I know we’re all about hitting with my DFS MLB Hitting Coach articles, but man, Chris Sale at $8700 on DraftKings? Alrighty then…
We have all 30 teams playing in tonight’s 15-game DFS MLB slate. Outside of some rain that should clear out before the start of the Padres/Orioles game in Baltimore, there shouldn’t be any weather issues to worry about either.
Nonetheless, there are plenty of matchups that we’re going to want to exploit. With this big of a slate, I’m going to do my best to give you five or six of my favorite plays at each position. Players listed in the Hitting Coach article are organized from highest to lowest salary based on FanDuel pricing.
If you have any questions, definitely reach out by leaving a comment below, or tweeting me @kle18.
| CATCHER | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| Welington Castillo | ARI | R | TOR | Marco Estrada | 197 | 53 | 8 | 21 | 24 | 13 | 2 | .269 | .761 | .178 | .331 | .324 | 22.9% | 38.9% | 83.7% | $3,400 | $2,900 | $4,700 |
| Evan Gattis | HOU | R | LAA | Hector Santiago | 182 | 39 | 11 | 23 | 29 | 17 | 0 | .214 | .720 | .220 | .233 | .301 | 14.6% | 34.6% | 82.8% | $3,100 | $3,600 | $4,200 |
| Matt Wieters | BAL | S | SD | Luis Perdomo | 176 | 48 | 7 | 18 | 32 | 15 | 1 | .273 | .771 | .170 | .323 | .333 | 25.0% | 30.6% | 80.9% | $3,100 | $4,200 | $4,500 |
| Victor Martinez | DET | S | SEA | James Paxton | 239 | 78 | 12 | 27 | 38 | 18 | 0 | .326 | .907 | .205 | .338 | .383 | 27.5% | 40.6% | 92.0% | $2,900 | $4,100 | $4,950 |
| Stephen Vogt | OAK | L | MIL | Jimmy Nelson | 205 | 54 | 5 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 0 | .263 | .714 | .146 | .297 | .308 | 21.9% | 25.3% | 93.4% | $2,900 | $3,200 | $4,200 |
Welington Castillo’s history with Marco Estrada dates back to Estrada’s time with the Brew Crew. Castillo has gone 7-for-23 (.304 AVG) in his previous meetings against Estrada, while homering a whopping four times. He’s overpriced on FanDuel, but I like his value on DraftKings.
Evan Gattis has a very good chance to homer tonight against Hector Santiago of the Angels. Gattis has homered in two of his last three games, and faces Santiago who gives up a brutal 1.73 HR/9 this season, and a 47.6% Fly Ball Rate throughout his career.
Matt Wieters and the rest of the Orioles get an amazing matchup against the terribad Luis Perdomo of the Padres. Perdomo has pitched 42 innings this season, and has a pathetic 8.79 ERA, 1.50 HR/9, and 32.3% Hard Hit Rate. Wieters is coming off a great last couple games, going 6-for-9 (.667 AVG) with a homer, double, and four RBIs.
Victor Martinez has quietly excelled this season against left-handed pitching, batting an outstanding .333/.403/.567 with a .414 wOBA against southpaws.
Stephen Vogt’s 93.4% Z-Contact Rate is the best of his career. It has really helped him stay consistent throughout the season. Still, he has excelled at home in the Coliseum, batting a solid .304/.360/.449 against right-handed pitching at home. By the way, even though I don’t have Willson Contreras listed tonight, he’s in play if he gets the start. I am not listing him because I just don’t think he’s starting.
