Welcome to the 2019 Fantasy Baseball Week 10 Pitching Planner. We have entered the double-digit week mark of the 2019 MLB season. Did you know that only the MLB and MLS start and finish their seasons in the same calendar year? It is a long season, filled with ups and downs, so it is important to keep your patience with players. I can’t tell you how many times I have dropped someone who’s slump wasn’t supported by poor performance, only to recover to Fantasy stardom (on someone else’s team). Keep your cool … remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint!
For the most part across the league, the standings have stood.
The NL Central has the hot-hitting Chicago Cubs on top by one game, after losing five of seven. The New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins are both 8-2 in their last 10 and both have a winning percentage over .650 on the season. The Tampa Bay Rays have the longest winning streak at the moment at five in a row.
The Miami Marlins, Kansas City Royals, and the Baltimore Orioles still haven’t reached the 20 win mark for the season yet. Though the San Francisco Giants have the longest losing streak at the moment, dropping their last seven games and haven’t scored more than four runs in their last 10 games.
I’d like to focus on strikeouts for a second. Let’s look at a few notable K/9 pitching performances so far this year:
- Caleb Smith, Miami Marlins – 11.6
- Charlie Morton, Tampa Bay Rays – 11.5
- Matthew Boyd, Detroit Tigers – 10.9
- Luis Castillo, Cincinnati Reds – 10.6
- Brandon Woodruff, Milwaukee Brewers – 10.5
- Lucas Giolito, Chicago White Sox – 10.3
The MLB leader in K/9 at the moment for 2019 is Gerrit Cole, at 14.1. The names listed above are some guys that might not be owned in every league. A pitcher’s ability to go deep into games AND have the ability to miss bats is valuable in Fantasy. I like each of these names mentioned above and every one of them has shown streaks of being a top 20 starter this year.
Golden Rosin Bag Award
Lucas Giolito and Brandon Woodruff have put together top Fantasy starts over the past two weeks. Giolito has walked just four batters over his last four starts while striking out 31 batters over that span. Brandon Woodruff has allowed just four earned runs while striking out 30 batters over his last four starts. Very impressive stuff from guys that might not have been drafted to start the season.
Let’s get to the 2019 Fantasy Baseball Week 10 Pitching Planner.
2019 Fantasy Baseball Week 10 Pitching Planner
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Two-Start Pitchers Week 10
| Pitcher | Start One | Start Two |
|---|---|---|
| Blake Snell, TB | @ DET | @ BOS |
| Walker Buehler, LAD | @ ARI | @ SF |
| Chris Sale, BOS | @ KC | vs TB |
| Aaron Nola, PHL | @ SD | vs CIN |
| Madison Bumgarner, SF | @ NYM | vs LAD |
| Noah Syndergaard, NYM | vs SF | vs COL |
| Mike Minor, TEX | vs BAL | vs OAK |
| Max Fried, ATL | @ PIT | @ MIA |
| Frankie Montas, OAK | @ LAA | @ TEX |
| Shane Bieber, CLE | vs MIN | vs NYY |
| Jordan Lyles, PIT | vs ATL | @ MIL |
| Kyle Hendricks, CHC | vs LAA | vs STL |
| Sonny Gray, CIN | @ STL | @ PHL |
| Wade Miley, HOU | @ SEA | vs BAL |
| Zach Davies, MIL | vs MIA | vs PIT |
| Yusei Kikuchi, SEA | vs HOU | @ LAA |
| James Paxton, NYY | @ TOR | @ CLE |
| Griffin Canning, LAA | @ CHC | vs SEA |
| Corbin Martin, HOU | @ SEA | vs BAL |
| Eric Lauer, SD | vs PHL | vs WAS |
| Dylan Bundy, BAL | @ TEX | @ HOU |
| Jake Junis, KC | vs BOS | vs CHW |
| Chris Paddack, SD | vs PHL | vs WAS |
| Robbie Ray, ARI | vs LAD | @ TOR |
| Martin Perez, MIN | @ CLE | @ DET |
| Jon Lester, CHC | vs LAA | vs STL |
| Ryan Weber, BOS | @ KC | vs TB |
| Wade LeBlanc, SEA | vs HOU | @ LAA |
| Genesis Cabrera, STL | vs CIN | @ CHC |
| Drew Smyly, TEX | vs BAL | vs OAK |
| Jeff Hoffman, COL | @ CHC | @ NYM |
| Clayton Richard, TOR | vs NYY | vs ARI |
| Ryan Carpenter, DET | vs TB | vs MIN |
| Trevor Cahill, LAA | @ CHC | vs SEA |
| Kyle Freeland, COL | @CHC | @ NYM |
| Pablo Lopez, MIA | @ MIL | vs ATL |
A lot of big names on this list this week. I am starting my top tier guys in these matchups.
