When I put together my lineups for both of Saturday’s slates, I noticed I had an easier time finding cheaper hitters than more expensive guys. I would be fine playing Mike Trout or Bryce Harper, but for the most part, I am content to spend less on my hitters and spend the savings on pitchers rather than pay for too many stud hitters.
One programming note before we get to the position-by-position breakdown: The Blue Jays-Rays game is not offered on FantasyAces Saturday. It is included on the early slates for DraftKings and FanDuel, so I have included those players in this hitting coach, but they are not available on FantasyAces. Also, Cubs-Braves has been rained out, so be sure to get those players out of your lineups.
CATCHER
Prob Pit | 2015 | 2016 | ||||||||||||||
Player | Tm | Bat | P | Opp | Pitcher | Throws | AVG | OBP | SLG | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | FD | DK | Aces |
Stephen Vogt | OAK | L | C | HOU | Chris Devenski | R | 0.26 | 0.34 | 0.44 | 0.25 | 0.3 | 0.45 | 0.33 | 3000 | 3500 | 4200 |
Yadier Molina | STL | R | C | WSH | Joe Ross | R | 0.27 | 0.31 | 0.35 | 0.33 | 0.42 | 0.44 | 0.38 | 3100 | 3200 | 4200 |
J.T. Realmuto | MIA | R | C | MIL | Chase Anderson | R | 0.26 | 0.29 | 0.41 | 0.28 | 0.3 | 0.42 | 0.32 | 2600 | 3300 | 4100 |
Welington Castillo | ARI | R | C | COL | Chris Rusin | L | 0.17 | 0.24 | 0.36 | 0.29 | 0.35 | 0.56 | 0.39 | 3500 | 3800 | 4800 |
Salvador Perez | KC | R | C | SEA | Wade Miley | L | 0.26 | 0.28 | 0.43 | 0.25 | 0.29 | 0.53 | 0.35 | 3300 | 2800 | 4400 |
EARLY
You can believe in Chris Devenski if you want, but I would much rather trust Stephen Vogt and his .353 wOBA against righties last season.
Yadier Molina hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down, as he currently has a 10-game hitting streak. Molina has a 1.182 OPS at home this season.
LATE
J.T. Realmuto is 10-for-19 with two home runs over the last week.
I often recommend Welington Castillo, especially against lefties, but it definitely helps that he is 12-for-26 with three home runs over the Diamondbacks’ current eight-game home stand.
Salvador Perez is 5-for-6 with a home run against Wade Miley, and he is a nice value on DraftKings.
FIRST BASE
Prob Pit | 2015 | 2016 | ||||||||||||||
Player | Tm | Bat | P | Opp | Pitcher | Throws | AVG | OBP | SLG | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | FD | DK | Aces |
Victor Martinez | DET | B | DH | MIN | Tyler Duffey | R | 0.25 | 0.3 | 0.37 | 0.32 | 0.39 | 0.63 | 0.39 | 3000 | 3600 | 4700 |
Lucas Duda | NYM | L | 1B | SF | Matt Cain | R | 0.24 | 0.35 | 0.49 | 0.24 | 0.27 | 0.44 | 0.31 | 3300 | 4000 | 4800 |
Justin Smoak | TOR | B | 1B | TB | Chris Archer | R | 0.23 | 0.3 | 0.47 | 0.21 | 0.41 | 0.24 | 0.33 | 2100 | 2700 | 4000 |
Pedro Alvarez | BAL | L | 1B | CWS | Mat Latos | R | 0.24 | 0.32 | 0.47 | 0.18 | 0.31 | 0.25 | 0.26 | 2800 | 3400 | 4150 |
Chris Davis | BAL | L | 1B | CWS | Mat Latos | R | 0.26 | 0.36 | 0.56 | 0.22 | 0.34 | 0.49 | 0.37 | 4100 | 4800 | 5450 |
Joey Votto | CIN | L | 1B | PIT | Francisco Liriano | L | 0.31 | 0.46 | 0.54 | 0.24 | 0.33 | 0.33 | 0.27 | 3200 | 3500 | 5000 |
John Jaso | PIT | L | 1B | CIN | Alfredo Simon | R | 0.29 | 0.38 | 0.46 | 0.32 | 0.38 | 0.42 | 0.36 | 3100 | 3300 | 4500 |
EARLY
Victor Martinez is on fire right now, going 11-for23 with three home runs over his last six games. Martinez has just seven strikeouts in 80 plate appearances this season, making him one of the safest DFS plays available.
