Braves are at home their neutral ballpark and a tough schedule pushes them down the rankings.

24. Seattle (at NYY 3) - Friday and Saturday could be rough, as Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda lead off the second half for the Yankees, but then CC Sabathia takes the mound Sunday to make up for it. Let's see if Robinson Cano remembers how to reach the short porch in right field.

25. Miami (at PHI 3) - The one good thing the Phillies have going in their rotation, at least until he gets traded, takes the mound Sunday, so the Marlins should get what they can against Adam Morgan (who?) and Chad Billingsley (he's still around?) before Cole Hamels shuts them down.

26. N.Y. Mets (at STL 3) - Lance Lynn and John Lackey are the only two confirmed starters for the Cardinals, but even with a mystery dance partner Sunday the Mets' anemic offense doesn't look to get the second half off to a great start. Daniel Murphy's been slumping, but if Tim Cooney doesn't get that Sunday start, St. Louis will trot out three righties, so simply based on volume Murphy has to be worth considering.

27. Chicago Cubs (at ATL 3) - It's not quite the Mets' Future Cy Young Winners club, but the Braves' rotation has some good young arms in it, and the Cubs see them all this weekend. Julio Teheran showed some hints of turning things around before the break, while Manny Banuelos has looked pretty good and Shelby Miller's been great in 2015. You probably have better options this week than your fringe-y Cubs.

28. Boston (at LAA 3) - If you're looking for a silver lining here, the Red Sox do get two lefties in C.J. Wilson and Hector Santiago this weekend, so Dustin Pedroia should come off the DL in good shape, and if you're stuck having to use Mike Napoli he might actually get some at-bats and stumble into a couple RBI. Garrett Richards is sandwiched between them, for what it's worth.

29. Minnesota (at OAK 3) - You just had a nice little four day mini-vacation, and when you get back to work where does your boss send you? Oakland. Ugh. On top of that, the A's have Sonny Gray, Scott Kazmir and Jesse Chavez rolling out the Not Welcome mat for you. This is not the way to begin the second half.

30. Colorado (at SD 3) - You live by the Coors Factor, and you die by the Coors Factor. If you have to use any Rockies this week, though, look for the ones who hit left-handed and/or can take a walk, as James Shields is followed in the Padres' rotation by the erratic Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner. That might mean rolling the dice with Ben Paulsen if you're in a deep league roster bind, or hoping Carlos Gonzales' pre-All-Star break surge carries over in a shallower format.