Weekly Hitter Rankings: Jays Get Gift of Twins

The Weekly Hitter Rankings is a companion piece to the Weekly Pitcher Rankings. While in many leagues your 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 where you make moves weekly instead of daily. The Weekly Hitter Rankings will summarize all that info in one spot, for your roster-juggling convenience.

For the period May 16-22

NOTE: I've begun to incorporate 2016 offensive performance into the home/road splits for each team, and will gradually increase the weight the more recent numbers carry as the season progresses.

7 GAMES

1. Toronto

vs. TB (3) - Smyly (L), Archer (R), Odorizzi (R)
at MIN (4) - E. Santana (R), Duffey (R), Berrios (R), Hughes (R)

The Jays are still living off last season, and based purely on their 2016 performance would rank lower, but that's not to say they have a bad schedule as the Twins rotation has enough soft spots to kickstart any offense. The righty-heavy slate makes Justin Smoak and Michael Saunders must-starts even in shallower formats.

2. Pittsburgh

vs. ATL (4) - W. Perez (R), Blair (R), Teheran (R), Foltynewicz (R)
vs. COL (3) - Butler (R), Chatwood (R), Rusin (L)

Seven home games in which the best pitcher the Pirates face is arguably Tyler Chatwood makes them a very juicy play this period. John Jaso is a must-start with only one lefty on the sked, while David Freese could find it tough to get off the bench.

3. Minnesota

at DET (3) - Zimmermann (R), Pelfrey (R), Verlander (R)
vs. TOR (4) - Estrada (R), Aaron Sanchez (R), Happ (L), Stroman (R)

Justin Verlander seems to have regained his form, but between Mike Pelfrey and most of the Jays' rotation, Twins hitters should get some chances at big rallies this week. Yet another righty-heavy slate makes Danny Santana an interesting play in shallower formats.

4. Cleveland

vs. CIN (2) - J. Lamb (L), Simon (R)
at CIN (2) - Finnegan (L), Adleman (R)
at BOS (3) - Buchholz (R), O'Sullivan (R), Porcello (R)

The iffy competition on the mound gives the Indians a nice boost this period. The interleague, intrastate home-and-home set against the Reds could result in a few lost at-bats for Carlos Santana and Mike Napoli, though, as they'll likely platoon at first base in Cincinnati.

5. L.A. Dodgers

vs. LAA (2) - Shoemaker (R), Weaver (R)
at LAA (2) - Tropeano (R), Chacin (R)
at SD (3) - Friedrich (L), Vargas (R), Rea (R)

The Dodgers spend all week in pitcher's parks, otherwise they'd be No. 1 in these rankings based purely on the awful array of arms they'll be seeing. The righty-heavy slate makes Joc Pederson and Chase Utley strong plays, but Carl Crawford might only be worth using in deeper formats, even with the DH available in Anaheim.

6. N.Y. Yankees

at ARI (3) - Ray (L), Greinke (R), S. Miller (R)
at OAK (4) - Graveman (R), S. Gray (R), Manaea (L), H. Alvarez (R)

The Yankees are on the road all week, but the aces on the sked are struggling, which makes this slate a lot more palatable. If Henderson Alvarez isn't ready to return to the rotation next week for Oakland, Eric Surkamp figures to remain in the rotation, but that's hardly an upgrade. With no DH available in the desert, think twice before giving Gary Sanchez an active roster spot.

7. Cincinnati

at CLE (2) - Cody Anderson (R), Salazar (R)
vs. CLE (2) - Tomlin (R), Kluber (R)
vs. SEA (3) - Iwakuma (R), F. Hernandez (R), Miley (L)

Because the schedule is extra-weird this season, the Reds get an entire week of interleague play. Huzzah ... ? Only one lefty on the slate should keep Tucker Barnhart busy, but the Reds don't have any obvious candidates to take those DH at-bats in Cleveland.

8. Oakland

vs. TEX (3) - D. Holland (L), Hamels (L), M. Perez (L)
vs. NYY (4) - Nova (R), Tanaka (R), Pineda (R), Eovaldi (R)

The A's get to spend all week at home, and also get the perfectly split lefty-righty schedule which make roster moves in leagues with mid-week transactions so easy, especially given all the platoons Oakland tends to use.

9. L.A. Angels

at LAD (2) - Maeda (R), Kershaw (L)
vs. LAD (2) - Stripling (R), Kazmir (L)
vs. BAL (3) - M. Wright (R), Gausman (R), T. Wilson (R)

Michael Bolsinger could come off the DL and bump Ross Stripling from the rotation, but that doesn't move the needle at all on the Angels' ranking. No DH in Chavez Ravine should cost C.J. Cron some at-bats, not that you could have expected much from him anyway in those two games given who he would be facing.

