Here are The Game Day’s Week 9 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: 2-Start Pitchers, Spot Starters, & Hitter Picks. Follow along with our full fantasy baseball tips page all MLB season. Use Josh Shepardson’s Week 9 MLB Sleepers to fill out your fantasy baseball lineups with upside plays.
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Week 9 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers
Week 9 Fantasy Baseball 2-Start Pitchers To Add From Waiver Wire
Spencer Turnbull, Detroit Tigers (35% rostered on Yahoo!)
- Start 1: vs. Cleveland Indians
- Start 2: vs. New York Yankees
You may have heard that Turnbull tossed a no-hitter the last time he was on the bump, allowing 2 walks with 9 strikeouts on the road against the Seattle Mariners. It was a brilliant follow-up to his previous start, allowing only 1 run to the Kansas City Royals on 6 hits, 1 walk, and 7 strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.
In 6 starts spanning 34 1/3 innings this year, Turnbull’s compiled a 2.88 ERA, a 3.78 SIERA, a 0.96 WHIP, a 5.7 BB%, a 22.0 K%, and a 25.7 CSW%. He could stand to earn a few more called strikes, but his 11.1 SwStr% is stellar, indicating he has the swing-and-miss stuff to finish batters off.
Turnbull has a plus matchup and a middle-of-the-road one this week, both at home. The Indians rank tied for 26th in wRC+ (84) against right-handed pitchers this year (per FanGraphs), while the surging Yankees are tied for 13th in wRC+ (99) against righties this season.
- Spencer Turnbull fantasy baseball tip: Turnbull’s a viable addition in leagues as shallow as 12-team mixers.
David Peterson, New York Mets (12%)
- Start 1: vs. Colorado Rockies
- Start 2: vs. Atlanta Braves
Peterson draws the miserable Rockies, who rank dead last in road wRC+ (58) and are striking out at a 27.5% clip in away games. Picking against Colorado anywhere besides Coors Field is generally a sound strategy.
Peterson’s second start is a more challenging one against the Braves. They scuffled out of the chute against lefties but have predictably turned things around, climbing to 10th in wRC+ (106). However, they are strikeout-prone against southpaws with a 26.8 K%, providing a potential reward for risk-takers using Peterson against them.
The lefty’s 4.97 ERA in 8 starts totaling 38 innings this year fails to paint an accurate picture of his quality of work. Peterson’s also responsible for a 3.43 SIERA, a 1.26 WHIP, an 8.8 BB%, a 28.9 K%, and a 30.7 CSW%, all of which suggest that ERA improvement is forthcoming.
- David Peterson fantasy baseball tip: Peterson’s more of a 14-team mixed-league option than a shallow-league option in leagues with weekly lineup changes because of his second start of the week. However, in leagues with daily lineup changes, he’s more appealing as a streamer.
Austin Gomber, Colorado Rockies (6%)
- Start 1: at New York Mets
- Start 2: at Pittsburgh Pirates
I can forgive fantasy baseball gamers who shudder at reading Gomber’s name here given his 4.96 ERA and 1.30 WHIP this year, but his numbers are still inflated by his disastrous start against the San Francisco Giants last month. In his other eight outings, he owns a 3.32 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, a 10.0 BB%, and a 24.4 K%.
Gomber has a pair of cushy turns this week, facing the New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates on the road. They rank 18th (97 wRC+) and 28th (77 wRC+) in wRC+ against lefties this year, respectively, and the Mets are down several key offensive players. The road venues bolster Gomber’s case for streaming as well. Citi Field has the lowest park factor for runs (0.841), while PNC Park has the 10th-lowest park factor for runs (0.966), per FantasyPros.
- Austin Gomber fantasy baseball tip: I’ve listed the two-start pitchers in order of the percentage of rosters they’re on, but I actually prefer Gomber to Peterson by the slightest of margins. Also, with a couple of plus matchups on the schedule this week, he’s a safer option in leagues with weekly lineup changes. Fantasy baseball gamers in leagues as shallow as 12-team mixers should trust Gomber this week.
Aside from one rough outing, Austin Gomber has been excellent this year (Image: USA Today).
Week 9 Fantasy Baseball Spot Starters To Add From Waiver Wire
Rich Hill, Tampa Bay Rays vs. Kansas City Royals (47%)
I’ve been gassing up Hill of late, including featuring him in the Week 9 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire piece, so I don’t really have anything to add to the analysis I provided there.
Instead, I’ll point out that the Kansas City Royals provide him a sweet matchup, ranking 25th in wRC+ (86) against lefties this year. Additionally, if the Rays keep him on regular rest between starts, he’ll line up for a double-dip the following week, facing the Bronx Bombers in New York on Monday and the Texas Rangers in Texas over the weekend.
- Rich Hill fantasy baseball tip: Hill should be rostered in leagues of all sizes.
Week 9 MLB Sleeper Hitters To Add From Waiver Wire
J.D. Davis, 3B/OF, New York Mets (47%)
- 4 Games vs. Colorado Rockies
- 3 Games vs. Atlanta Braves
Davis, who has missed most of May with a sprained finger, is currently on a rehab assignment and is expected back with the Mets this week. With New York’s lineup ravaged by injuries, he’ll likely slot into the middle of the order given his elite production this year (1.089 OPS), making him an appealing fantasy option once he returns.
Ji-Man Choi, Tampa Bay Rays (7%)
- 1 Game at Toronto Blue Jays (Dunedin, Florida)
- 3 Games vs. Kansas City Royals
- 2 Games vs. Philadelphia Phillies
After missing the first quarter of the season recovering from offseason knee surgery, Choi hasn’t skipped a beat since returning to the lineup on May 16. He’s hit safely in all seven games he’s played in thus far, slashing .400/.500/.760 with 3 doubles, 2 homers, 8 RBIs, and 5 walks in 30 plate appearances.
Look for Choi to keep raking this week, as he’s expected to face primarily mediocre right-handers. In 733 plate appearances against righties since 2018, he’s hit .274/.374/.502 with 30 homers, making him a must-add for this week and beyond.
