Sorare MLB GW26 Breakdown | Pérez Punishes Pittsburgh
Welcome to the Sorare MLB Game Week 26 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.
Also, follow me on Twitter @Hunter_Himself!
Let’s dive in!
⏪ Game Week Rewind
Marlins’ rookie pitcher Eury Pérez finished as the top overall pitcher with his best outing of the season, a nine-strikeout performance against the Pirates at home.
Pérez has been outstanding in his last three starts, totaling 24 strikeouts and extending his zero earned-run streak to 18 innings.
This could also mean the Pirates offense is #cold because his teammate Jesus Luzardo tied for second on this list in the same matchup just two days prior.
The cold streak has coincided with Bryan Reynolds being placed on the IL.
It doesn’t feel right that two Rockies pitchers finished in the top-4, despite Colorado getting stomped 25-1 by the Angels on Saturday.
Both Lawrence and Johnson didn’t make an appearance in that game, instead allowing Matt Carasiti and Noah Davis to take the beating for 15 earned runs.
Despite Saturday’s game, the Rockies took the series with close wins on Friday and Sunday.
Readers of the newsletter likely did well in GW25 with the Angels, Braves, and Reds all highlighted as the top stacks for the week.
The aforementioned Angels put up 32 runs at Coors Field, while the Atlanta/Cincinnati series finished with totals of 10-11, 7-6, and 7-6.
The London Series was awesome, especially because there were Sorare ads everywhere, but the sold-out crowd at Great American made this an awesome weekend series, and one we can expect going forward with this young and exciting Reds team.
📋 Roster Movements
In:
Cedric Mullins - reinstated for the 10-day IL, was in the starting lineup Saturday
Ryan Helsley - “a few days away” from returning from the 15-day IL
Out:
Shane McClanahan - Exited his start early on Thursday due to back tightness
Bryan Reynolds - Placed on the 10-day IL Thursday with lower back strain
Byron Buxton - Day to day with back spasms, was not in Twins’ lineup Sunday
Ramon Laureano - Placed on the 10-day IL Friday with a fractured right hand
James Paxton - Day to day after exciting Saturday’s start with right knee soreness
Pablo Reyes - Placed on the 10-day IL Friday with an abdominal strain
Jack Flaherty - Scratched from start Sunday because of right-hip tightness, day to day
🔎 Multi Game Monitor
Four Games:
Mets, Rangers, Angels, Tigers, White Sox, Brewers
Three Games:
Padres, Giants, Rays, Braves, Cardinals, Mariners, Cubs, Royals, Yankees, Astros, Red Sox, Marlins, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, Reds, Orioles, Guardians, Twins, Athletics, Nationals, Phillies, Pirates, Rockies
⚾️ Pitching Primer
Spencer Strider and Shohei Ohtani look like stellar plays at the top, and both draw good matchups against Minnesota and the White Sox, respectively.
If you have these guys on your squad, be sure to play them, however neither come cheap in the marketplace with Ohtani being a two-way player and Strider’s 2022 cards capable of being played at RP.
Blake Snell at PIT
Snellzilla has been on fire over the past month and the Pirates have been ice cold.
He has surrendered just two runs over his last 6 starts while striking out 56.
His strikeout rate has been incredible. He is currently sitting with the fourth-best K% (30.7%) to go along with a respectable 17th-best xFIP (3.59).
As previously mentioned, the Pirates have been atrocious lately, even before losing Bryan Reynolds to the IL.
Over the past two weeks Pittsburgh has the seventh-highest strikeout rate (25.4%), the third-worst ISO (.105), and the worst wOBA (.240).
Everything seems to be pointing in Snell’s favor this week, and his $12 Limited floor price looks appetizing.
Limited Price: ~$12
Luis Castillo/Logan Gilbert vs WSH
If you want a couple “safe” plays this week, you could do worse than looking at the Seattle series versus Washington this week.
I put “safe” in quotes because there really is no such thing in baseball with the sport’s inherent variance, however, the Nationals offense is extremely un-threatening.
The Nats strikeout at the lowest rate in the league (18.4%), but also rank bottom-4 in ISO (.133) and bottom-10 in wOBA (.312).
Both Castillo and Gilbert have been great at run-prevention, (Castillo: 3.69 xFIP/Gilbert: 3.65 xFIP) and shouldn’t have an issue limiting runs to Washington.
Limited Prices: Castillo ~$16/Gilbert ~$12
Other Starters Include:
~$125 Spencer Strider vs MIN
~$17 Joe Ryan at ATL
~$29 Framber Valdez at STL
~$264 Shohei Ohtani vs CHW
~$22 Taj Bradley at ARI
~$14 Aaron Nola at CHC
~$14 Shane Bieber at KCR
~$12 Max Scherzer vs MIL
📞 Call To The Bullpen
I’m going to be prioritizing closers playing all four games this GW to maximize my chances for save appearances.
Among the six teams playing four games, the priority should be going to those who should be in series’ that can stay close.
Closer Options:
~$4 David Robertson
~$10 Will Smith
~$11 Carlos Estevez
~$3 Alex Lange
~$1 Joe Kelly
~$10 Devin Williams
My favorites here would be Estevez against the White Sox and Williams against the Mets
💰 Stacks
Rangers
Texas is my favorite stack in GW26 with a four-game series against Detroit on tap where they should face Matt Boyd, Joey Wentz, Reese Olson, and TBD pitcher.
The Rangers rank fifth in ISO (.182), third in wOBA (.344), and third in wRC+ (120) on the season.
Meanwhile, the Tigers have had a bottom-tier pitching staff since losing Eduardo Rodriguez to the IL, and I’m not afraid of anyone toeing the rubber this week against one of the most powerful lineups in the MLB.
~$50 Marcus Semien
~$71 Corey Seager
~$16 Nate Lowe
~$43 Adolis Garcia
~$34 Josh Jung
Dodgers
I can’t go any further before recommending the Dodgers in Coors even though they are playing just three games.
Rockies pitching is incredibly taxed after their series with the Angels this weekend, and now they have to face the other LA team that ranks second in ISO (.204), sixth in wOBA (.331), and sixth in wRC+ (109).
Los Angeles will draw Connor Seabold, Kyle Freeland, and Chase Anderson in this series who have a collective ERA of 16.21.
~$84 Mookie Betts
~$73 Freddie Freeman
~$15 Will Smith
~$11 J.D. Martinez
~$9 James Outman
Other Stacks to Consider:
Red Sox, Reds, Braves, Rays
Value Options (Under $20):
Middle Infielder:
~$18 Thairo Estrada, ~$14 Orlando Arcia, ~$12 Ryan McMahon, ~$9 Geraldo Perdomo, ~$13 Carlos Correa, ~$13 Max Muncy
Corner Infielder:
~$11 Justin Turner, ~$19 Christian Walker, ~$19 Nick Castellanos, ~$16 Josh Naylor, ~$10 Isaac Paredes, ~$7 Marcell Ozuna, ~$19 Alex Bregman, ~$8 Triston Casas
Outfielder:
~$15 Eddie Rosario, ~$11 Jake Fraley, ~$7 TJ Friedl, ~$10 Taylor Ward, ~$13 Teoscar Hernandez, ~$15 Riley Greene, ~$18 Adam Duvall, ~$12 Jake McCarthy
There you have it, the Sorare MLB Slate Breakdown for Game Week 26.
All statistics referenced in this newsletter were pulled from Fangraphs.
I release 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!