| FIRST BASE | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| Edwin Encarnacion | TOR | R | ARI | Patrick Corbin | 268 | 69 | 18 | 41 | 61 | 34 | 2 | .257 | .865 | .261 | .264 | .367 | 22.7% | 35.1% | 86.2% | $4,400 | $5,300 | $5,350 |
| Miguel Cabrera | DET | R | SEA | James Paxton | 269 | 83 | 15 | 40 | 43 | 32 | 0 | .309 | .924 | .234 | .330 | .387 | 21.7% | 36.2% | 84.0% | $4,100 | $4,800 | $5,600 |
| Brandon Belt | SF | L | PIT | Wilfredo Boscan | 230 | 70 | 10 | 35 | 35 | 44 | 0 | .304 | .951 | .230 | .337 | .402 | 28.0% | 35.1% | 86.1% | $4,100 | $5,100 | $4,900 |
| Joey Votto | CIN | L | TEX | Colby Lewis | 243 | 60 | 11 | 39 | 36 | 45 | 5 | .247 | .805 | .185 | .306 | .346 | 26.9% | 42.2% | 82.4% | $3,400 | $3,800 | $5,000 |
| Albert Pujols | LAA | R | HOU | Collin McHugh | 265 | 62 | 12 | 28 | 45 | 30 | 2 | .234 | .708 | .162 | .228 | .306 | 15.2% | 33.3% | 91.8% | $3,300 | $3,300 | $4,650 |
| Ryan Zimmerman | WSH | R | LAD | Scott Kazmir | 230 | 52 | 10 | 35 | 32 | 19 | 1 | .226 | .699 | .187 | .253 | .300 | 14.8% | 34.7% | 85.7% | $3,000 | $3,900 | $4,700 |
Edwin Encarnacion may no longer have a home run streak of six homers in his last six games, but he’s still crushing the ball left and right, and gets an insanely good matchup against Patrick Corbin, who is giving up MLB’s worst Hard Hit Rate at 39.2%. He may be a little too expensive tonight to roster on DraftKings cash, but I have to say, all signs say he may still be worth it. Paul Goldschmidt in the same game may also be a good option given his discounted price.
Miguel Cabrera has been on FIRE, and most people haven’t been aware of it thanks to the huge run by guys like Edwin Encarnacion and David Ortiz. Miggy has gone 15-for-37 (.405 AVG) with three homers, four doubles, six walks, eight runs, and seven RBIs over his last nine starts.
Brandon Belt should get a great matchup tonight against one of the Pirates’ spot starters. Right now, it is believed to be Wilfredo Boscan, who is allowing an opponent’s batting average of .284 this season in Triple-A Indianapolis. Belt has been outstanding in recent weeks, going 12-for-35 (.343 AVG) with four homers, three doubles, five walks, eight runs, and seven RBIs. Just like all of the Giants tonight, he is a much better value on FanDuel, mainly because DK has inflated all of SF’s salaries tonight.
Joey Votto is only $3400 on FanDuel and $3800 on DraftKings tonight and gets a matchup against Colby Lewis, who will not be taking a no-hitter into the 9th inning tonight. He has seemingly snapped out of his funk, batting .333/.478/.500 with two homers over his last 15 games.
Albert Pujols is inexplicably just $3300 on DraftKings tonight. He faces Collin McHugh who has been quite vulnerable all season long, and actually has a decent history against McHugh, batting .353/.450/.529 with a homer over 20 plate appearances.
Ryan Zimmerman gets a good matchup tonight against Scott Kazmir, who he has homered against in the past. He’s a great price on FanDuel and is still very reasonable on DraftKings, where most of the Nationals are priced below their normal salaries. If you’re looking for another option on FanDuel, I also like Justin Bour at that price point. As for DraftKings, Adrian Gonzalez at $3000 is also reasonable.
