Adam's Weekly Baseball Forecast: Week of April 18th

Introduction: Welcome back, as I hope you all are doing well! The following is the start of my new weekly baseball series. The main goal of the series is to give the reader a look at some players who have been playing great over the last week and to also give them a look ahead for the next week. These players deserve to be watched going into this week, as they have had a great first week of baseball. Also, I will be giving some of my fantasy baseball thoughts and insights on the players chosen for the week ahead. As always, I want to be able to write a series where everyone who takes the time to read my article can get something from it. With that being said, I hope you all enjoy reading my article!

Matt Brash: Seattle Mariners: SP

Matt Brash is one player who I have gone back and forth with in fantasy baseball over the last week. Making his debut last week in Chicago against the White Sox, his stuff is outstanding, as his slider has so much movement! Going 5.1 IP and only allowing two runs in his first outing, I was excited to see what he had in store on Easter Sunday against the Astros, as consistency and repetition is always a factor for me when a rookie pitcher comes onto the scene.

Having dropped him before he debuted and then picking him back up again after his start against the Sox, I am glad I did just that. Brash repeated his success on Sunday, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning against Houston. Finally, a Jose Altuve single and a Michael Brantley two-run home run ended his day. As you would guess, I was very pleased with his performance, resulting in me to lock him into my lineups next Saturday against Kansas City. Only a rookie, I could see the young righty becoming this year's version of Logan Webb. Brash's upside is through the roof, although he will have to work on his command to maximize his full potential.

Nestor Cortes Jr.: New York Yankees: SP

Starting his season with two back-to-back scoreless outings, Cortes Jr. should be rostered in all fantasy formats for the time being. Pitching an immaculate inning against Baltimore on Sunday, Cortes is buzzing around the baseball world right now and for good reason. Nestor projects to get solid run support from the Bronx Bombers which should solidify a good number of early season wins if he continues to pitch like this.

Paul Blackburn: Oakland A's: SP

Blackburn is only rostered in seven percent of yahoo fantasy leagues at the time of this writing, but I project that number will go up because of his recent success. After a scoreless outing against Tampa Bay to begin the year, Blackburn proved it was not a fluke when he posted a quality start against Toronto. With a good matchup against Baltimore coming up this week, Blackburn should continue to keep his momentum rolling making him a great streaming option in leagues this week.

Kyle Wright: Atlanta Braves: SP

Wright is another young Atlanta pitcher, as it seems the Braves always produce solid young arms. Wright reminds me of Huascar Ynoa from last season who was in this "breakout" spot until he broke his hand punching a dugout bench in Milwaukee. Now, I have a feeling it will be Wright who will be this year's standout pitcher for Atlanta. Pitching to the tune of a 1.64 ERA over his first two turns in the rotation, Wright has an outstanding WHIP of 0.72 and has also registered 15 strikeouts over 11 innings pitched. Atlanta's run support will always be there for him and with Miami next up on the slate for Wright, he should get the green light once more to plug into fantasy lineups this week.

Other Starting Pitchers to Consider and Watch This Week:

Tylor Megill: New York Mets

David Peterson: New York Mets

Andrew Heaney: Los Angeles Dodgers

Hitters:

Steven Kwan: Cleveland Guardians: OF

The guy who has taken the league by storm over the opening week of the season, Kwan is a hitting machine. At one point hitting .800 and reaching base five times against the Royals on Saturday, April 9th, he could not have asked for a better start. The left-handed hitter reminds me a bit of Ichiro Suzuki, although I do not think Kwan will be able to come close to or match Ichiro's baseball accomplishments.

Jesus' Sanchez: Miami Marlins: OF

Anyone who is in the starting lineup for the Marlins is hard to trust in fantasy baseball, but Sanchez might be an exception. Starting off on fire to begin the year, Sanchez hits fourth in the Miami lineup, meaning he is right in the middle of the order. Hitting two home runs to go with an average well-above .300 always goes well in baseball, as Sanchez has done just that. Recording at least one base-hit in six of his last seven games, Sanchez may be a good player to add while he currently is on this run of success.

Owen Miller: Cleveland Guardians: 2B

Yet another Guardians player, as it seems Miller and Kwan have been doing most of the damage in the Cleveland lineup, aside from Jose Ramirez of course. On a side note, I hope Franmil Reyes can figure things out soon, as he is currently hitting under the "Mendoza Line"(.200) with zero home runs, as I am hoping for a big year from the "Franimal."

Getting back to Miller, what a start he has gotten off to! Hitting above or right below .500 over the first week and a half, Owen has done everything from hitting it out of the park to hitting extra-base hits. He was on a six-game hit streak at one point last week, as his fantasy value went up tremendously as well. Having Javier Baez currently on my IL with thumb soreness, I added Miller as a replacement and as a result he will be in my starting lineup this week.

Other Hitters to Consider and Watch This Week:

Ji-Man-Choi: Tampa Bay Rays

Sean Murphy: Oakland A's

Connor Joe: Colorado Rockies

Relievers:

David Robertson: Chicago Cubs

Robertson is the clear closer for Chicago as of now, as he has been able to nail down three saves so far. Robertson is giving me Mark Melancon similarities from last year, as I believe Robertson could easily get 30 or more saves although he is in his mid-to-late thirties. Much like Melancon did last year with San Diego, I think Robertson shines this year and could become one of baseball's top closers.

Tyler Rogers: San Francisco Giants:

If you are looking for a guy who can get holds, Rogers might be a good one to follow. Rogers, who's twin brother, Taylor, is San Diego's closer, Tyler's responsibility is to hold the lead in the late innings of games. A reliable, but yet cheap option, I would pick up Tyler if you are in need of holds in your league. When it comes to real-life baseball, Rogers has a sidearm action making it hard for hitters to pickup on his pitches, making him an effective option in the San Francisco bullpen.

Other Relievers to Consider and Watch This Week:

Adam Cimber: Toronto Blue Jays

Hector Neris: Houston Astros

Jake Diekman: Boston Red Sox

Final Thoughts: I hope you all have enjoyed my first weekly baseball report of the season, as I plan on doing these each week. Of course, I will not always be right with my predictions, but I do my best to forecast the next week of baseball and choosing players who I think will have the most success!

See You at the Ballpark!!!

Adam