DFS MLB Hitting Coach: June 28

Tonight’s slate is loaded with talent in the key 1B, 3B, and OF positions.  The season high 50 HR’s hit on Sunday was followed up with plenty of more power last night with plenty of runs being scored as well as a 3 HR night by Bryant.  While the game at Coors in certainty in play, the Marlins/Tigers game has great value for going all in on one game in a GPP.  The Cubs, Dodgers, and Orioles are the other teams I will look to target tonight.  Please note that I stayed away from the Mets/Nationals game due to high weather concerns. Good luck!

Catcher

Cash Play:  My catcher for cash games tonight will be a mix of Nick Hundley and Wilson Contreras.  Hundley will be the popular play on DK with a price tag of $3200 which provides you with cheaper Coors exposure.  Contreras’s price is up there on DK, but very affordable on Aces.  On FD, with Hundley and Contreras having similar price tags, I think you are safe with either option.

GPP plays:  Yasmani Grandal did not record a hit in the Dodger’s series against the Pirates but has taken Anderson deep three times in eleven AB’s.  I also like Matt Wieters if starting tonight.  Erik Johnson was rocked in last start against the O’s, and Wieters is coming off of a two HR game.

Value Plays:  David Ross and James McCann check in as my catcher value plays.  Ross is Lester’s catcher who in his last 5 AB’s, has 2 HR’s and 3 K’s which is the boom or bust risk you expect from a punt play. McCann is nothing great, but has hit safely in 7 of his last 9 games, and like Ross, should be extremely low owned.

First Base

Cash Plays:  Edwin Encarnacion went deep twice last night, and don’t see why that can’t happen again tonight.  The problem is that he comes with a high price tag.  Miguel Cabrera and Adrian Gonzalez are both in nice spots for a much cheaper price tag.  Cabrera would be my preferred play up against the lefty Conley, but A-Gon has the ballpark bump, and is 6-13 with a HR and 5 walks vs Anderson.

GPP Plays:  The above players are all in play for GPP’s if stacking their teams, but I also like David Ortiz and Justin Bour.  Ortiz in 11-29 with 2 HR’s vs Archer, and hasn’t gone deep in 10 days.  His higher price tag and matchup will keep many off of him.  Bour’s three game HR streak was snapped last game, but more to the Cubs pitching around him.  He gets the righty Pelfrey tonight to start a new streak on.   Mark Reynolds is 0-16 lifetime vs Happ, but still think he is 15% owned in GPP’s tonight.

Value Play:  Tough to say to go the value route with all the 1B talent out there tonight, but if punting, A.J. Reed looks to be the only current option.  He is minimum price across the board, but probably due to his 0-10 start in the majors.  High risk with little reward on a slate like tonight.

Second Base  

Cash plays:  Second base is straight up Cristhian Adames on DK and Aces for me.  Wouldn’t be surprised if he is 90 plus % owned on DK.  Since Adames is SS on FD, I can see Logan Forsythe, Ian Kinsler, or Ben Zobrist being used.  Forsythe is the cheapest, went 3-5 with a HR last night, and 4-15 vs Porcello lifetime. Both Zobrist and Kinsler also bat leadoff, are are on teams that have much high run totals then the Rays do.

GPP plays:  First, I believe Adames provides salary relief, as well as potential to very much exceed his value.  If looking to go elsewhere, I like the three mentioned above, as well as Jonathan Schoop who is on a 9 game hit strak with multiple hits in 6 of those games.

Value Plays:  Adames is definetly the best value on DK, but on FD, Mike Aviles is your low owned value play if in the lineup.  He went deep last game, but targeting him as part of a Tigers stack only.

Third Base

Cash Plays:  Kris Bryant or Nolan Arenado?  Many will think going Bryant is chasing, and recommending him comes with no win situation.  John Lamb is a bad pitcher that has one win on the year, and the Cubs have been scoring in bunches when playing at Cincy.  Nolan has the Coors bump, as well as facing a lefty.  With both having a high probability of going deep, I’ll take the discount with Bryant.

GPP plays:   Manny Machado’s price is similar to the two listed above, but won’t be as popular.  He has two or more hits in 6 of his last 7 games, and gets to face what I think is the worst pitcher of the night.  There are multiple other routes to go tonight with third base being very much stacked tonight.  All of the players listed in the table I feel are great GPP plays, but should be paired up with another player or two from the same team.  With that being said, my favorite outside of Machado is Justin Turner.   

Value Play:  While there isn’t much value on Aces, DK gives us Travis Shaw.  His price is similar to others on FD, but he comes with the most risk due to matchup vs Archer.  While he is 2-4 vs him, rostering Shaw comes with a high risk.  I would rather use Nick Castellanos who should have more opportunities to produce tonight.

Shortstop

Cash Plays:  While you can still roster Cristhian Adames on FD or Aces here, Tim Anderson’s price isn’t rising on FD. He has been producing like Mookie Betts from the leadoff spot, but at a much cheaper price.  The conditions at the Cell tonight are prime for Anderson to homer for the third straight game.

GPP Plays:  Both Brad Miller and Javier Baez are mid-tier priced bats that can go deep tonight.  Miller has taken Porcello deep twice in 5 career AB’s.  On DK, I can’t see many taking Corey Seager due to his price, but as mentioned before, the Dodgers are one of my top stacking teams tonight.

Value Play:   Depending on where he bats in the lineup, Nick Ahmed is close to cash playable with a near minimum price tag.  He’s also 3-3 with a HR vs Eickhoff.  Problem is that if he bats 8^th, can you take him over Anderson leading off, or Adames batting second.

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Outfield

Cash Plays:  I can see many players using the Coors game to fill out their outfield.  Ryan Raburn crushes lefties, while on the flip side, Michael Saunders and Ezequiel Carrera get the righty in Butler who has given up seven HR’s and 35 hits over his last 18 innings.  I also like both Mark Trumbo and Giancarlo Stanton, who both have hit their opposing pitchers extremely well.

GPP Plays:  The GPP ownership levels for OF tonight may be pretty low across the board again tonight. All of the above players mentioned are in play, as well as the players listed in the table.  Adam Jones paired with Trumbo and Machado, and Yasiel Puig paired up with A-Gon and Turner are my top two combos.  Nelson Cruz and Justin Upton will both be very much overlooked, but both are in spots to go deep.

Value Plays:  Outside of Puig, Billy Hamilton, Ichiro Suzuki, and Travis Jankowski all make for solid value plays.  Hamilton has had Lester’s number in the past, but Billy is a fade for me tonight.  Ichiro works well with Prado and Stanton, and continues to hit value when leading off.  Jankowski is a late night hammer, but his price has risen above minimum price, making his 3 XBH in 76 AB’s not worth it tonight.