The traditional first half of the baseball season reaches its conclusion this weekend, and the All-Star Game festivities in Seattle begin Friday, including the All-Star Futures Game on Saturday and MLB draft on Sunday (those being of particular interest to those of us in dynasty and keeper leagues). But for us redraft and contending-this-season fantasy managers, we want the scoop on what's happening with the regular-season games this weekend!
That's where our analysts, Tristan H. Cockcroft and Eric Karabell, have the goods.
Cockcroft: Baseball's a-changin', and while I know that, at least in the past, this was a weird weekend on the pitching front, with rotations shuffling and starting pitchers working in relief on the Saturday or Sunday to get in their reps (remember, it's four days of rest immediately afterward, or a full rotation turn), I doubt it'll be the case this year. More recently, we've seen the pre-break weekend present an opportunity for teams to rest tired, injured and/or struggling arms -- hello, Cristian Javier -- and I think that's the new normal. I can't entirely trust the projected rotations, as the team-listed probable starters for Friday through Sunday, as of Thursday at 9 a.m. ET, cover only 43 of the 88 assignments, reflecting this uncertainty.
This seems like a good weekend to take bulk pitchers, at least in larger-than-standard leagues, including otherwise-outrageous choices like Drey Jameson (Diamondbacks host the Pirates), Sean Manaea (Giants host the Rockies) and Nick Pivetta (Red Sox host the A's). If they don't start, at least each should sneak in three decent innings. Heck, even supreme 2023 disappointment Alek Manoah isn't a completely absurd streamer, facing the weak-against-righties Tigers after having delivered a much better outing for Double-A New Hampshire in his second minor league turn than his first -- though, to be clear, he's a major dice roll if you use him.
Karabell: Yeah, I am definitely looking forward to this weekend, not only to see how Alek Manoah fares -- I would add him but not activate him -- but also because there are several series matching top teams, and I want to see which teams make the statement. The Braves versus the Rays should provide us with a bit more clarity on which team deserves the No. 1 Power Rankings spot heading into the break. The Braves cannot stop hitting. The Rays have sputtered lately. In addition, the streaking Phillies head to Miami, and you know the Marlins want to make a point. The first-place Reds take on the second-place Brewers, and if we had to name the four most disappointing teams this season, we might say the Mets, Padres, Cardinals and White Sox. Naturally, those teams meet up this weekend (Mets-Pads, Cards-Sox).
Friday night is also the expected Yankees debut for expensive LHP Carlos Rodon, who probably will not get to throw more than 75 pitches or so against the Cubs. As with Manoah, but for vastly different reasons, I would act with caution in fantasy. I'm looking to get my teams through the weekend and then, with the days off next week, do deeper dives into team needs and potential trades. I love baseball, but I also look forward to these days where things do not change every day. It's a break for all of us, too.
Cockcroft: Rodon is high on my watch list, too (not that I wouldn't be watching that Yankees game anyway). I agree on the "tune-up" leaning of that assignment, and I do think it's pretty likely he's going to end up having to pitch at Colorado's Coors Field right after the break, but I look ahead at the Yankees' second-half schedule and see many pockets of soft matchups. He's one of the most important pitchers to track this weekend, albeit probably from your bench (though the Cubs are a slightly-better-than-league-average matchup for a lefty starter).
I'd consider this an important weekend for some cooling-off teams to round out their first halves on a strong note, rather than sputtering into the break. The Diamondbacks have lost three in a row and seven of 11, scoring three runs or fewer in five of seven, to see their National League West lead shrink to 1½ games. They could use a strong showing against the 8-19 since June 6 Pirates, whose rotation seems to be falling apart (and causing David Bednar's managers much frustration). Here's hoping rookie standout -- and genuine MVP candidate -- Corbin Carroll can finish strong, rather than perhaps getting a hint of rest after a recent shoulder scare.
Meanwhile, the Giants, just 5-8 following their 10-game June winning streak, have the opportunity to rebound against a bad Rockies team -- though, for fantasy managers, the bad news for your Giants hitters is that it's not at Coors. For your streaming/matchups purposes, the Rockies are set to pitch two lefty starters -- and they don't really have many alternatives to stray from that schedule -- and have amassed the second-most pitches thrown by lefties among NL teams this year, so that's good news for guys like Patrick Bailey, J.D. Davis and Austin Slater.
Karabell: Well, it's not all about the big league players! For those interested in the younger baseball players, this is also a fun weekend because we get the Futures Game on Saturday night, featuring some of the top prospects still in the minor leagues such as Orioles SS Jackson Holliday and Brewers OF Jackson Chourio, and then on Sunday night it's the annual amateur draft, as we find out where the top LSU players -- and many more -- end up. Baseball isn't like football or basketball, as there is rarely an immediate statistical provider, but still, it is fun to see the next generation of stars. For dynasty league managers, this is a critical weekend to scout and prioritize players to invest in.
Cockcroft: Immediate, no, but I consider the Futures Game (not to mention the Arizona Fall League) a good scouting opportunity for next season. Consider: Both Rookie of the Year favorites, Carroll and Gunnar Henderson, were in last year's game, as was Elly De La Cruz. Just to throw three names of particular interest, the Giants' Kyle Harrison, who was handed an extremely strict workload until only recently, could factor in the second half if the team remains in contention. James Wood could be part of a Nationals youth movement -- one that might not quite reach 2023-Reds levels, but should be a significant one nevertheless -- beginning next year. And the Pirates' Endy Rodriguez, who struggled for Triple-A Indianapolis early resulting in Henry Davis jumping ahead of him to the majors, has seemed to pick up the pace offensively of late and remains one of the most fantasy-relevant catching prospects with an approaching MLB debut.
Final scheduling note: If you're reliant upon Angels -- at least the ones who have fortunately avoided recent injury -- or Dodgers, be aware that, in an unusual scheduling twist, they're off Sunday.