Adam's Weekly Baseball Forecast: Week of May 16th

Introduction: Welcome back, as I hope you all are doing well! The following is my usual weekly forecast where I give my thoughts and predictions for the week ahead in Major League Baseball! I find it hard to believe that we have made it to mid-May and are more than a fifth into the season. As always, my "Two-Start" Pitchers article will be included along with pitchers and hitters who either have been doing well this past week or have a favorable week ahead, as my "Reliever Report" article will finish up the post. Most importantly though, I hope you all enjoy reading my article!

Two-Start Pitchers:

The all important "Two-Start" Pitchers article will once again leadoff this post. A "Two-Start" pitcher is simply a starting pitcher who starts twice during a week. The following are the majority of two-start pitchers for this week, who can be really important for those who play fantasy baseball and of course to their individual real life baseball teams as well. Getting two wins from the same guy in a week can be very valuable. To make things easier, I have broken them down into tiers and have included who they pitch against as well as the date they are scheduled to pitch.

Must-Starts:

Sandy Alcantara: 5/16 vs. WSH, 5/22 vs. ATL

Dylan Cease: 5/17 @KC, 5/22 @NYY

Freddy Peralta: 5/16 vs. ATL, 5/22 vs. WSH

Logan Gilbert: 5/17 @TOR, 5/22 @BOS

Nathan Eovaldi: 5/17 vs. HOU, 5/22 vs. SEA

Noah Syndergaard: 5/16 @TEX, 5/22 OAK

Shane McClanahan: 5/17 DET, 5/22 @BAL

Lucas Giolito: 5/16 @KC, 5/21@NYY (Currently on COVID-19 list)

Solid Starts:

Tony Gonsolin: 5/16 vs ARI, 5/21 @PHI

Miles Mikolas: 5/16 @NYM, 5/21 @PIT

Merrill Kelly: 5/17 @LAD, 5/22 @CHC

Jose Urquidy: 5/17 @BOS, 5/22 vs. TEX

Jameson Taillon: 5/17 @BAL, 5/22 CWS

Luis Severino: 5/16 @BAL, 5/21 CWS

Questionable Starts:

Alex Wood: 5/16 @COL, 5/22 vs. SD

Ian Anderson: 5/16 @MIL, 5/22 @MIA

Brad Keller: 5/16 vs. CWS, 5/21 vs. MIN

Corey Kluber: 5/16 vs. DET, 5/22 @BAL

Hitters:

The following hitters are those who have had a great last seven days, as I expect them to continue their success headed into the upcoming week.

Jean Segura: Philadelphia Phillies: 2B

One of the league leaders in OPS entering Sunday's action, Segura is currently swinging a hot bat. Hitting a trio of home runs last week, Jean has raised his average above .300 over that span. Segura pretty much gives you all the major categories, even stolen bases for that matter as he swiped a base on Sunday as well, which brought his season total up to four. Headed into a six game homestand against the Padres and Dodgers, keep rolling out Segura in fantasy lineups for the production he gives to all five major offensive categories.

Alec Bohm: Philadelphia Phillies: 3B

Yet another Phillies hitter, I also liked the results that I saw from Bohm this week. Alec was in one of my first weekly updates, as he has found himself here yet again this week. Although not quite as productive as Segura over the past seven days, Bohm is currently riding a five-game hit streak heading into Tuesday's series against San Diego. An average of .311 with two home runs and 15 RBI on the season should continue to increase, as I could see Alec hit 20-25 long balls by the end of the season. An average anything above .270 is icing on the cake as far as I am concerned, as he seems to be one of the most underrated offensive third baseman at the moment.

Brandon Nimmo: New York Mets: OF

Nimmo is one that has also been on a hot stretch as of late. Brandon's best game this week came on Sunday against the Mariners and Robbie Ray, as he was able to total three RBI. Although not much of a power or home run threat, I would expect Nimmo to score his fair share of runs considering he hits leadoff for New York. A full week of games this week including a weekend set in Colorado should provide encouragement here, as he should at least be able to continue to get on base while at the top of a solid lineup.

Juan Yepez: St. Louis Cardinals: 3B/OF

Yepez made a brief appearance in my weekly article last week, but after seeing what he can do a bit more over the last week, I decided to add him in as my final hitter for this week. One of the most popular fantasy waiver wire adds, Yepez is off to a blazing start for the Cardinals. Having also gained outfield eligibility should make him even more valuable as he continues to see increased playing time. Hitting close to .400 and a full slate of games upcoming, Juan is worth a look in fantasy leagues. As far as real life baseball, the Cardinals could not have asked for a better player at the given time, as Tyler O'Neill continues to struggle.

Others to Consider:

Josh Naylor: CLE

Sheldon Neuse: OAK

Alek Thomas: ARI

Starting Pitchers:

Similar to the hitters above, the following starting pitchers have a favorable matchup upcoming this week, as they should all be worth a look.

Jordan Montgomery: 5/19 @BAL

Montgomery draws the Orioles this week, which means I love his matchup. Considering that Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge are leading one of the hottest teams in baseball, this is a guy I am willing to play this week knowing that run support will most likely be there. All in all, Jordan should be a solid streaming option this week if you are in need of an extra arm on your fantasy roster.

Michael Lorenzen: 5/20 vs. OAK

Lorenzen is making his second appearance in my weekly series. The last time I wrote about him, he was lit up against the Nationals at home on May 7th. Obviously, I am confident enough to put him in here again based off of his matchup. The A's have one of the weakest offenses in the league, as I really think Lorenzen will have better luck this time out.

Kyle Hendricks: 5/19 vs. ARI

Hendricks has lost the majority of his fantasy value over recent seasons, but is still worth a look in leagues when he has favorable matchups. A matchup against Arizona at home this week should at least consider some thought here, as he has looked solid over his last two starts against Arizona and San Diego. Anyone who is familiar with what Hendricks brings to the table knows that he will not record many strikeouts, as he is more of a pitcher who will pitch to contact. This time at home in a comfortable environment for the right-hander, I would see what he has to offer against one of the worst offenses in the league.

Others to Consider:

Jakob Junis: 5/20 vs. SD

Reliever Report:

Corey Knebel: The closer in Philadelphia I believe is on the hot seat as he blew yet another save opportunity to Gavin Lux and the Dodgers on Sunday afternoon. As a result, manager Joe Girardi has to be somewhat frustrated with what he has seen so far from his closer based off of his recent performances.

Brad Hand or Jeurys Familia should be receiving consideration for save opportunities in the near future, as I have no idea how much longer Girardi can keep throwing Knebel out for the ninth.

Mark Melancon: Melancon is having a hard time closing out games for the Diamondbacks. One of the best closers last year in San Diego, Melancon's age may be catching up with him. An ERA of 8.49 is not going to get it done, as I would not be surprised to see Ian Kennedy step up to the closers role, as he currently has an ERA of 3.00 and looked solid in Arizona's closer's role while Melancon was out earlier this season.

Daniel Bard: Bard blew his second save on Sunday against the Royals. Going forward I would still consider him the Colorado closer, but Tyler Kinley or Alex Colome should be watched as well in the upcoming weeks, as the closer's role could change over to more of a committee approach for manager Bud Black and the Rockies.

Final Thoughts: I hope you all have enjoyed reading my Weekly Forecast for the week ahead in baseball! Like always, it should be another exciting week of action across the league.

See You at the Ballpark!!!

Adam