Adam's Weekly Baseball Forecast: Week of April 25th

Introduction: Welcome back, as I hope you all are doing well! The following, is my second installment of my weekly series where I give my thoughts and predictions for the week ahead in Major League Baseball. My predictions from last week, were not as bad as I thought they would be. Jesus` Sanchez, Ji-Man-Choi, Kyle Wright, and Paul Blackburn were the top players who performed last week, as they all made an appearance in my article a week ago. As a result, I look for all four to continue their great starts to the year this week, specifically Sanchez of the Marlins. He looks like a star in the making even though we are only two weeks into the season, as the same could be said for Atlanta pitcher Kyle Wright.

Looking ahead to this week, I have decided to add a "Two-Start Pitchers" article, simply because I feel that they are really important in real-life baseball and of course if you play fantasy baseball as well.

As always, I hope to be somewhat correct with my predictions, as I go into writing these articles using my "gut instinct", even though I know not all of my picks or predictions will be right. With that being said, I hope you all enjoy reading my baseball forecast for this week!

Two-Start Pitchers:

Having already mentioned this in the introduction, I decided to start the post off with my "Two-Start Pitchers" article. A "Two-Start Pitcher" is simply a starting pitcher who will start twice during the week. They will most likely either pitch on a Monday and Saturday, or Tuesday and Sunday depending on off days.

There are over 30 starting pitchers in all who will make two starts this week. As a result, the following arms are the ones who I would recommend locking into your fantasy lineups or just watch pitch in general. At the end, I will put the majority of the pitchers in tiers, so that it will be better to understand and follow along.

Logan Gilbert: Seattle Mariners: Opponents: 4/26 At TB, 5/1 At MIA

Gilbert was the first pitcher who stood out to me the most when I first glanced at the list. The 6'6" Mariners righty has gotten off to quite a start in 2022, compiling an ERA of 0.54 and a K/BB of 15/1 through three outings. Having him in one of my leagues, Gilbert is a great guy to have near the back of your rotation, as I could really see him taking a leap this season. The start against the Marlins over the weekend is more favorable in my opinion than his first start this week in Tampa Bay. Either way, I'm locking the Stetson product into my lineup this week for both starts, as he is a no-brainer type of guy to have in your lineup based off of his previous performances.

Luis Severino: New York Yankees: Opponents: 4/26 BAL, 5/1 @KC

Going up against Severino this week in one of my leagues, I predict that he will have a rather solid result of outings given the matchups. Having an ERA of 2.08 over three starts is very good, as Luis has seemed to have gotten his feel back to starting games after coming out of the bullpen in 2021. Coming into the year, I thought he would have been a bullpen option, but that thought has long left my brain, as he has looked solid for a guy who had Tommy John Surgery in early 2020. A WHIP of 1.38 is a bit of a head scratcher here, as I assume he will lower it to around 1.14, his career average, in the coming months.

Sandy Alcantara: Miami Marlins: Opponents: 4/26 @WSH, 5/1 SEA

There are not enough good things that I could say about Sandy Alcantara. Man alive, he has literally turned himself into an ace over the last two seasons as he seems to mow lineups down with his arsenal of high velocity pitches. Facing the Cardinals this past Wednesday, Sandy fired eight innings of shutout baseball, but was given no run support as he had to settle for a no-decision. Headed into a two-start week against Washington and Seattle with a microscopic 1.86 ERA, I expect nothing less from the Cy Young candidate. Needless to say, I am hopping on the "Sandy Express" and not getting off until season's end, this guy is just incredible!!!

The following are my "Two-Start Pitcher" tiers for this week. After their name, I have listed the two dates and the two teams that they will pitch against this week.

Must-Starts:

Shane Bieber: 4/25 @LAA, 4/30 @OAK

Corbin Burnes: 4/25 SF, 5/1 CHC

Max Scherzer: 4/25 @STL, 5/1 PHI

Joe Musgrove: 4/26 @CIN, 5/1 @PIT

Max Fried: 4/26 CHC, 5/1 @TEX

Sandy Alcantara: 4/26 @WSH, 5/1 SEA

Logan Gilbert: 4/26 AT TB, 5/1 AT MIA

Luis Severino: 4/26 BAL, 5/1 @KC

Kevin Gausman: 4/26 BOS, 5/1 HOU

Walker Buehler: 4/25 @ARI, 5/1 DET

Brandon Woodruff: 4/26 SF, 5/1 CHC

Solid Starts:

Jose Berrios: 4/25 BOS, 4/30 HOU

Framber Valdez: 4/25 @TEX, 5/1 @TOR

Nathan Eovaldi: 4/25 @TOR, 5/1 @BAL

Questionable Starts:

Kyle Gibson: 4/25 COL, 4/30 @NYM

Miles Mikolas: 4/25 NYM, 4/30 ARI

German Marquez: 4/26 @PHI, 5/1 CIN

Merrill Kelly: 4/25 LAD, 4/30 @STL

Michael Lorenzen: 4/25 CLE, 4/30 @CWS

Hitters: The following, are hitters who are currently riding a "hot streak" over the last week. As a result, I believe that they will continue their success for the upcoming slate of games.