| SECOND BASE | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| Robinson Cano | SEA | L | DET | Justin Verlander | 290 | 86 | 19 | 51 | 53 | 21 | 0 | .297 | .906 | .259 | .295 | .383 | 19.1% | 34.2% | 92.6% | $4,000 | $4,300 | $5,300 |
| Jose Altuve | HOU | R | LAA | Hector Santiago | 277 | 95 | 11 | 50 | 40 | 36 | 18 | .343 | .968 | .202 | .346 | .408 | 28.7% | 34.1% | 90.6% | $3,900 | $5,400 | $5,500 |
| Rougned Odor | TEX | L | CIN | Anthony DeSclafani | 258 | 70 | 13 | 45 | 34 | 7 | 6 | .271 | .782 | .217 | .292 | .331 | 15.6% | 33.7% | 86.0% | $3,600 | $4,500 | $4,600 |
| Scooter Gennett | MIL | L | OAK | Sonny Gray | 184 | 49 | 6 | 26 | 18 | 19 | 3 | .266 | .763 | .163 | .328 | .329 | 22.8% | 31.4% | 86.2% | $3,300 | $3,600 | $4,200 |
| Neil Walker | NYM | S | KC | Ian Kennedy | 222 | 59 | 14 | 26 | 28 | 22 | 1 | .266 | .812 | .212 | .292 | .345 | 21.6% | 35.7% | 87.3% | $3,200 | $3,400 | $4,750 |
| Brandon Phillips | CIN | R | TEX | Colby Lewis | 248 | 64 | 6 | 32 | 28 | 11 | 4 | .258 | .690 | .137 | .276 | .292 | 19.4% | 29.6% | 87.5% | $2,900 | $2,900 | $4,700 |
Robinson Cano has been sensational against righties, hitting 15 of his 19 home runs this season against right-handers. He is even better away from home against righties, batting .379/.409/.724.
Jose Altuve vs. lefties at home = .559 OBP, .333 ISO, and .530 wOBA. Not much else to say here.
Rougned Odor is 14-for-43 (.326 AVG) with four homers, two doubles, 10 runs, and five RBIs over his last 10 games. He faces Anthony DeSclafani who has allowed a .354 wOBA throughout his career against left-handed hitters.
Scooter Gennett has really gotten the job done over the last week or so. Over his last eight starts, Gennett has gone 11-for-31 (.355 AVG) with two homers, three doubles, four walks, five runs, five RBIs, and a stolen base. Prefer his value on DraftKings.
Neil Walker loves facing Ian Kennedy. The former Pirate has gone 9-for-21 (.429 AVG) with three homers, a double, and nine RBIs throughout his career against the former Padre in Kennedy.
Brandon Phillips is only $2900 tonight on DraftKings. It makes a lot of sense because he’s facing Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers. Just kidding, it’s actually Colby Lewis. So no, it doesn’t make sense. Even Zack Cozart is a great value tonight on DraftKings if you want to go that route.
| THIRD BASE | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| Josh Donaldson | TOR | R | ARI | Patrick Corbin | 263 | 72 | 17 | 60 | 46 | 46 | 5 | .274 | .947 | .289 | .289 | .399 | 22.2% | 41.8% | 84.6% | $4,500 | $5,600 | $5,550 |
| Kris Bryant | CHC | R | STL | Adam Wainwright | 259 | 71 | 17 | 52 | 48 | 30 | 2 | .274 | .898 | .259 | .309 | .381 | 22.9% | 39.6% | 81.4% | $4,100 | $4,800 | $5,400 |
| Nolan Arenado | COL | R | NYY | Ivan Nova | 264 | 76 | 20 | 48 | 57 | 30 | 1 | .288 | .939 | .288 | .265 | .393 | 15.2% | 38.3% | 93.7% | $3,900 | $4,600 | $5,700 |
| Kyle Seager | SEA | L | DET | Justin Verlander | 264 | 71 | 14 | 41 | 46 | 30 | 1 | .269 | .855 | .235 | .275 | .360 | 20.1% | 38.0% | 86.2% | $3,500 | $3,600 | $5,350 |
| Justin Turner | LAD | R | WSH | Tanner Roark | 234 | 59 | 10 | 29 | 32 | 24 | 1 | .252 | .767 | .179 | .265 | .332 | 23.1% | 36.4% | 88.6% | $3,500 | $3,800 | $4,350 |
| Danny Worth | HOU | R | LAA | Hector Santiago | 19 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .211 | .526 | .105 | .235 | .224 | 29.4% | 23.5% | 95.5% | $2,200 | $2,900 | $3,000 |
Josh Donaldson is expensive but he has the highest ceiling among third basemen tonight, thanks to his matchup against Patrick Corbin. Don’t let that 4.76 ERA fool you, when opponents make contact, the ball is absolutely getting destroyed. He currently has the worst K/9, HR/9, xFIP, Hard Hit Rate throughout his 4-year Major League Career.