I much prefer Victor Martinez for cash games, but in a GPP, or as part of a stack, Lucas Duda is interesting. Duda already has four home runs on the young season.
Justin Smoak is dirt cheap, he will probably bat sixth, and he is inexplicably 6-for-19 in his career against Chris Archer. He is your best bet if you want to go cheap at first base in the early slate, and I doubt many people will play him.
LATE
Pedro Alvarez is 8-for-29 with two home runs against Mat Latos, and he has gone 2-for-3 in each of his last two starts. If you can afford a bit more, Chris Davis is 8-for-29 with two home runs over the last week and he has seven home runs on the season.
Joey Votto is 8-for-19 over the last week. Votto is notorious for drawing walks, and Francisco Liriano has allowed 17 walks in 21 1/3 innings this season.
Stop me if you have heard this before: John Jaso is pretty cheap, he kills righties, and he is leading off in a good lineup against a weak right-hander.
SECOND BASE
Prob Pit | 2015 | 2016 | ||||||||||||||
Player | Tm | Bat | P | Opp | Pitcher | Throws | AVG | OBP | SLG | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | FD | DK | Aces |
Jed Lowrie | OAK | B | 2B | HOU | Chris Devenski | R | 0.22 | 0.31 | 0.4 | 0.31 | 0.35 | 0.36 | 0.33 | 2800 | 3200 | 3950 |
Neil Walker | NYM | B | 2B | SF | Matt Cain | R | 0.27 | 0.33 | 0.43 | 0.31 | 0.33 | 0.64 | 0.41 | 3800 | 4000 | 5000 |
Kelby Tomlinson | SF | R | 3B | NYM | Jacob deGrom | R | 0.3 | 0.36 | 0.4 | 0.16 | 0.2 | 0.16 | 0.15 | 2200 | 2500 | 3800 |
Starlin Castro | NYY | R | SS | BOS | Rick Porcello | R | 0.27 | 0.3 | 0.38 | 0.3 | 0.35 | 0.49 | 0.35 | 3000 | 3200 | 4600 |
Johnny Giavotella | LAA | R | 2B | TEX | Derek Holland | L | 0.27 | 0.32 | 0.38 | 0.2 | 0.21 | 0.28 | 0.21 | 2300 | 3100 | 3500 |
Brandon Phillips | CIN | R | 2B | PIT | Francisco Liriano | L | 0.29 | 0.33 | 0.4 | 0.29 | 0.32 | 0.44 | 0.35 | 2600 | 3000 | 4300 |
EARLY
Neil Walker’s price may never be so high again this season, but he continues to mash the ball—he is 8-for-23 with three homers over the last week—and Matt Cain is really, really terrible.
Jed Lowrie is 9-for-22 over the last week, and he is certainly capable of taking advantage of a nice matchup with Chris Devenski.
Kelby Tomlinson has an excellent chance to start, and possibly even bat second if Joe Panik sits. If he plays he is worth considering despite a tough matchup.
LATE
Brandon Phillips is 11-for-36 against Francisco Liriano, and while Liriano has struggled this season, Phillips is off to a nice start.
Johnny Giavotella batted second the last time the Angels faced a lefty, and while he is probably worth playing against Derek Holland no matter his spot in the lineup, I would love him batting ahead of Mike Trout and Albert Pujols.
Starlin Castro has four multi-hit games in his last five starts, and Castro has tended to be a pretty streaky hitter in recent seasons.
THIRD BASE
Prob Pit | 2015 | 2016 | ||||||||||||||
Player | Tm | Bat | P | Opp | Pitcher | Throws | AVG | OBP | SLG | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | FD | DK | Aces |
Nick Castellanos | DET | R | 3B | MIN | Tyler Duffey | R | 0.26 | 0.3 | 0.42 | 0.36 | 0.37 | 0.57 | 0.37 | 3000 | 3200 | 4600 |
David Wright | NYM | R | 3B | SF | Matt Cain | R | 0.29 | 0.38 | 0.43 | 0.24 | 0.35 | 0.42 | 0.33 | 2700 | 3900 | 4700 |
Evan Longoria | TB | R | 3B | TOR | J.A. Happ | L | 0.27 | 0.33 | 0.44 | 0.23 | 0.26 | 0.4 | 0.29 | 2800 | 4100 | 5000 |
Martin Prado | MIA | R | 3B | MIL | Chase Anderson | R | 0.29 | 0.34 | 0.39 | 0.4 | 0.43 | 0.49 | 0.38 | 2900 | 3700 | 4150 |
Brandon Drury | ARI | R | 3B | COL | Chris Rusin | L | 0.21 | 0.25 | 0.38 | 0.3 | 0.31 | 0.56 | 0.39 | 2700 | 3100 | 3600 |
Maikel Franco | PHI | R | 3B | CLE | Trevor Bauer | R | 0.28 | 0.34 | 0.5 | 0.28 | 0.33 | 0.49 | 0.36 | 3500 | 3600 | 5150 |
EARLY
If you are looking for a cheaper way to get some exposure to Tyler Duffey, Nick Castellanos is your best bet. He is 9-for-24 over the last week, which certainly doesn’t hurt.
