Lineup Takeaways - Week 2 Lineup Trends

April 12, 2021

Mike Kurland takes a deep look at Week 2 fantasy baseball risers and fallers based on week one lineup trends, highlighting strong and weak platoons, and players who may benefit from lineup slot.

Week two of the MLB season is in the books. There are new injuries, players landing on the COVID IL and much more that are causing lineups to alter. Let’s try to figure out what is noise and what really matters.

Just a reminder, I have added a 'Fantasy Fallout' section to the team breakdowns. This is meant to highlight lesser rostered players who may have fantasy relevance. As we get more tangible info and stats, the notes will evolve with it.

All roster percentages are based on Yahoo formats.

National League

NL East

Miami Marlins

• Against LHP to this point: Miguel Rojas leads off, Corey Dickerson sits and Garrett Cooper bats in the cleanup spot. 
• Against RHP to this point: Corey Dickerson leads off and Miguel Rojas falls. 
• Adam Duvall was the favorite (at least it appeared as such) for playing time early on against RHP but Cooper has started over him in two of the last three games against RHP.
• Garrett Cooper has also played first base and could gain eligibility there at some point in the season. He has also out performed Duvall so far as well.

Fantasy Fallout

• Garrett Cooper (3% rostered) and Miguel Rojas (6% rostered) offer different skill sets for deeper formats.
• Miguel Rojas is the safer of the two in terms of playing time. Rojas will provide batting average (has hit .304 and .285 in the last two seasons) and steals. He has already stolen two bases as the Marlins appear to be allowing for green lights on the base paths.
• Garrett Cooper on the other hand offers power upside. We know he can hit for power and if playing time continues to lean in his favor there’s deep league power potential here. 

Washington Nationals 

• Victor Robles has led off every game this year. However, we’ve yet to see a full lineup as Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber remain out. 
• Starlin Castro has played four-straight games at third base. Could gain eligibility sooner than later. 

Fantasy Fallout

• Starlin Castro is always under appreciated and will continue to hit toward the middle of a very good Nationals lineup. We should get decent RBI and some power. Gaining eligibility at third base and corner infield will help his value in the formats he’s likely to be rostered. 

Philadelphia Phillies 

• Adam Haseley has started all but two games in centerfield. 

Fantasy Fallout

• Roman Quinn has not put up a fight for playing time batting just .100/.308/.100 to start the year.
• However Haseley’s triple slash of .235/.235/.284 is still better. This is just a situation to avoid with little fantasy relevance outside of the deepest of NL-Only leagues. 

Atlanta Braves

• They continue to simply trot out the lineup they’ve showed us all Spring Training and the early part of the season.

New York Mets 

• The Mets have started against two LHP as of now and in one game, Kevin Pillar led off and Brandon Nimmo hit 8th and Dominic Smith sat. 
• The second LHP, no Kevin Pillar sighting and Nimmo returned to the leadoff spot (where he consistently hits against RHP) and Dom Smith was in as well. 
• With J.D. Davis on the IL it’s been Johnathan Villar getting most of the playing time. Having started in each of the last three games. 
• Jeff McNeil has consistently batted seventh in the lineup 

Fantasy Fallout

• Brandon Nimmo continues to lead off and has started the season hitting well. With a stolen base and a triple slash of .429/.579/.571, if you need to take a shot on upside in stolen bases or need runs, Nimmo is a great target. In OBP formats he gains a good amount of value. He is only rostered in 26% of leagues. 
• Jeff McNeil has been pretty unlucky to start the year but we know who he is by now and should expect a bounce back. It’s more worrisome he seems stuck in the sixth or seventh spot given the depth of the lineup. 

• Jonathan Villar has not done much with his opportunity and Luis Guillorme could find his way into some playing time in the near future.

NL Central

Chicago Cubs

• Ian Happ has sat against two of the three LHP the Cubs have faced.
• Joc Pederson and Jason Heyward each faced two of the three.
• It appears Jake Marisnick will play against LHP as he has started all three games against them to this point.
• Javier Baez bats fourth against LHP and sixth against RHP.
• Willson Contreras has played in six of the Cubs seven games and has not hit below second

Fantasy Fallout

• Willson Contreras batting top two is a huge boost for a catcher. He has stuck there all season so far. Not to mention it appears he will get all the playing time he can handle.
• Ian Happ, at least early on, appears to be the lefty bat who sits most often for Marisnick. We will see if this holds true.
• The thing not in Happ's favor is that Marisnick is hitting .300 with an OPS of .717 and a wRC+ of 117. This is with every hit and all his production coming off of LHP to date. This suggests at least in the short term Marisnick will continue to eat into playing time.

