Sleeper hitters for Week 4 (April 13-19)
TJ Rumfield claims a spot atop this list for a second straight week with the Rockies once again having no left-handers on the schedule. He's been an on-base machine in the early going, regardless of whether the Rockies have been at home or away, but the three games at Coors Field couldn't hurt.
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Among hitters, Cam Smith has been one of the biggest early-season risers with his improved bat speed and increased willingness to run. The Astros have the most favorable hitter matchups this week, and if you look at the names in the Rockies and Cardinals rotations, you'll understand why.
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Ryan O'Hearn is getting a chance to play every day for the Pirates and has made the most of it so far, entering the weekend with a .350/.449/.625 slash line. The Pirates have the second-best hitter matchups this week, going against pitchers like Cade Cavalli, Miles Mikolas, Jake Irvin, Foster Griffin, and Nick Martinez.
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Willson Contreras, of course, has a long history of Fantasy usefulness, and he's been hot since the calendar flipped to April, batting .348 (8 for 23) with two homers and as many walks (seven) as strikeouts. The Red Sox's matchup aren't among the most favorable with Tarik Skubal on the slate, but the Contreras' week opens against Bailey Ober, Mick Abel, Simeon Woods Richardson, and Casey Mize.
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Owen Caissie has been throttling the ball so far, just as the scouting reports said he would, but the Marlins have been sitting him against left-handers with regularity. That's not a problem this week with only one such pitcher on the schedule, and the righties, apart from Brandon Woodruff (maybe), aren't anything to fear.
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Though his plate discipline is still a disaster, Max Muncy has hit safely in all but two games so far this season, and his fast-swing rate is up 16 percentage points from a year ago. Those are reasons enough to roll the dice in a seven-game week with the White Sox pitching staff on the schedule.
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Spencer Torkelson has been dropped in enough leagues to qualify for this list, which obligates me to list him here since I think he'll be better in the long run than most of the hitters you could find on the waiver wire. His matchups aren't even favorable, but he is at least scheduled to face four left-handers, against whom he had an .884 OPS last year.
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Like TJ Rumfield, Troy Johnston stands to benefit from the Rockies' full slate of right-handed pitchers, and he's actually been the hotter of the two since the calendar flipped to April, batting .323 (10 for 31) with a homer and three doubles. He doesn't have as much job security as Rumfield and likely won't be as valuable in the long run, but he's hot enough to deserve your consideration this week.
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Miguel Vargas has cooled off from his hot start, but his average bat speed is up a couple miles per hour from a year ago and he's showing more of a willingness to run. With the White Sox having the fourth-best hitter matchups (and they would be higher if they were scheduled for more than six games), he makes for a reasonable spot starter at either first or third base.
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Brett Baty has actually been playing less than Mark Vientos in the early going, which is disappointing, but he still generally starts against right-handed pitching, is impacting the ball as well as he did last year, and could be in line for more regular playing time with Jorge Polanco (Achilles tendinitis) likely headed to the IL. The Mets are scheduled to face only one lefty this week.
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