2017 Fantasy Baseball Weekly Planner: Week 1

Over the past few days, I’ve definitely noticed a certain aroma in the air, sunlight persisting into the latter parts of the evening and temperatures steadily rising at my suburban residence in the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia. Baseball, my friends, is most definitely back.

Sure, we seamheads enjoyed the appetizer that was the World Baseball Classic, but now it’s time for the six-month main course. Speaking of food, do not take up residence on the couch for Sunday’s pitching-loaded, three-game slate without a proper spread. Personally, I’ll be working with my favorite ballpark combo of Hot Dogs - mustard and onions only, Cracker Jacks and a stout brew.

An Opening Sunday matchup that I will definitely not be missing is the one at Tampa Bay. Chris Archer and Masahiro Tanaka are two hurlers that I suggested for seasonal leagues to anyone who would listen these past couple months, as I have incredibly high expectations for both.

Conversely, I know when most see names like Madison Bumgarner and Zack Greinke the initial thought is pitcher’s duel. I’d caution against that inclination for Sunday afternoon’s tilt between the Giants and Diamondbacks at Arizona’s Chase Field, which ranked as the league’s second-best hitting environment in 2016 according to ESPN’s Park Factors.

Beyond Sunday, a week chock full of action awaits, so without further adieu, let’s take a look at what is on tap for the first seven days of the 2017 MLB season.

Games Played This Week

Analysis (Noteworthy information to keep in mind headed into the week)

• 11-of-30 teams will play seven games this week. Of those 11, the Rays, Brewers, Diamondbacks and Astros will play exclusively in their respective home parks. The Diamondbacks posted a .794 OPS and averaged 5.1 runs per game at home during 2016. Cold-blooded snakes enjoy the heat, and temps in Arizona are expected to approach the low-90s by the upcoming weekend. Dial up the D’backs’ bats and be cautious with pitchers visiting Chase Field.
• On the flip side, Tampa Bay’s Tropicana Field plays to the liking of most pitchers. As you will notice with my SP Rankings below, I like the Rays’ hurlers quite a bit this week. As a staff, they worked to a 3.80 ERA at home as opposed to a 4.62 mark on the road.
• Be sure to take note of the Orioles small, five-game schedule, particularly if you play in formats that feature Weekly moves as opposed to daily.

Interleague Play

Analysis

• Only two slaps to the faces of baseball purists during the upcoming week, and only one inside a Senior Circuit venue. Can we refer to Chase Field, at the youthful age of 19, as part of the Senior Circuit? Nevertheless, the Indians will hit the road to Arizona for a three-game set beginning Friday evening. Investors in Edwin Encarnacion and Carlos Santana should pay close attention to how Manager Terry Francona deals with his lineup for this series since he will obviously be without a DH spot.

Two-Start Pitchers

Analysis

Naturally, the first week of the MLB season is absolutely loaded with two-start pitchers. Instead of bombarding you with more names than you likely care consider, I’ve capped the rankings for this category to my Top-30.

• Mets’ ace Noah Syndergaard is my No. 1 SP for the first week of the 2017 season, as he will head to his home mound for a couple of showdowns with N.L. East foes. The rocket-armed righty edges out the best pound-for-pound pitcher in the game this time around, as Clayton Kershaw will make one of his two start in the offensive factory known as Coors Field. Thor was beat up a bit in his only start opposite the Braves last season, but he absolutely dominated the Marlins, surrendering only four runs on 18 hits and two walks while punching out 29 across 20.0 innings.
• I am expecting a fantastic season from 2014 A.L. Cy Young award winner Corey Kluber, but he is drawing a pair of tough assignments out of the gate. I have already mentioned how well the Diamondbacks hit at home in Chase Field, and it is pretty much the same story regarding the Rangers. Jeff Banister’s bunch slugged .453 while plating better than 5.2 runs per game at home in Arlington last year.
• Let’s go back to the Tampa Bay pitching staff one last time, as I was tempted to place Jake Odorizzi even higher than 19th among those in line for two starts this week. Perhaps no other Rays’ arm demonstrates my point about the staff’s ability to pitch at The Trop than the 27-year-old right-hander. Odorizzi sports a strong 3.11 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 8.6 K/9 across 292.2 career innings in Tampa. On top of that, he owned this week’s challengers in 2016, posting a 2.29 ERA and 2.40 ERA against the Yankees and Blue Jays respectively. By the way, can we go ahead and get this guy his long-overdue endorsement deal with Odor-Eaters.

One-Start Pitchers

Analysis

• I believe Chris Sale, coming off of five straight All-Star selections from the South Side of Chicago, will deliver big while modeling his new colorful socks on the mound at Fenway this upcoming Wednesday. The Pirates whiffed in 23.1 percent of their plate appearances opposite southpaws during 2016, and aside from Kershaw, perhaps no other lefty in the game is as regularly dominant as Sale.
• Rays’ pitchers are not the only ones that enjoy going to work at pitcher-friendly Tropicana Field. Marcus Stroman, not far removed from his stellar performance in the WBC finals opposite a Puerto Rico squad that featured several big-league stars, has also enjoyed past trips to the Florida coastline. Over four career starts in Tampa Bay, Stroman has gone 3-1 with a 2.89 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 21-to-6 K/BB ratio across 28.0 innings.
• Trying to upstage Sale in his Boston debut will be Pirates’ youngster Jameson Taillon. Over 18 starts last year, Taillon more than proved that he belongs at the show. I’m personally higher on him for 2017 than this week’s ranking may suggest, but that has more to do with being the visiting starter on Opening Day at Fenway than it does about my long-term outlook.