Sorare MLB GW18 Breakdown | The Coors Hangover
Welcome to the Sorare MLB Game Week 18 Breakdown!
My goal for these slate breakdowns is to create an all-in-one place for users to get an overview of each Game Week and use that information to pinpoint marketplace inefficiencies and construct a winning team.
I will be focusing on the Limited tier cards when referencing market prices as this is where the majority of Sorare users will be playing, and where there is the most liquid market.
You can find my slate breakdowns every Monday and Friday of the MLB season on Lucky Trader, or subscribe to my newsletter to get them in your inbox.
Also, follow me on Twitter @Hunter_Himself!
Let’s dive in!
⏪ Game Week Rewind
Zack Wheeler led the way in GW17 with a stellar outing against Atlanta.
Wheeler struck out 12 Braves and only gave up 3 hits through 8 shutout innings.
The performance came as a pleasant surprise for managers who downgraded him due to matchup and didn’t play him on their optimal team.
Otherwise Hunter Greene cracked the third spot after I talked about him at length in last week’s article and on Off Bas3.
He was pulled after a no-hitter and 11 strikeouts vs the Cubs.
Who is Tristan Beck? I also do not know.
But apparently he pitched 6 innings of relief work for the Giants in GW17, including an appearance in the late innings of a 15-1 throttling of the Brewers on Friday.
The remaining 4 players on this list are all closers who saw two appearances and successfully closed out their games this weekend.
Unsurprisingly, a Coors Field player led the way this week, this time it was Ryan McMahon who hit one homer in each game of the Rockies series vs the Mets.
Otherwise the only sell-high I see here would be McKinstry, who did hit one homer and steal 3 bags, however, he still plays for the Tigers.
📋 Roster Movements
In:
Mike Soroka - Starting Monday vs the Athletics, hasn’t played since Aug. 2020
Giancarlo Stanton - “Could be in play” for the Yanks’ series in LA per Aaron Boone
Anthony Rendon - Should be activated off IL ahead of LA’s trip to Chicago this week
Out:
Anthony Rizzo - Left Sunday’s game after sustaining a neck injury in a collision
Thairo Estrada - Placed on 10-day IL with left wrist strain
Juan Soto - Late scratch from Sunday with lower back tightness
Willy Adames - Placed on 7-day concussion list
Vince Velasquez - Placed back on the 15-day IL with right elbow discomfort
Ezequiel Duran - Placed on the 10-day IL Saturday with right oblique discomfort
Danny Jansen - Placed on 10-day IL with left groin strain
Brenton Doyle - Carted off the field Thursday with right knee injury
Wil Myers - Placed on 10-day IL with kidney stone
🔎 Multi Game Monitor
Four Games:
Diamondbacks, Astros, Angels, Guardians, Twins, Rockies
Three Games:
Mariners, Red Sox, Giants, Braves, Padres, Brewers, Yankees, Blue Jays, Reds, Rangers, Orioles, Marlins, Dodgers, Mets, Nationals, Cubs, Rays, White Sox, Athletics, Phillies, Pirates, Tigers
Two Games:
Cardinals, Royals
⚾️ Pitching Primer
Zac Gallen vs COL
Gallen hasn’t looked as Gallen-esque of late, but in GW18 he will go up against Colorado who should be experiencing the “Coors Hangover”.
For those who don’t know, the Coors Hangover is when the Rockies leave Colorado and play the first few games on the road, usually poorly.
Gallen has slipped to 14th in K% (28.3%), but he is still 2nd in HR/9 (.27), and 9th in xFIP (3.16).
The power threat is extremely minimal in this one, and I can see Gallen going deep into this game.
Limited Price: ~$34
Kevin Gausman vs MIL
Gausman will continue his dominant season with an outing vs. Milwaukee on Thursday.
Gausman has some of the best numbers on the year (2.84 xFIP, 31.9% K%) and should keep it rolling against the Brew Crew.
Milwaukee strikes out at the 4th-highest rate (25.5%) and is bottom-five in team wOBA (.303).
Limited Price: ~$20
Other Starters To Consider:
~$15 Nathan Eovaldi at DET
~$21 Taj Bradley at CHC
~$8 Michael Kopech vs LAA
~$37 Shane McClanahan at CHC
~$16 Mitch Keller at SFG
~$19 Luis Castillo vs NYY
~$15 Hunter Greene at BOS
📞 Call To The Bullpen
The four-game relief pitchers are going to carry a sizable advantage every week.
I think it makes sense to prioritize only those closers, with only a few exceptions.
Closer Options
~$9 Ryan Pressly
~$11 Carlos Estévez
~$25 Emmanuel Clase
~$7 Jhoan Duran
~$5 Miguel Castro
~$4 Andrew Chafin
💰 Stacks
Diamondbacks
Arizona hardly gets recognized for their offensive talent but they check both boxes of 1. Playing four games this week, and 2. Facing one of the worst pitching staffs in the league.
The Dbacks will face Karl Kauffmann, Kyle Freeland, Dinelson Lamet, and Chase Anderson.
The Coors Hangover applies to pitchers too, so load up on some Arizona bats in GW18
~$3 Pavin Smith
~$11 Ketel Marte
~$52 Corbin Carroll
~$19 Christian Walker
~$19 Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
The other teams playing four games don’t particularly stand out with their opposing pitching matchups, so I’m going to roll with…
Braves
The Braves are always in play (Unless they are facing Zack Wheeler, apparently) but they are exceptionally good options this week going up against the Oakland Athletics rotation.
Atlanta will face Paul Blackburn, J.P. Sears, and then a TBD pitcher on Thursday.
The park isn’t too great for offense, but the entire league has been teeing off against Oakland all season.
The A’s collective xFIP is 5.55 which is .76 higher than the Rockies in second place.
~$165 Ronald Acuña Jr.
~$41 Matt Olson
~$40 Austin Riley
~$13 Sean Murphy
~$9 Marcell Ozuna
Other Stacks To Consider:
Angels, Astros, Rangers, Reds
Value Options (Under $20):
Middle Infielder:
~$19 Gleyber Torres, ~$16 Paul DeJong, ~$13 Tommy Edman, ~$10 Whit Merrifield,~$13 Sean Murphy
Corner Infielder:
~$19 Anthony Rizzo, ~$16 J.D. Martinez, ~$19 Yandy Diaz, ~$13 Christian Yelich, ~$19 Byron Buxton, ~$9 Josh Naylor
Outfielder:
~$13 Christian Yelich, ~$17 Seiya Suzuki, ~$19 Lars Nootbar, ~$18 Jared Kelenic, ~$15 Anthony Santander, ~$9 Marcell Ozuna
There you have it, the Sorare MLB Slate Breakdown for Game Week 18.
All statistics referenced in this newsletter were pulled from Fangraphs.
I will be releasing these every Monday and Friday prior to lineup lock to help you all with preparing for the slate and setting your teams.
I hope to see everyone at the top of the leaderboards.
Thanks for reading!