Kyle Lewis ... what a start for him, huh?
The guy hits just 11 homers at Triple-A, striking out a whopping 152 times in 457 at-bats, and now not a day goes by without him doing something big. For prospects with pedigree — and he was once the 11th overall pick in the draft —that's sometimes the way it goes. Whether it's because they're seeing more strikes or are simply more focused, the breakout comes after they've reach the highest level.
Of course, it's too early to say whether he's a for-sure example of that, but if you're looking to fill a lineup spot with your season on the line, how do you pass up a hot-hand play like him?
Well, he is among my top 10 sleeper hitters for Week 26 (Sept. 16-22), all rostered in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues, but you might want to consider some of those I rank ahead of him first.
I'm still amazed this guy hasn't caught on in more Fantasy leagues. Even with him cooling off a little to begin September, his on-base percentage is still over .400 for the month. He's playing every day, he's hitting for power, and his matchups this week are against the Royals and Rangers. It's too easy.
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That's right: Wil Myers is back. An injury to Hunter Renfroe has opened the door for him to play every day again, and he just had an 11-game hitting streak in which he hit three home runs and stole three bases. A seven-game week against the Brewers and Diamondbacks means pitchers like Zach Davies, Gio Gonzalez, Adrian Houser, Jordan Lyles and Merrill Kelly are on the table.
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The Orioles actually have the most favorable matchups of any team this week, facing the Tigers, Blue Jays and Mariners in their seven games, and Anthony Santander has turned out to be a fairly steady performer for them, his high contact rate helping sustain him in between homers.
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Long term, he may not profile as quite the .350 hitter he's been, but between the microscopic strikeout rate, the line-drive stroke and the opposite-field tendencies, Luis Arraez's swing is perfectly tailored for batting average. He'll be piling up hits with seven games against White Sox and Royals pitchers this week, especially since six of the ones on tap are righties.
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Granted, the league could catch up to the rookie pretty quickly, especially since he showed plenty of vulnerability to the strikeout at Double-A, but it seems less likely to happen against pitchers like Mitch Keller, Steven Brault, Asher Wojciechowski and Dylan Bundy. The home runs haven't been cheap shots, so it's not like there aren't actual tools on display.
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C.J. Cron has been ice cold to begin September, but the gap between his actual numbers and expected numbers (like xBA and xwOBA) are among the biggest in baseball. Matchups against pitchers like Reynaldo Lopez, Dylan Covey, Mike Montgomery, Jake Junis, Glenn Sparkman and Jorge Lopez could go a long way toward closing that gap.
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The plan to stream Eric Thames against righties hasn't worked out well so far in Week 25 (Sept. 9-15), but it doesn't change the fact he has a near-.900 OPS against them this year. The Brewers have six more on the slate this week, and they include mashables like Ronald Bolanos, James Marvel, Trevor Williams and Mitch Keller.
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Hanser Alberto's potential for batting average isn't quite on the level of Arraez's, but he makes a ton of contact and has gotten results so far. The results against lefties are especially notable -- he's batting over .400 with an OPS near 1.000 -- and among the crop of pitchers the Orioles are facing in their best-in-baseball matchups this week, four of them throw left-handed.
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With four multi-hit games in five and three home runs during that stretch, Jason Heyward is heating up at a time that could really ingratiate him to Fantasy players. The matchups are only so-so, but he's facing nothing but righties, against whom he has hit 19 of his 21 homers to the tune of an .861 OPS.
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The direct replacement for Christian Yelich in the Brewers lineup bats left-handed, so like Thames, he's going to benefit from all the righties on the schedule. To what degree remains entirely speculative, but his enormous production in the minors this year makes him an intriguing gamble now that the door is open wide. The matchups are right if you're in a desperate spot.
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Best hitter matchups for Week 26
1. Orioles @DET1, TOR3, SEA3
2. Twins CHW3, KC4
3. Brewers SD4, PIT3
4. Padres @MIL4, ARI3
5. Tigers BAL1, @CLE3, CHW3
Worst hitter matchups for Week 26
1. Rangers @HOU2, @OAK3
2. Phillies @ATL3, @CLE3
3. Reds @CHC3, NYM3
4. Angels @NYY3, @HOU3
5. Rockies NYM3, @LAD3