St. Louis Cardinals

• Tyler O'Neill has recently fallen down the lineup. Batting seventh and eighth the last two games with Dylan Carlson moving up to sixth in the last two.

Fantasy Fallout

• Dylan Carlson has had a hit in each of the last four games and two of those four hits have been home runs. Although the batting average has not come around, the power has and it is reason for optimism.
• Tyler O'Neill is doing .... well.... Tyler O'Neill things. Batting just .148 with a .208 wOBA and a 50% strikeout rate but at least he has a home run. He is someone you can likely drop to stream other hitters off the waiver wire.

Cincinnati Reds

• With Jesse Winker out, we saw a heavy dose of Tyler Naquin and he turned heads and may be fighting for playing time now. Which is exactly what we need in this outfield, more mouths to feed. (This is sarcasm).

Fantasy Fallout

• Tyler Naquin was a platoon partner in Cleveland and could find himself there again with the Reds. He is a LHH and has a career .282/.331/.465 slash line with a 108 wRC+ against RHP. Not to mention he is crushing the ball to start off 2021.

• Unfortunately for Naquin, both Jesse Winker and Nick Senzel are also hitting well and should not lose their playing time at the moment. What we might see is more frequent days off for those two in the immediate future.

Milwaukee Brewers

• Kolten Wong on the IL opens up playing time at second base and a spot at the top of the order.
• So far, Lorenzo Cain and Jackie Bradley Jr. have each had one start as the lead off man and could very well rotate in and out of it.
• Keston Hiura was moved down to the six-spot in the most recent start. Also could find himself playing second base.
• Omar Narvaez pushing up to fifth is also something to monitor.

Fantasy Fallout

• Keston Hiura has shown signs of life the last two games after starting out 0-19. The strikeouts continue to be a problem (45.8% K-rate as of now) but he has shown to be streaky and could be getting going. This would lead to a spot higher up the lineup again but until then, he could bat sixth for a while.
• JBJ is only rostered in 9% of leagues and although he is not flashy he could be a cheap source of runs if you are in need in your league. But I would still look elsewhere as he has has not looked good at the plate to start 2021.
• Anytime a catcher shows any signs of life, he should be rostered and Omar Narvaez is doing just that. With two home runs on the season to go along with five RBI and a .444 batting average, just add him and do not overthink it. 23% rostered suggests he is plenty available and if he cools off, drop him for the next catcher. Just DO NOT drop an elite catcher for him.
• For you deep NL-Only leaguers, Daniel Robertson and Jace Peterson could be getting the playing time and at-bats. Peterson being the LHH in what could be a platoon and he would have the strong side of it.

Pittsburgh Pirates

• Since Ke'Bryan Hayes hit the IL, Phillip Evans has played regularly at third base and has not hit below fifth in the lineup. Typically lining up in the middle of the lineup regularly.
• Adam Frazier is locked into the leadoff spot as he has led off all but two games so far.
• Kevin Newman has also played in almost every game as the starting shortstop and has hit top three in the last three games. Could remain there in the short term until Hayes returns.

Fantasy Fallout

• Adam Frazier (6% rostered), Phillip Evans (3% Rostered) and Kevin Newman (6% rostered) all have value in one format or another.

• The one catching my attention is Evans. He has hit a home run in three of his last five games and could be a solid source of power in the short term. However heading towards a matchup against that San Diego Padres pitching could prove troublesome.
• Adam Frazier is the long term play given the starting role we know he has and he should remain leading off more times than not.

NL West

Los Angeles Dodgers

• With Mookie Betts dealing with a back issue, we have seen Chris Taylor leading off in his absence.
• Taylor will likely remain in centerfield with Cody Bellinger hitting the IL with a left calf contusion. It does not sound serious so I would expect a return sooner than later.
• Zach McKinstry has found playing time of late but when Betts returns, that likely is the end of that.

Arizona Diamondbacks

• Ketel Marte hits the IL and Kole Calhoun returns from the IL in the process.

• Since Marte has left the lineup, Tim Locastro has entered the picture as the starting centerfielder. He has started there three straight and has led off three straight.
• Calhoun hit second for two straight since his return to the lineup.
• Nick Ahmed returned to the lineup and instead of Josh Rojas moving the second base they opted to bench him.
• Eduardo Escobar has now played five games at second base and could gain eligibilty.

