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Whether you're in need of an injury fill-in or just a hot-hand play, Scott White has you covered with 10 sleeper hitters for the upcoming scoring period, all rostered in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues. They're not must-starts by any estimation, but they're the best you'll find off the waiver wire.
All information is up to date as of Sunday evening.
Sleeper hitters for Week 3 (April 7-13)
The Padres have the second-best hitter matchups of any team this week, going against the Athletics and Rockies rotations, and Jake Cronenworth is the one mainstay in their lineup who's available enough to mention here. It doesn't hurt that he's off to a nice start, having reached base at nearly a .400 clip
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Rhys Hoskins isn't off to such a nice start, but he showed this spring that he's healthy again after playing through a repaired ACL last year. The Brewers' favorable matchups this week, which include a series at Coors Field, could be enough to get the slugger going.
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Kyle Manzardo is showing signs of being one of the season's biggest breakthrough bats, and a series against the White Sox's bottom-feeder pitching staff could bolster his claim. He has sat against one of three lefties the Guardians have faced so far, though, so it's not clear if he'll sit against Kris Bubic and Cole Ragans in the Royals series.
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With a roster rate of only 25 percent, Max Kepler might be the most overlooked hitter in the entire player pool. He's playing every day in a deep lineup, taking his walks and consistently throttling the ball after working with hitting coach Kevin Long to bolster his swing this spring. Some of the pitchers on tap for him include Bryce Elder, Andre Pallante, Miles MIkolas, and Matthew Liberatore.
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With the Reds having the fifth-best hitter matchups this week, namely because they're scheduled to face three pitchers other than Paul Skenes in the Pirates series, it's not a bad time to use their leadoff man. TJ Friedl had a solid performance over the weekend, is making contact at a nice rate, and is proven to have 20/20 upside.
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Ryan Mountcastle is off to a slow start statistically, but he's impacting the ball as hard as ever and faces a number of homer-prone pitchers this week, including Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt, Bowden Francis, and Jose Berrios. Seems like only a matter of time before he goes off.
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There's nothing particularly special about Spencer Torkelson's matchups this week, but they're not unfavorable, and I just think he's one of the best hitters still rostered in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues.
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Trevor Story's strikeout rate has run hot so far, but he's flashed power and speed already, showing he still has something to offer after a number of injury-plagued seasons. You could do worse than him this week with the Red Sox's boasting the third-best hitter matchups.
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You'd never put a catcher in a utility spot, which makes them harder to recommend in this space, but as catchers go, you won't find a more overlooked one than Hunter Goodman given that he's started every game for the Rockies -- and batted cleanup for most of them. He'll get to show off his power bat at Coors Field in a series against the Brewers.
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Otto Lopez has flashed surprising power in the early going while also making contact at a good rate, and speed is supposed to be his main selling point. I still think he'll mostly just be a steals specialist in the long run, but if you need middle infield help, there's a good chance his hot hitting continues against pitchers like Tylor Megill, Mitchell Parker and Trevor Williams.
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Best hitter matchups for Week 3
1. Mets MIA3, @ATH3
2. Padres @ATH3, COL3
3. Red Sox TOR4, @CHW3
4. Brewers @COL3, @ARI3
5. Reds @SF3, PIT3
Worst hitter matchups for Week 3
1. Cardinals @PIT3, PHI3
2. Rangers @CHC3, @SEA3
3. Mariners HOU3, TEX3
4. Braves PHI3, @TB3
5. Yankees @DET3, SF3