Kris Bryant has gone 4-for-14 (.286 AVG) with two homers, two doubles, five runs, and three RBIs over his last four games. He’s very expensive tonight, but I think the conditions at Wrigley should be very hitter friendly, and he should be very low-owned throughout the industry tonight. Love him for GPPs.
Nolan Arenado homered off of Ivan Nova when the Yankees dropped by Coors Field for a short 2-game series last week. He gets a huge savings tonight playing away from home, and is even less than $4000 on FanDuel.
Kyle Seager is only $3600 on DraftKings tonight. On top of that, he has gone 5-for-9 (.556 AVG) with a homer, three doubles, and five RBIs, lifetime, against Justin Verlander of the Tigers.
Justin Turner may be the hottest hitter in baseball. Over his last eight games, he has crushed the ball consistently, going 14-for-30 (.467 AVG) with five homers, three walks, six runs, and 11 RBIs. His best value is on Aces where he is only $4350.
Danny Worth is a great value play throughout the industry. He looked quite comfortable in his two starts against lefties this weekend against the Reds, going 3-for-9 (.333 AVG) with two doubles. He’s a great option if you’re looking to save some salary to pay up for pitching (2B/SS eligible on DK and Aces).
| SHORTSTOP | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| Carlos Correa | HOU | R | LAA | Hector Santiago | 255 | 66 | 10 | 32 | 36 | 37 | 8 | .259 | .799 | .180 | .324 | .348 | 24.0% | 39.3% | 83.9% | $3,900 | $3,800 | $5,050 |
| Francisco Lindor | CLE | S | TB | Blake Snell | 264 | 83 | 8 | 44 | 36 | 26 | 12 | .314 | .841 | .152 | .339 | .360 | 22.3% | 24.8% | 89.7% | $3,900 | $4,100 | $4,900 |
| Xander Bogaerts | BOS | R | CHW | Chris Sale | 288 | 100 | 9 | 55 | 46 | 24 | 10 | .347 | .909 | .163 | .392 | .391 | 20.5% | 32.4% | 90.4% | $3,400 | $5,300 | $5,450 |
| Troy Tulowitzki | TOR | R | ARI | Patrick Corbin | 175 | 36 | 9 | 19 | 25 | 18 | 1 | .206 | .688 | .194 | .229 | .297 | 10.2% | 33.9% | 80.7% | $3,000 | $3,600 | $4,650 |
| Trevor Story | COL | R | NYY | Ivan Nova | 269 | 71 | 18 | 40 | 46 | 22 | 4 | .264 | .873 | .286 | .346 | .366 | 22.4% | 44.6% | 82.2% | $2,800 | $4,100 | $5,350 |
| J.J. Hardy | BAL | R | SD | Luis Perdomo | 89 | 22 | 2 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 0 | .247 | .704 | .169 | .274 | .300 | 20.0% | 40.0% | 92.9% | $2,500 | $3,300 | $4,400 |
Carlos Correa gets that juicy matchup against Hector Santiago, and happens to be seeing the ball very well, reaching base safely 12 times in his last 23 at-bats, and homering two times in his last four games.
Francisco Lindor was a really big call that ended up doing wonders in the Hitting Coach as well as the Playbook last night. Lindor loves to face left-handed pitching and has been able show that he’s a better hitter from the right-side of a plate throughout his first 650 Major League at-bats. Best of all, he doesn’t have a reputation as much of a power hitter, so he doesn’t get as much love as Bogaerts, Correa, or Machado.