Fantasy Fallout

• It appears Josh Rojas may have fallen out of favor and give how he started the year it should not surprise anyone he got squeezed.

• Tim Locastro becomes very interesting. Since starting the last three games and leading off he is 6/15 with a stolen base and three runs. If you want stolen bases and runs, Locastro seems locked into a starting job and is only 2% rostered.

San Diego Padres

• Fernando Tatis Jr. landed on the IL and they made mention of possibly having him back in by the end of the 10 days. He is already taking batting practice so maybe it is not as crazy as it seemed.

• Ha-Seong Kim has taken over at shortstop in the short term and typically hits towards the bottom of the lineup.
• Trent Grisham returned to the lineup and led off as anticipated.

Colorado Rockies

• Garrett Hampson has started seven-straight and has hit top two in the process.
• Ryan McMahon has also found himself hitting top two in the last two games as well. Although he tends to slot lower against LHP.
• Raimel Tapia has found himself falling a bit of late. Hitting sixth each of the last two games.

Fantasy Fallout

• This one is simple. If Hampson (67% rostered) or McMahon (77% rostered) are available in your leagues, try to add them.
• If Tapia is going to bat sixth, he loses a lot of appeal as leading off was one of the bigger draws to rostering him.

San Francisco Giants

• LHP or RHP, it has not mattered. We have seen Austin Slater playing more often than not. He will lead off against LHP and hit bottom third against RHP
• Tommy La Stella appears to be in a platoon but leads off against RHP.
• With La Stella back, Wilmer Flores and Donovan Solano take a bit of a hit.

American League

AL West

Baltimore Orioles

• This lineup has been steady and consistent since Opening Day.

Fantasy Fallout

• Add Cedric Mullins. Just 31% rostered and having a hot start to 2021. Not to mention he has led off every game of the year.

Boston Red Sox

• Franchy Cordero is in a strong side platoon.
• Enrique Hernandez has led off all but one game.
• We have seen a lot of Marwin Gonzalez and Christian Arroyo scattered around this lineup. Playing fairly regularly at that.

Fantasy Fallout

• Deep league AL-Only type formats are the only spots you should consider Gonzalez or Arroyo.
• Kike Hernandez has struggled to start the year. Hitting just .212/.250/.364. If he does not turn that around, we can see him move down sooner than later.

New York Yankees

• Same old, same old. A healthy Yankees lineup looks similar most days.

Tampa Bay Rays

• Yoshi Tsutsugo has led off in all but two games. He did hit the bench in the one start against a LHP this season and I would expect that to be the norm.
• Austin Meadows second, Randy Arozarena third and Brandon Lowe fourth is most commonly in play and then beyond the top four, it is a bit of a mess.
• We do see a good amount of  Yandy Diaz batting fifth and Joey Wendle batting sixth. They have each done so in each of the last three games.

Fantasy Fallout

• If you need batting average and some stolen base potential, Joey Wendle could be worth adding. Just 19% rostered and hitting .348 over the first two weeks of the season with five runs, a home run and seven RBI. It is a reminder that the hit tool is there and batting sixth on the regular will lead so some sneaky RBI upside. Let's hope the speed follows.

Toronto Blue Jays

• We have seen Rowdy Tellez sitting a bit more of late as he struggles at the plate. Joe Panik has been getting into the back end of the lineup in the process.

Fantasy Fallout

• Tellez is hitless to start the season. Of course better days are ahead but how long can you trot him into your lineups and take the negative production? He is someone who should be on the back end of your bench at best and might be a cut depending who is on the waiver wire.

AL Central

Chicago White Sox

• La Russa seriously confuses me. Andrew Vaughn breaks camp with the team and has only started in four of the first eight games of the season.
• Since Tim Anderson went on the IL, we have seen Adam Eaton leadoff regularly. Including each of the last three games.
• Luis Robert has hit second against every LHP this season. Meanwhile he has hit sixth or seventh four times against RHP but did bat second once very recently and given the injuries with this lineup, we could see him move up.

Fantasy Fallout

• Adam Eaton leading off is simply a way to target at-bats. In OBP formats, he becomes more interesting as he has a .353 OBP on the year but otherwise the batting average is mediocre but it comes with runs and he has stolen a base on the season so maybe there will be a few more of those while he sits at the top of the lineup.

Kansas City Royals

• As expected here now that Hunter Dozier returned to the lineup two games ago.