10. Atlanta

at PIT (4) - Niese (L), Nicasio (R), Liriano (L), Locke (L)
at PHI (3) - Nola (R), Morgan (L), Eickhoff (R)

Note that if I ignored the number of games played, the Red Sox, Mariners and Cubs would all rank ahead of the Angels and Braves this week. Four southpaws on the slate makes Tyler Flowers worth a look over A.J. Pierzynski, and probably means you can leave Kelly Johnson on your bench.

6 GAMES

11. Boston

at KC (3) - Ventura (R), Kennedy (R), Volquez (R)
vs. CLE (3) - Bauer (R), Cody Anderson (R), Salazar (R)

The best of the six-game slates sees Boston face a mixed bag of right-handed hurlers, which makes Chris Young safely ignorable and probably means Jackie Bradley will continue hitting the snot out of the ball.

12. Seattle

at BAL (3) - T. Wilson (R), Jimenez (R), Tillman (R)
at CIN (3) - Straily (R), J. Lamb (L), Simon (R)

Six games on the road (and I'm gonna make it home tonight) with only one pitcher who seems remotely dangerous (Chris Tillman) should mean good times for the M's hitters. No DH in Cinci is probably going to cost Seth Smith more at-bats than Nelson Cruz, though.

13. Chicago Cubs

at MIL (3) - Chase Anderson (R), Nelson (R), J. Guerra (R)
at SF (3) - Peavy (R), M. Cain (R), Bumgarner (L)

As if the Cubs' hitters needed any help right now. Madison Bumgarner aside, that is a very friendly slate of pitchers who are prone to helpfully serving up gopher balls.

14. Baltimore

vs. SEA (3) - Miley (L), T. Walker (R), Karns (R)
at LAA (3) - Santiago (L), Shoemaker (R), Weaver (R)

If only the O's were facing those terrible Angels pitchers in Camden Yards. Ah, well, maybe next time. Pedro Alvarez could be worth using in deeper leagues, as he's been getting a few more at-bats lately, primarily at Nolan Reimold's expense.

15. St. Louis

vs. COL (3) - Rusin (L), Bettis (R), J. Gray (R)
vs. ARI (3) - Corbin (L), R. De La Rosa (R), Ray (L)

This is one of the rare occasions when a team's hitters would probably prefer to be heading out for a long road trip instead of getting a homestand. Three lefties and three righties could make the first base picture an even bigger mess than usual, so you may wan to avoid Matt Adams and Brandon Moss entirely if possible. Also note that the biggest gap in the rankings this week was between the Orioles and Cardinals, for what that's worth.

16. Detroit

vs. MIN (3) - Berrios (R), Hughes (R), Nolasco (R)
vs. TB (3) - Andriese (R), M. Moore (L), Smyly (L)

The Tigers get a solid home slate here, and the four less-than-stellar right-handers could make Steven Moya worth a look in deeper formats.

17. Tampa Bay

at TOR (3) - Happ (L), Stroman (R), Dickey (R)
at DET (3) - Anibal Sanchez (R), M. Fulmer (R), Zimmermann (R)

The Rays luckily face R.A. Dickey in the final game of the series against the Jays and right before a day off, so no knuckleball hangover effect for them. If you're stubbornly waiting for Logan Morrison to do something, this is as good a spot to use him in as any. Brad Miller, who has emerged from his slump the last couple of weeks, is a much stronger play against the righty-heavy slate.

18. Philadelphia

vs. MIA (3) - Conley (L), Chen (L), Koehler (R)
vs. ATL (3) - Wisler (R), W. Perez (R), Blair (R)

If you've been waiting for the Phillies, the Bernie Sanderses of baseball, to fall back to earth you might need to stay patient. A homestand against the non-elite portion of the NL East should allow them to keep right on winning, even if in the long run everybody knows it won't mean anything. The two early lefties should give Tommy Joseph a quick chance to earn his keep.

19. Houston

at CHW (3) - Rodon (L), Latos (R), Sale (L)
vs. TEX (3) - C. Lewis (R), C. Ramos (L), D. Holland (L)

It's possible Yu Darvish returns to take Cesar Ramos' rotation spot for this series, but the current timetable has him coming off the DL the following week instead. Five lefties does make Jake Marisnick at interesting deep-league play, though, and gives Tyler White an excellent opportunity to right the ship.