David Wright is 11-for-28 in his career against Matt Cain, just in case you needed another reason to play him against Cain and his 6.43 ERA.
Evan Longoria is 8-for-21 against J.A. Happ, and he has always crushed lefties.
LATE
I don’t understand while Maikel Franco is so cheap, especially on DraftKings? Is he so different from guys like Todd Frazier or Adrian Beltre who cost a lot more? I don’t think so, and I love Franco’s chances to take Trevor Bauer deep.
Martin Prado may be the safest third base play of the day as he is 12-for-22 over his current five-game hitting streak.
Brandon Drury batted second the last time the Diamondbacks faced a lefty, and he is a great play if he bats second again. Drury has a .361 wOBA against lefties in his career.
SHORTSTOP
Prob Pit | 2015 | 2016 | ||||||||||||||
Player | Tm | Bat | P | Opp | Pitcher | Throws | AVG | OBP | SLG | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | FD | DK | Aces |
Danny Espinosa | WSH | B | 2B | STL | Jaime Garcia | L | 0.24 | 0.31 | 0.41 | 0.19 | 0.32 | 0.26 | 0.23 | 2100 | 2500 | 3800 |
Asdrubal Cabrera | NYM | B | SS | SF | Matt Cain | R | 0.27 | 0.32 | 0.43 | 0.31 | 0.37 | 0.42 | 0.34 | 2700 | 3300 | 4350 |
Jordy Mercer | PIT | R | SS | CIN | Alfredo Simon | R | 0.24 | 0.29 | 0.32 | 0.32 | 0.39 | 0.42 | 0.34 | 3100 | 3200 | 4400 |
Zack Cozart | CIN | R | SS | PIT | Francisco Liriano | L | 0.26 | 0.31 | 0.46 | 0.37 | 0.37 | 0.57 | 0.42 | 3400 | 3600 | 4350 |
Ketel Marte | SEA | B | SS | KC | Yordano Ventura | R | 0.28 | 0.35 | 0.4 | 0.28 | 0.31 | 0.32 | 0.29 | 2900 | 3200 | 3500 |
EARLY
Danny Espinosa is 6-for-13 against Jaime Garcia, and there is no arguing with his price.
While I like Espinosa, there is no doubt Asdrubal Cabrera is far safer despite not costing that much more. Cabrera is 7-for-23 over the last week
LATE
Zack Cozart is 8-for-22 over the last seven days, and he has value as the lead-off batter against the struggling Francisco Liriano.
Jordy Mercer is 8-for-23 over the last seven days and 7-for-22 in his career against Alfredo Simon.
Ketel Marte is 10-for-24 over the last week and 3-for-3 against Yordano Ventura.