Two pitchers I like a lot this week on this list are Mike Minor and Corbin Martin. Mike Minor has done a great job so far and takes on Baltimore and Oakland, both at home. I look for him to have two quality starts this week.
Corbin Martin is a bit of a flyer, but the Astros have been tearing the cover off the ball. Run support alone should fester up a win, but @ SEA and vs BAL is a juicy duo of matchups for the week ahead.
Pitchers to Target Week 10
This week I am going to take a look at a few new options with two starts this week. Some are a-bit-of-a-stretch options, but intriguing nonetheless:
Griffin Canning, Los Angeles Angels
Still owned in less than 40% of Yahoo! Leagues, his two matchups are @ CHC and vs SEA. Don’t let Wrigley Field fool you this year, it hasn’t been dangerous for pitchers as some might think. Canning has been great this year and ranks tops in the league in swinging strike rate (15.1%) and 34 Ks in just over 32 innings of work. I’d add, start, and repeat.
Eric Lauer, San Diego Padres
Two home starts this week against two NL East opponents. While this is a bit of a reach, he has only given up one earned run in each of his last three starts. His ERA is under three at home and his team has been hitting lately. I’m interested.
Devin Smeltzer, Minnesota Twins
He’s not the most overpowering lefty the Twins have ever had, but he seems to get the job done. Last time out against the Brewers he allowed three baserunners, striking out seven in six innings of work. He is slated to face Cleveland and Detroit on the road next week, though that could change. Still, I like what I have seen so far and he’s worth a flyer on a good team in a poor division.
Danny Duffy, Kansas City Royals
The only guy on this list without two starts this week. He is slated to take on the White Sox in Week 10 and has done pretty well for himself lately. In his last two starts (against the Yankees and Angels) he gave up a total of two earned runs in 12 innings pitched. I’m starting.
Pitchers to Avoid Week 10
Caleb Smith, Miami Marlins
Slated to take on Milwaukee on the road. Now, I really feel that Caleb is a great pitcher. His last time out, however, Washington lit him up for five earned in three innings of work. He is about to make his fourth road start in a row in Week 10, and I’m leaving him on the bench for it.
Shane Bieber, Cleveland Indians
This section of the article is always the toughest. I know Bieber is a great pitcher and has proved it time and time again. However, he was just BOMB-boozeled by the Red Sox at Fenway and is slated to take on the Twins and Yankees. These two division leaders pose powerful bats up and down the order, and I’m looking elsewhere for better options.
Chris Archer, Pittsburgh Pirates
What has gotten into Archer? Did he become Italian?!?… Because all he can do is throw meatballs. I brought his name up last week, and he has yet to prove anything to me that says he should be started. He will take on the Braves in his next start and I will keep him on the pine for that one.
Frankie Montas, Oakland Athletics
This was another tough call for me to make. Montas faces the Angels and Rangers, both on the road. His divisional performance on the mound, especially recently, hasn’t been stellar. I’d look for better options if I have them.
A Little Relief…
My highlight reliever this week is Sergio Romo of the Miami Marlins. Over the past 14 days, he has a league-leading five saves+holds and has both RP/SP eligibility. He represents another sneaky way to add extra stats to your pitching lineups!
Follow me @LuftCT
Want to see where these players rank at their position for the rest of the season? Take a look at the latest updated version of the 2019 Fantasy Baseball Rest of Season Rankings