Alec Bohm: Philadelphia Phillies: Bohm is one of the hottest hitters in the league right now, as he is currently hitting .355 with a home run, 11 hits, and nine RBI's. Being in one of the best offensive lineups in Philadelphia, I do not see why his recent success cannot carry over to this week. Playing against the Rockies and Mets this week, I would continue to play Bohm with confidence if you have him in fantasy land, or continue to watch him play if you are wanting to just enjoy the games. Right now, Bohm would be one to watch, as it seems he is playing at a high level.

Ty France: Seattle Mariners: France is a player who I have gotten to like and put my faith in the more I watch him play. He is absolutely killing the ball up to this point, as I feel like he could have great fantasy value if he continues to play like this. Putting up a slash line of .375/.459/.656 through 64 At-Bats, Ty looks to be the real deal. This week should present a challenge though, as France will have to go up against the Marlins and their fantastic staff of young arms over the weekend.

Josh Naylor: Cleveland Guardians: Having two Guardian hitters in my article last week, I have decided to yet again have one make an appearance this week in the form of Josh Naylor. Naylor was on a five game hitting streak going into this week, until it was snapped on Sunday in the Bronx. Over the span of the five games, Naylor has put together all of his production in the early part of the 2022 campaign. Hitting .476 with one round-tripper and five RBI's, I suspect he will cool down at some point, but will find some success this week. Facing the Angels and A's this week on the west coast, Naylor is bound to do damage somewhere, if I were to guess, he will have the most success in Oakland over the weekend.

Others to Consider:

J.P. Crawford: SEA

Brandon Marsh: LAA

Starting Pitchers: Similar to the hitters above, the following starting pitchers have been performing well lately and have solid matchups coming up this week.

Chad Kuhl: Colorado Rockies: Opponent: CIN:

Before I start giving my thoughts on Chad Kuhl, I think it is appropriate here to type the first thought that comes to mind when I think of him: I do not trust him at all. Yes, you read the previous statement correctly, I do not trust him based off of his previous seasons with Pittsburgh. Now, that does not mean you have to bench him this week against the injured Reds offense at home over the weekend, but I would at least use some caution here. Kuhl's success, I do not see lasting long, but given the matchup this week, although at home in one of the top hitter's parks in the league, Kuhl is at least worth a look in deeper fantasy leagues. An ERA of 1.10 with two wins, and a 0.92 WHIP is not bad for a guy who has had an ERA of at least four every year that he has pitched in the big leagues.

Tony Gonsolin: Los Angeles Dodgers: Opponent: @ARI:

Gonsolin has the best matchup of the guys I chose this week, as he pitches on Tuesday against the Diamondbacks. The only question I have for the righty, is will he go at least five innings? Based off of the matchup and the run support he should get, I would give him a shot this week. Just know, there is some risk of him not going five innings and qualifying for a win. His ERA of 0.69 should get people's attention, as he is a "diamond in the rough" type of arm right now and should be rostered in more leagues if you are in need of starting pitching.

Bailey Ober: Minnesota Twins: Opponent: @DET:

My streamer for this week, I hope Bailey can get me a win and good ratios, unlike Matt Brash of the Mariners did on Saturday night against Kansas City. Facing Detroit on Thursday, Ober will come into his fourth outing having strung together a 2.81 ERA and one win over the span of his first three starts. With a good offense behind him, I hope for run support and good results, as he has only really struggled against Seattle in his first outing, but has been rather efficient since then. A WHIP right at 1.00 will play for a guy who is only rostered in 46 percent of yahoo fantasy leagues. In all honesty I think he should be rostered more, as he has great potential and could be a sleeper if he continues to perform at a solid rate.

Josiah Gray: Washington Nationals: Opponent: MIA

The final starting pitcher I chose this week, is Josiah Gray of the Washington Nationals. The former Dodger, Gray has really found his stride after coming over last season in a deal with catcher Kiebert Ruiz. Pitching to a 3.14 ERA with 18 strikeouts over 14.1 IP, he should be started in the majority of fantasy leagues this week. Although his WHIP is rather high at 1.33, I would not be worried as it has been under 1 his previous two outings.

Others to Consider:

Dylan Bundy: Minnesota Twins: @TB

Paul Blackburn: Oakland A's: @SF

Reliever Report:

Dany Jimenez: Oakland A's:

Jimenez has filled in for closer Lou Trivino quite nicely over the last week. Converting three saves without allowing a run, Jimenez would be a cheap option for saves if you are in need of them for the time being. Once Trivino returns, expect Jimenez to return to a late-inning option for manager Mark Kotsay.

Lucas Sims: Cincinnati Reds:

Finally, there will be a main closer for the Reds and manager David Bell. Coming off of a rehab assignment, Sims returned this week and nailed down his first save of the year on Sunday. For the first week or so, Cincinnati has relied on Art Warren, Tony Santillan, and a slew of other arms for saves and mostly late-game situations, as the Reds have only been able to win three games. Fear no more as Sims has resolved all of those issues, as I expect him to be "the guy" in the bullpen to close out games for the rest of the season.

Clay Holmes: New York Yankees:

Holmes is a great and cheap option if you are in need of holds right now, as he is currently owned in only 10 percent of yahoo leagues. Pitching for the Yankees, Clay is bound to get his opportunities at holding games for New York. So far, Holmes has a respectable 1.17 ERA and should be a key piece in the Yankees bullpen moving forward.

Final Thoughts: I hope you all have enjoyed reading my weekly forecast for the upcoming week of baseball! This next week should be full of nonstop action, as we head into the beginning of May!

See You at the Ballpark!!!

Adam