Cleveland

• Amed Rosario has played two-straight in centerfield.
• This is great news as we could see Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario now play daily.

• Against a LHP, we saw Jordan Luplow start and Josh Naylor sit. This could be a platoon in the making and requires monitoring.

Fantasy Fallout

• Just 8% rostered, Amed Rosario becomes interesting as someone who has shortstop eligibility and will gain outfield eligibility. Rosario has the potential to give us double digit home runs and stolen bases and is someone to strongly consider grabbing off the wire given the path the playing time becoming clearer.

Detroit Tigers

• Robbie Grossman has led off against all but one RHP. Against LHP he moved down to sixth.
• Akil Baddoo has become a regular in the lineup. He did sit against the LHP as well and could be in for a platoon role given the outfield depth.
• JaCoby Jones and Victor Reyes are essentially rotating days right now in the nine-spot.

Fantasy Fallout

• I would say JaCoby Jones and Victor Reyes are both droppable. Both have had lackluster starts, neither play regularly enough to matter and both have been negatives for your fantasy roster.

Minnesota Twins

• Byron Buxton (deservedly so) has become a middle of the order bat having hit fourth the last two games and fifth the game before that.
• Against RHP, Luis Arraez has been leading off and against LHP it has been Mitch Garver and Jorge Polanco each getting a chance leadoff against one so far. However, I believe it is going to be majority Polanco leading off against LHP.
• This has pushed Max Kepler from leading off to a middle of the order bat. This changes his stats from runs to RBI so plan accordingly if possible.
• Miguel Sano has found himself batting seventh.

Fantasy Fallout

• Luis Arraez is just 35% rostered, plays every day, has one of the best hit tools in the game and leads off against RHP for a good offense. Sure, he is mostly (maybe only) batting average and runs but those are stats that can be a challenge to fill and he should provide both.
• Miguel Sano is someone to consider dropping in shallower formats. His skill set is not difficult to find and with a 43.8% strikeout rate early on and batting seventh as well, there is a lot more downside than upside here.

AL West

Houston Astros

• Similar to the Braves and Yankees, we just know what to expect most days here.

Los Angeles Angels

• This is another lineup we know what to expect.
• David Fletcher has led off, Shohei Ohtani second and Mike Trout third in every start this year.
• Jared Walsh starts almost everyday. Likely on the strong side of a platoon with Albert Pujols. The one LHP they faced, Walsh sat in favor of Pujols.

Seattle Mariners

• Mitch Haniger is the leadoff man and Ty France is the two-hole hitter.
• J.P. Crawford has not moved off the nine-spot.
• With Evan White out the second-straight game, Jose Marmolejos has played for him and hit fourth both games.
• Taylor Trammell has fallen to sixth the last few games and Dylan Moore has move into the five-spot.

Fantasy Fallout

• Trammell may be on borrowed time but there is a chance to show what he can do and he has not taken advantage of it. Struggling mightily with a 52% strikeout rate and mediocre at best stat line. He is droppable.

• If you are desperate in an AL-Only format, give Marmolejos a look. He will likely continue to slot into the middle of the order as long as White remains out.

Texas Rangers

• Nick Solak has quietly hit fourth and fifth all season.
• Isiah Kiner-Falefa has led off every single game and David Dahl has been steadily batting second.
• Eli White and Ronald Guzman continue to fight for playing time with White getting the early edge on him (six starts for White compared to four for Guzman). Both hit in the bottom half of the lineup when they do play.
• Leody Taveras has not looked good to start the season and it is unlikely that there is any chance he moves up the lineup anytime soon. With a triple slash of .091/.130/.091 I wonder if he ends up being sent down if he keeps this up.

Fantasy Fallout

• Niether have really done much to earn the playing time but Eli White has outplayed Ronald Guzman for what it is worth. When everyone is healthy, White will be in favor of the playing time over Guzman.

Oakland Athletics

• Mark Canha has a grip on the leadoff spot
• Jed Lowrie has batted third in the last two games and second in three of four games prior. They are making a point to get him towards the top of the lineup.
• Ramon Laureano has hit second each of the last two games and has consistently hit second or third most the season.
• Elvis Andrus continues to bath eighth and play almost every day.

Fantasy Fallout 

• I cannot believe I am saying this but Jed Lowrie has fantasy appeal. Batting second or third in this lineup surrounded by the talent he is surrounded by is as good as it gets. Just 2% rostered and is showing signs of life. Worth a look in deeper formats. Not quite 12-team mixed relevant yet.

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