Fantasy Baseball Week 12 Preview: Top 10 sleeper hitters include Nick Gonzales, Willi Castro (2024)

With a reduced strikeout rate and greatly improved fly-ball rate this year, Nick Gonzales is emerging as a real Fantasy asset. This week seems like an optimal time to try him out with the Pirates having the fourth-best hitter matchups, which include a visit to Coors Field.

Making his third straight appearance on this list, the Blue Jays leadoff hitter has a patient approach and a swing geared for home runs. And with matchups like Aaron Ashby, Tobias Myers, Logan Allen, and Carlos Carrasco, it's shaping up to be another good week for Davis Schneider.

Willi Castro is eligible at three positions and a fixture in the Twins lineup at this point, making him a good choice to take advantage of the Twins' No. 1-ranked hitter matchups this week. That's especially true since three of the seven pitchers on tap are lefties, against whom he has a .352 batting average.

Heliot Ramos has been a fixture in the Giants lineup for the past month, and his power production is beginning to live up to his high exit velocities. The strikeouts are a bit worrisome, but the only pitchers on the schedule this week with more than a strikeout per inning are Spencer Arrighetti and Patrick Sandoval, who are far from aces.

Joc Pederson has quality numbers this year, but since he only plays against right-handers, there's rarely an occasion to use him. The Diamondbacks have only one lefty on the schedule this week, though, and I would bet on Pederson hitting at least a couple homers against righties like Griffin Canning, Chris Flexen, Erick Fedde, and Jake Woodford.

The Twins have been so pleased with Jose Miranda's work at the plate this year that they continue to find at-bats for him even with Royce Lewis back from the IL. He's a fine choice to take advantage of the most favorable hitter matchups this week, with the toughest pitcher being ... Austin Gomber? Joey Estes? Nobody good.

Connor Joe's numbers are less than spectacular, but he's been steady enough to hold down a full-time job for the first time. The Pirates schedule this week includes matchups like Miles Mikolas and Lance Lynn at St. Louis and then Ryan Feltner, Ty Blach and Dakota Hudson at Coors Field.

The Athletics are one of just eight teams scheduled to play seven games this week, and every pitcher on the schedule throws right-handed. That works to the advantage of someone like J.J. Bleday, a left-handed hitter with a respectable .260/.354/.451 slash line against righties.

Josh Bell enters the weekend batting .353 (30 for 85) with two homers and a .922 OPS over his past 21 games and is scheduled to face four lefties in his six games this week, including mashables like David Peterson, DJ Herz and Patrick Corbin. The switch-hitter hasn't been as productive against lefties this year, but over a larger sample against them last year, he had a .854 OPS.

The Mariners deserve to be represented here with the fifth-best hitter matchups, being one of just eight teams scheduled for seven games. Ty France is off to a slow start in June but was on a nice run to end May and is a reasonable bet to bounce back.