Xander Bogaerts is a great value tonight on FanDuel where he is only $3400, which is not bad even though he faces Chris Sale. Bogaerts has actually owned Sale in the past, going 5-for-10 (.500 AVG) with a homer.
Troy Tulowitzki alert! You know, I write my DFS MLB Hitting Coach articles without prior knowledge of who Jeff, Ted, Brett, or whoever is doing the Playbook is featuring. Nonetheless, I am 100 percent confident that Ted is in on Tulo. He’s just way too cheap throughout the industry, and has way too good of a matchup against Patrick Corbin.
Trevor Story remains way too cheap on FanDuel at just $2800. As long as the matchup is decent, I don’t see why you shouldn’t roll him out in your lineups. We used that theory yesterday, and he was able to reward us with a big solo home run.
J.J. Hardy is one of the cheaper ways to get exposure to the Orioles tonight against Luis Perdomo. He’s only $2500 on FanDuel and made his presence known last night, going 2-for-4 with a double last night in Arlington.
| OUTFIELD | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| Ian Desmond | TEX | R | CIN | Anthony DeSclafani | 279 | 87 | 11 | 51 | 46 | 21 | 13 | .312 | .867 | .194 | .378 | .368 | 21.8% | 33.0% | 79.7% | $4,000 | $4,700 | $4,850 |
| Carlos Beltran | NYY | S | COL | Chad Bettis | 240 | 68 | 18 | 38 | 48 | 12 | 0 | .283 | .883 | .283 | .289 | .369 | 17.8% | 35.6% | 90.9% | $3,800 | $5,000 | $5,100 |
| Rajai Davis | CLE | R | TB | Blake Snell | 220 | 58 | 7 | 35 | 27 | 20 | 21 | .264 | .750 | .155 | .327 | .327 | 17.3% | 27.6% | 85.1% | $3,800 | $4,400 | $4,550 |
| Mark Trumbo | BAL | R | SD | Luis Perdomo | 274 | 77 | 20 | 38 | 51 | 19 | 1 | .281 | .883 | .270 | .324 | .374 | 18.4% | 35.7% | 81.2% | $3,700 | $4,200 | $5,600 |
| Curtis Granderson | NYM | L | KC | Ian Kennedy | 256 | 57 | 13 | 34 | 21 | 27 | 1 | .223 | .760 | .227 | .247 | .322 | 17.4% | 39.8% | 88.3% | $3,400 | $4,300 | $4,550 |
| Carlos Gomez | HOU | R | LAA | Hector Santiago | 180 | 40 | 3 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 8 | .222 | .610 | .106 | .336 | .268 | 23.4% | 28.7% | 76.1% | $3,400 | $3,600 | $4,300 |
| Leonys Martin | SEA | L | DET | Justin Verlander | 182 | 48 | 10 | 24 | 24 | 19 | 9 | .264 | .795 | .198 | .317 | .342 | 14.8% | 36.4% | 81.3% | $3,300 | $3,100 | $4,450 |
| Matt Kemp | SD | R | BAL | Tyler Wilson | 281 | 72 | 15 | 35 | 47 | 9 | 0 | .256 | .743 | .214 | .278 | .308 | 19.5% | 32.7% | 82.9% | $3,300 | $4,400 | $4,750 |
| Justin Upton | DET | R | SEA | James Paxton | 257 | 61 | 8 | 34 | 31 | 20 | 4 | .237 | .684 | .156 | .335 | .295 | 21.1% | 34.9% | 77.5% | $3,100 | $3,200 | $4,350 |
| Giancarlo Stanton | MIA | R | ATL | Bud Norris | 213 | 46 | 13 | 25 | 32 | 30 | 0 | .216 | .754 | .221 | .280 | .324 | 16.0% | 38.2% | 79.1% | $3,100 | $3,600 | $5,000 |
| Jason Heyward | CHC | L | STL | Adam Wainwright | 235 | 56 | 4 | 34 | 24 | 28 | 7 | .238 | .663 | .098 | .295 | .298 | 20.6% | 22.7% | 89.5% | $3,000 | $3,700 | $4,700 |
| Cameron Maybin | DET | R | SEA | James Paxton | 113 | 40 | 1 | 19 | 13 | 11 | 8 | .354 | .827 | .062 | .406 | .365 | 19.1% | 22.5% | 97.8% | $2,900 | $3,900 | $4,400 |
