2023 Fantasy Baseball Week 12 Start/Sit: Eddie Rosario, Max Scherzer, More!
Happy Juneteenth and welcome to the Week 12 Start/Sit article! I hope you all had a nice Father’s Day for those who celebrate and are ready to dig into your fantasy baseball week.
It’s time to face the typical Monday decisions we need to make as we set our rosters. Which pitchers have a two-start week? Which ones have juicy matchups? Which hitters are on a hot streak? Which ones are having trouble buying a hit? Think of this like a fantasy football streamers article.
I’ll be back later in the week to look at Droppables (Tuesday), Trade Values (Wednesday) and to dive into the Closer Report (Friday), but for today, we’re going to take a look at who we should start and sit this week.
And with that, let’s identify the right (or wrong) players we should have in our fantasy baseball lineups for the week of June 19.
Top Fantasy Baseball Starts
Eddie Rosario, OF, Atlanta Braves
Rosario is on an absolute tear right now. Over the past week, he’s hit .381 with nine runs, five home runs, and 11 RBI. While he’s still hitting just .265 on the season, that doesn’t really matter for our current purpose – which is to catch a wave of a hot streak and ride it into the shore. Rosario may not end up being a long-term add for you (although his 33 runs, 13 home runs, 39 RBI, and one steal on the season are nothing to sneeze at), he’s the hottest player in baseball right now and absolutely must be started in even the shallowest leagues until further notice.
Julio Teheran, P, Milwaukee Brewers
I feel like it’s 2015 again, but nevertheless, Teheran has somehow become a must-start. At least for the time being. The 32-year-old has turned back the clock and holds a 2-2 record with a 1.78 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, and 20 strikeouts through 30.1 innings this season. He’ll face a lackluster Diamondback lineup this Wednesday, so he’s a solid add early in the week if you’re planning ahead. I’m guessing the wheels will fall off at some point, but he’s yet to allow more than two runs in any of his starts this season.
Jordan Hicks, P, St. Louis Cardinals
I’m cheating a little bit, but I don’t want to wait until Friday for the Closer Report. Despite our best efforts to stay on top of things, Jordan Hicks (and not Giovanny Gallegos) seems to have taken over as the Cardinals closer while Ryan Helsley deals with forearm tightness. It’s hard to say how long Helsley will be out (though those types of things sometimes turn into season-ending injuries), but for now, Hicks is a must-add as he’s closed out the Cardinals’ last two games. While the 26-year-old can be a bit mercurial, he’s struck out three batters in two of his last three appearances and should be a great short-term pickup.
As always, check out the fantasy assistant for personalized waiver wire recommendations and team analysis. Make moves based on projections, strengths and weaknesses, waiver alerts, and lots more.
Top Fantasy Baseball Sits
Max Scherzer, P, New York Mets
You won’t find a bigger Scherzer fan than me (I’m not sure why, honestly, but I like the guy). But it’s time to put the veteran on your fantasy bench until further notice. Something isn’t right with him right now. While he’s still striking guys out, Scherzer currently has a 4.45 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. And worse, he’s allowed 11 runs over his last two starts – and those two starts include just 9.0 innings total. While I wouldn’t outright drop Scherzer, I certainly wouldn’t risk starting him against the Astros (in Houston) on Monday.
Chris Bassitt, P, Toronto Blue Jays
Things were going great for Bassitt this season…until they weren’t. The 34-year-old started the season strong but now owns a 6.06 ERA over the last month. His strikeouts have been down, his home runs allowed have been up, and he’s allowed opposing batters to hit .280 this month (as compared to .207 and .208 in April and May, respectively). While Bassitt’s track record suggests things will get better, I’d rather keep him on my bench until he can prove that. A start against the A’s this week should, theoretically, help things but I’d rather have him prove that before I risk another bad start.
Byron Buxton, OF, Minnesota Twins
Buxton might be the most frustrating fantasy player of the last decade. He has all the talent in the world, but he just can’t seem to put it all together and/or stay healthy. Regardless, it’s time to keep in on your fantasy bench – or drop him in shallow leagues. He’s hitting just .205 on the season and is 0-for-13 over the last week. Worse, he’s hitless in 14 June at-bats and has struck out eight times in those 14 at-bats. I understand the reasoning behind it if you want to hang onto him as a bench player, but do yourself a favor at get him out of your starting fantasy lineup.
Fantasy SP has worked diligently to bring you next-level sports betting analytics, prop betting tools, public betting splits, and so much more! Become an Edge+ member today!
