Sleeper hitters for Week 22 (Aug. 17-23)
Rarely have the Rockies gotten a full week at their hitter-friendly home, but that's the case in Week 22, which should be good news for all of their hitters. Unfortunately, the four lefties on tap ruin it for some, but not Cole Carrigg, who's so far batting .354 at Coors Field and .329 against lefties.
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After a miserable first three months, Steven Kwan has come around and then some since the start of July, batting .377 (49 for 130) in 37 games. The Guardians' top-ranked hitter schedule, which includes three games at Coors Field, makes him an easy call in all formats this week.
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Chandler Simpson has begun to hit like he did in the minors, batting .386 (66 for 171) over his past 45 games. There's no power, of course, but as long as your league doesn't cheapen the value of steals (he has 21 during this 45-game stretch), he's a must right now.
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Like Cole Carrigg, Willi Castro is a switch-hitter, so this week's lefty surplus isn't a problem for him. Of greater import is that he'll be playing all six of his games at a venue where he's batting .311 with an .840 OPS, and he's also been hot in general, batting .293 (17 for 58) with four homers and a steal in his past 16 games.
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Josh Bell is having a solid year overall for the Twins -- the kind that's deserving of better than a 39 percent roster rate -- and has been particularly productive in August, batting .333 (17 for 51) with three home runs. The Twins' matchups this week aren't especially good or bad, so you should consider Bell to be more of a hot-hand play.
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Zack Gelof has come back from a month-long absence for a knee laceration performing just as well as he did before it, going 7 for 23 (.304) with three homers and a double. The power/speed combo from a triple-eligible player is particularly handy, and the Athletics do have some pretty nice matchups this week with seven games against the Royals and Astros pitching staffs. Then again, all seven of their games on the road, which doesn't favor Gelof, knocking him down a few spots on this list.
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Abimelec Ortiz is the player the Nationals called up to replace Luis Garcia at first base, and there's no denying the 24-year-old's power. He homered 18 times in 85 games at Triple-A this year and is already up to five in 15 games in the majors. His biggest issue is that he doesn't play against lefties and shouldn't, judging by his minor league splits, but the Nationals don't have a single one of those on the schedule this week.
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The Diamondbacks' schedule this week is a lefty masher's dream, featuring five such pitchers over a six-game slate. Rookie Ryan Waldschmidt is batting about 35 points higher against lefties than righties (.300 vs .266) and overall has performed much better since returning from the minors in mid-July, batting .299 (23 for 77) with two homers.
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Angel Martinez has been working his way back into everyday duty since returning from a fractured foot, and his performance so far in August certainly helps his cause. He's batting .33 (14 for 42) with a homer and five doubles in 13 games. He's playable at second base and outfield in Fantasy and is worth a look with such a favorable hitter slate this week, which includes a series at Coors Field.
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Jake Burger has a tendency to run hot and cold, which is why it's particularly noteworthy that he just had a big series at the Athletics, going 5 for 10 with two homers and a double. The Rangers' matchups are pretty favorable this week, including vulnerable pitchers like Jackson Kent, Andrew Alvarez, Ryan Johnson and George Klassen.
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