| Shin-Soo Choo | TEX | L | CIN | Anthony DeSclafani | 43 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 2 | .233 | .747 | .093 | .290 | .351 | 25.8% | 40.6% | 88.9% | $2,900 | $3,400 | $4,500 |
| Max Kepler | MIN | L | PHI | Aaron Nola | 74 | 18 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 1 | .243 | .750 | .189 | .302 | .320 | 20.0% | 38.2% | 89.8% | $2,900 | $2,700 | $3,400 |
| Andrew McCutchen | PIT | R | SF | Johnny Cueto | 270 | 65 | 10 | 39 | 28 | 29 | 2 | .241 | .726 | .167 | .296 | .313 | 22.4% | 34.2% | 82.0% | $2,800 | $2,900 | $4,900 |
| Avisail Garcia | CHW | R | BOS | Clay Buchholz | 201 | 51 | 5 | 26 | 24 | 15 | 1 | .254 | .687 | .119 | .324 | .301 | 23.8% | 31.3% | 81.9% | $2,600 | $3,400 | $4,400 |
| Cody Asche | PHI | L | MIN | Tyler Duffey | 53 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | .226 | .696 | .189 | .270 | .299 | 25.6% | 38.5% | 85.1% | $2,500 | $2,900 | $3,400 |
| Matt Joyce | PIT | R | SF | Johnny Cueto | 95 | 28 | 7 | 18 | 23 | 19 | 0 | .295 | 1.017 | .305 | .368 | .427 | 20.3% | 39.1% | 74.3% | $2,100 | $2,600 | $4,650 |
| Socrates Brito | ARI | L | TOR | Marco Estrada | 34 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .206 | .559 | .147 | .261 | .235 | 25.0% | 25.0% | 97.6% | $2,000 | $2,200 | $3,950 |
Ian Desmond has quietly made a huge impact over the last week or so. In his last seven games, Desmond has gone 11-for-28 (.393 AVG) with two homers, three doubles, four walks, seven runs, and four RBIs. He matches up very well against Anthony DeSclafani, who he went 3-for-6 against last season with the Nationals.
Carlos Beltran must’ve been quite upset that he had to sit out of last week’s two game series against the Rockies in Coors. Still, he gets a chance to redeem himself tonight, going up against Chad Bettis of the Rockies. Beltran was on fire prior to sitting out due to a sore knee, and was able to get back into a groove, going 6-for-13 (.462 AVG) with two homers this past weekend against the Twins.
Rajai Davis continues to be an extremely safe cash game play. He has been able to get the job done at the plate as well as on the bases. Even though Davis isn’t getting any younger, he’s still as big of a base stealing threat as anyone in baseball. In fact, he has stolen eight bases over his last 10 games.
Mark Trumbo is basically the only Oriole that doesn’t have a ridiculously inflated price on DraftKings tonight. I guess it makes sense, because Luis Perdomo is one of the worst starters in baseball.
Curtis Granderson is at a very reasonable price point of $3400 on FanDuel and $4300 on DraftKings tonight. Grandy has actually batted .417/.533/.667 with a homer over 15 career plate appearances against Ian Kennedy.
Carlos Gomez has been outperforming George Springer in recent weeks, but he’s still as much as $1000 cheaper than Springer throughout the industry. I know it may be tough to roster someone who has been hovering around the Mendoza line throughout the season, but it should be noted that Gomez is batting .306/.370/.429 throughout the season against southpaws.