OUTFIELD
Prob Pit | 2015 | 2016 | ||||||||||||||
Player | Tm | Bat | P | Opp | Pitcher | Throws | AVG | OBP | SLG | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | FD | DK | Aces |
Danny Santana | MIN | B | SS | DET | Jordan Zimmermann | R | 0.22 | 0.24 | 0.29 | 0.35 | 0.35 | 0.41 | 0.35 | 2600 | 2300 | 4050 |
Stephen Piscotty | STL | R | LF | WSH | Joe Ross | R | 0.31 | 0.36 | 0.49 | 0.3 | 0.37 | 0.52 | 0.39 | 3500 | 4000 | 4700 |
Evan Gattis | HOU | R | DH | OAK | Jesse Hahn | R | 0.25 | 0.29 | 0.46 | 0.26 | 0.27 | 0.42 | 0.25 | 2500 | 3800 | 4450 |
Josh Reddick | OAK | L | RF | HOU | Chris Devenski | R | 0.27 | 0.33 | 0.45 | 0.27 | 0.35 | 0.46 | 0.34 | 3400 | 4000 | 4350 |
Curtis Granderson | NYM | L | RF | SF | Matt Cain | R | 0.26 | 0.36 | 0.46 | 0.24 | 0.35 | 0.48 | 0.36 | 3700 | 4500 | 4500 |
Michael Conforto | NYM | L | LF | SF | Matt Cain | R | 0.27 | 0.34 | 0.51 | 0.34 | 0.43 | 0.61 | 0.44 | 3900 | 3600 | 4800 |
Steve Pearce | TB | R | 2B | TOR | J.A. Happ | L | 0.22 | 0.29 | 0.42 | 0.28 | 0.36 | 0.39 | 0.34 | 2400 | 2900 | 4300 |
Nolan Reimold | BAL | R | RF | CWS | Mat Latos | R | 0.25 | 0.34 | 0.39 | 0.36 | 0.39 | 0.74 | 0.43 | 2400 | 3000 | 3800 |
Starling Marte | PIT | R | LF | CIN | Alfredo Simon | R | 0.29 | 0.34 | 0.44 | 0.33 | 0.37 | 0.53 | 0.39 | 4200 | 4700 | 5400 |
Odubel Herrera | PHI | L | CF | CLE | Trevor Bauer | R | 0.3 | 0.34 | 0.42 | 0.3 | 0.46 | 0.42 | 0.39 | 3600 | 3400 | 4400 |
Giancarlo Stanton | MIA | R | RF | MIL | Chase Anderson | R | 0.27 | 0.35 | 0.61 | 0.25 | 0.35 | 0.56 | 0.39 | 4800 | 5300 | 5350 |
Ian Desmond | TEX | R | LF | LAA | Matt Shoemaker | R | 0.23 | 0.29 | 0.38 | 0.23 | 0.32 | 0.38 | 0.3 | 3100 | 4200 | 4500 |
Gerardo Parra | COL | L | LF | ARI | Zack Greinke | R | 0.33 | 0.37 | 0.52 | 0.29 | 0.31 | 0.46 | 0.32 | 3400 | 3200 | 5000 |
Lorenzo Cain | KC | R | CF | SEA | Wade Miley | L | 0.31 | 0.36 | 0.48 | 0.22 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.26 | 3200 | 3900 | 4700 |
Alex Gordon | KC | L | LF | SEA | Wade Miley | L | 0.27 | 0.38 | 0.43 | 0.21 | 0.32 | 0.33 | 0.3 | 2600 | 3200 | 4450 |
EARLY
Danny Santana has been great since returning from a hamstring injury, going 8-for-17 with at least one hit in each of his four games. He has led off three consecutive games, and he is still quite cheap, especially on DraftKings.
Stephen Piscotty is 10-for-22 over his current five-game hitting streak, and he is a likely candidate to tag Joe Ross for his first home runs of the season.
Evan Gattis is 7-for-17 over his current four-game hitting streak, and he is a fantastic play on FanDuel where he is dirt-cheap and eligible at catcher.
Josh Reddick Is 9-for-24 with a home run and two stolen bases over the last week. He had a .356 wOBA against righties last season.
Steve Pearce is 8-for-22 with three home runs against J.A. Happ. Steven Souza and Brandon Guyer are worth considering as well, especially depending on how the batting order shakes out.
As you may have noticed, I am expecting big things from the Mets’ lineup against Matt Cain. That begins with Curtis Granderson, though Michael Conforto is ridiculously cheap on DraftKings and is 11-for-22 over the last week.
LATE
Nolan Reimold has two hits in each of his last two games, and the price is right to see if he can stay hot against Mat Latos.
Starling Marte is 10-for-28 against Alfredo Simon and, coincidentally, 10-for-28 over the last week.
I don’t expect Odubel Herrera’s ridiculous 23 percent walk rate to hold up much longer, but he will probably walk at least once against Trevor Bauer and his 10.7 percent career walk rate. For good measure, Herrera is 9-for-20 over the last week.
Giancarlo Stanton has a home run in four of his last five games while Chase Anderson has surrendered three home runs over his last two starts.
Ian Desmond is 9-for-20 with two home runs and three stolen bases over the last seven days.
Gerardo Parra’s price is still down on FanDuel and especially DraftKings, but he is 12-for-26 with eight RBI over his current five-game hitting streak. Perhaps more importantly, Parra is 9-for-29 in his career against Zack Greinke.
I don’t believe at all in Wade Miley, and I do believe in Lorenzo Cain and Alex Gordon, despite their struggles this season. They had a .959 and .817 OPS respectively against left-handed pitchers last season, and they are hard to pass up at such little cost.