Whether you're in need of an injury fill-in or just a hot-hand play, Scott White has you covered with 10 sleeper hitters for the upcoming scoring period, all rostered in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues. They're not must-starts by any estimation, but they're the best you'll find off the waiver wire.
- Week 7: Sleeper pitchers | Two-start pitchers
All information is up to date as of Sunday evening.
Sleeper hitters for Week 7 (May 6-12)
Mostly, this is just an excuse to hype up a player who has not only lived up to his power projection so far but has also demonstrated surprisingly good contact skills, particularly when swinging at pitches in the zone. It's hard to imagine pitchers like Roddy Munoz, Ryan Weathers, Michael King and Matt Waldron slowing Andy Pages down.
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The Rangers have far and away the best matchups this week, facing the Athletics pitching staff for four games before traveling to Colorado for three. Nate Lowe is one of the few hitters in that lineup who you could potentially pick up, and he's looked pretty good since coming back from an oblique injury.
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I'm surprised Jorge Soler's roster rate has slipped such that I can recommend him here, but now is a good time to take advantage with the Giants traveling to Coors Field in a seven-game week. He's off to a slow start, but his high-end exit velocity readings suggest that the power hasn't gone anywhere. (He did miss Sunday's game with a shoulder injury that sounds minor, but maybe check the Giants lineup before he locks in Monday afternoon.)
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The Angels' matchups are decent enough, with Cole Ragans being the one high-end pitcher on tap for their seven games, which allows us to continue hoping for the best with Jo Adell. His strikeout rate has ticked up a bit recently, but his power and speed contributions are plenty enticing.
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Ty France's work with Driveline Baseball this offseason is definitely showing up on his Statcast page, but it hasn't translated to the box score yet. The Mariners' matchups this week -- the fourth-best, in my estimation -- could be the remedy.
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Lars Nootbaar has struggled to get going since his return from a fractured rib, but his plate discipline and exit velocity readings have been as good as ever. He's poised to break out in a week when the Cardinals have the third-best hitter matchups.
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Nolan Gorman has run hot and cold throughout his major-league career and is due for a power binge soon. The Mets and Brewers are basically rolling out the red carpet with pitchers like Jose Quintana, Tobias Myers, Bryse Wilson and Colin Rea.
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The Rockies' first full week of "home" games actually included a series in Mexico City, but they'll play all six of their games this week at Coors Field, where Brenton Doyle has been their most productive hitter with a .353 batting average and .949 OPS.
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Richard Palacios has been a quality performer for the Rays so far, reaching base at a .421 clip with a combined eight home runs and stolen bases, but it's been overshadowed in part because he sits against lefties. The Rays have only one lefty on the schedule this week, and some of the righties include Mike Clevinger, Michael Soroka, Chris Flexen and Clarke Schmidt.
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Tommy Pham has come up from the minors swinging a hot bat for a team that could desperately use him, and he should be able to take advantage of pitchers like Tyler Alexander, Ben Lively, Carlos Carrasco and Logan Allen in a seven-game slate.
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Best hitter matchups for Week 7
1. Rangers @OAK4, @COL3
2. Royals MIL3, @LAA4
3. Cardinals NYM3, @MIL4
4. Mariners @MIN4, OAK3
5. Pirates LAA3, CHC3
Worst hitter matchups for Week 7
1. Blue Jays @PHI2, MIN3
2. Nationals BAL2, @BOS3
3. Marlins @LAD3, PHI3
4. Cubs SD3, @PIT3
5. Braves BOS2, @NYM3