Leonys Martin just continues to rack up the points on a nightly basis. Hitting leadoff for the red hot Mariners is always a good situation to be on because of the run scoring possibilities. He is only $3100 tonight on DraftKings, which makes him a superb value play.
Matt Kemp is batting .351/.419/.514 with a homer and three doubles over his last 10 games. Even though Tyler Wilson has held his own in 2016, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s a contact pitcher, which isn’t exactly the best way to go about getting someone like Matt Kemp out.
Justin Upton’s slump is over. He is currently in the middle of a 10-game hitting streak, where he has gone 13-for-42 (.310 AVG) with four homers and 14 RBIs. This includes a huge walkoff homer last night to cap off a huge game where he went double dong against the Mariners. His price is just stupid at just $3100 on FanDuel and $3200 on DraftKings.
Giancarlo Stanton will make his return to the DFS Hitting Coach tonight. His price is too reasonable at $3600 on DraftKings for just a great matchup against Bud Norris of the Braves. Nonetheless, even though I am highlighting Stanton, Marcell Ozuna is still a very reasonable price on FanDuel, and someone I’m likely playing on FantasyAces.
Jason Heyward is more of a FanDuel play tonight at just $3000. He has come out of his shell in recent weeks, and has gone 12-for-36 (.333 AVG) with a homer, three doubles, two walks, and six runs over his last eight games. Warm weather and a slight breeze directed to right-field definitely has things favorable for the hitters tonight at Wrigley.
Cameron Maybin is still deservedly getting starts in the 2-hole in front of Miguel Cabrera, and just continues to produce at the plate. He is also consistently getting on base against lefties, batting .395/.500/.526 against southpaws this season.
Shin-Soo Choo has a .421 OBP in limited action this season. Having that type of OBP is a great number for cash games because it means you’re playing someone who has a higher ceiling than the average player. Choo is looking more and more comfortable at the plate, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts showcasing some power in the near future.
Max Kepler is an option for those who may not like Choo’s upside. The young German is currently in the middle of a 6-game hitting streak, where he has gone 8-for-21 (.381 AVG) with a homer, four doubles, six runs, and three RBIs.
Andrew McCutchen gets another crack at being the value play of the night as he’s just $2900 on DraftKings and $2800 on FanDuel. His DraftKings salary is largely due to the touchy DraftKings (vs. ace) pricing and could be a way to stack a few Pirates against Johnny Cueto. McCutchen has actually faced Cueto 70 times, dating back to Cueto’s time in the Reds, going .290/.371/.581 with four homers, a triple, and four doubles.
Avisail Garcia has quietly batted .289/.325/.316 over his last 10 games, and will face Clay Buchholz, who has been all sorts of terrible in 2016. It has reached an entirely new level in the sense that Buchholz was relegated to the bullpen for the first time in his 9-year major league career.
Cody Asche gets a very undaunting matchup against Tyler Duffey of the Twins, who is allowing lefties to bat .313/.353/.490 this season. It isn’t much about Asche being a great player or anything tonight, it’s all about the price and matchup. Plus, I do like the fact that there’s upside in Asche compared to, let’s say, Peter Bourjos. Six of Asche’s 12 hits this season have gone for extra bases.
Matt Joyce has been a Fantasy Alarm favorite this season whenever he gets the start, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the case tonight against Johnny Cueto, who Joyce has actually homered against in one of their previous meetings. He’s absolutely here because of his price, which is a very appealing $2100 on FanDuel and $2600 on DraftKings.
Socrates Brito was recalled from Triple-A Reno yesterday. While he probably doesn’t start against all righties, I think there’s a reasonable chance that he’ll make the lineup tonight given the fact that the DH is in play in Toronto. He’s a minimum price throughout the industry, and hopefully he can ride his momentum from Triple-A, where he had five homers, six triples, and eight doubles over 218 at-bats.
Be sure to keep an eye on the Fantasy Alarm Daily Lineups page to confirm that your players are starting.
If you guys have any questions, you can always reach me on Twitter @kle18. Good luck!