20. Kansas City

vs. BOS (3) - Porcello (R), Price (L), S. Wright (R)
at CHW (3) - Quintana (L), M. Gonzalez (R), Rodon (L)

Like the Rays, the Royals fortunately get a day off to reset their timing after facing a knuckleball pitcher. The even lefty-righty split could turn right field into a full platoon between Jarrod Dyson and Paulo Orlando, as the former's been struggling.

21. Texas

at OAK (3) - Manaea (L), Surkamp (L), Hill (L)
at HOU (3) - McCullers (R), McHugh (R), Keuchel (L)

The reigning AL Cy Young winner should really change his name to Dallas McKeuchel, just for consistency's sake. Also, McKeuchel sounds like a forgotten 70s cop show. Hand in your badge, McKeuchel! Wait, what was I talking about? Oh, right. The lefty-heavy slate does Prince Fielder no favors when it comes to escaping his slump, and might cost Nomar Mazara a few at-bats too.

22. Arizona

vs. NYY (3) - Pineda (R), Eovaldi (R), Undecided
at STL (3) - C. Martinez (R), Leake (R), J. Garcia (L)

Luis Severino's injury leaves a hole in the Yankees' rotation that they haven't yet determined how they'll fill. Could be Chad Green, could be a different callup, could be a bullpen day. Whoever it is will probably be right-handed, though, so Brandon Drury could lose some playing time assuming David Peralta is healthy.

23. N.Y. Mets

vs. WAS (3) - Scherzer (R), G. Gonzalez (L), Strasburg (R)
vs. MIL (3) - W. Peralta (R), Z. Davies (R), Chase Anderson (R)

The Nationals' series features both Max Scherzer-Noah Syndergaard and Stephen Strasburg-Matt Harvey matchups, so get your popcorn ready. The Brewers' series, well, doesn't. The righty-heavy slate makes Lucas Duda worth a look in shallow formats where he might be on the active roster bubble.

24. Washington

at NYM (3) - Syndergaard (R), Colon (R), Harvey (R)
at MIA (3) - Nicolino (L), J. Fernandez (R), Conley (L)

That's a fearsome array of pitching talent headed to the bump against the Nats this week. Heading into Saturday they have a one-game lead on the Mets in the NL East, so the series should be as close to a playoff atmosphere as you can get in mid-May. It'll also make people wonder why Trea Turner is still in Triple-A every time Danny Espinosa or Stephen Drew snuffs out a rally at the plate.

25. Miami

at PHI (3) - Eickhoff (R), Velasquez (R), Hellickson (R)
vs. WAS (3) - Roark (R), J. Ross (R), Scherzer (R)

This is a surprisingly stingy group of pitchers. Six games against right-handers should make Derek Dietrich and Justin Bour solid plays, though, while burying Chris Johnson on the bench.

26. Chicago White Sox

vs. HOU (3) - Keuchel (L), Fister (R), Fiers (R)
vs. KC (3) - Gee (R), Ventura (R), Kennedy (R)

If the White Sox could actually score runs at home, this would be a very appealing slate. The righty-heavy sked could make Alex Avila worth a look if you need catching help.

27. San Francisco

at SD (3) - Rea (R), Pomeranz (L), Shields (R)
vs. CHC (3) - Arrieta (R), Lester (L), Hendricks (R)

James Shields is arguably the worst pitcher the Giants face this period, which helps explain their low ranking.

28. Colorado

at STL (3) - J. Garcia (L), Wainwright (R), Wacha (R)
at PIT (3) - G. Cole (R), Niese (L), Nicasio (R)

The Rockies' offense has been amazingly productive on the road so far, which is a good thing because they've played fewer home games than almost anyone. Better times, and better rankings, are ahead for Colorado hitters.

29. Milwaukee

vs. CHC (3) - Hendricks (R), Lackey (R), Hammel (R)
at NYM (3) - Matz (L), deGrom (R), Syndergaard (R)

The Brewers duck the Cubs' two aces, but even so this is still a very tough row to hoe. The righty-heavy slate should help welcome Scooter Gennett back into the lineup.

30. San Diego

vs. SF (3) - Bumgarner (L), Cueto (R), Samardzija (R)
vs. LAD (3) - A. Wood (L), Maeda (R), Kershaw (L)

Jinkies! Well, at least the Padres get to face Alex Wood. (That is, assuming he doesn't lose his spot to Michael Bolsinger.) The even lefty-righty split likely turns third base into a pure platoon between Brett Wallace and Adam Rosales, making them both tough to roster even if deep formats.