DFS MLB Hitting Coach: June 4

I usually come away from the Saturday hitting coach far more excited for one slate over another, but I can’t wait to get after both slates Saturday. That being said, there are some significant differences in the slates you should be aware of. The early slate will probably be the easiest to fill in. There are cheap options at just about every position, but I have no problem loading up with studs, or some combination of both. The late slate has a lot of options as well, but those options are largely concentrated at the corners and in the outfield. Once again, it feels like all of the good second basemen play in the afternoon, and while there are catchers and shortstops I really like in the late slate, there are only a couple of each, which can limit your options elsewhere.

EARLY

Jonathan Lucroy’s 1.005 OPS against righties is the highest for any catcher with more than 30 at-bats this season. Lucroy is 10-for-20 with two home runs over the last seven days.

I was sorely tempted to include Wilson Ramos in this hitting coach, but I would argue Stephen Vogt is just as hot, and he costs a lot less. Vogt is 8-for-16 over the last week.

LATE

Royals manager Ned Yost left the door open for Salvador Perez to play Saturday, and he should absolutely be in your lineup if he starts, especially on FanDuel. Perez is 11-for-17 with a homer and six RBI against Josh Tomlin.

Matt Wieters is 12-for-35 with four home runs against Ivan Nova, and he may be an even better play than Perez.

If Perez and Wieters sit, or if you simply want a cheaper alternative at catcher, Derek Norris is finally showing signs of life. Norris has a modest three-game hitting streak, and I like his chances of making it four-in-a-row against Chad Bettis.

EARLY

Albert Pujols has at least one hit in each of his last six starts, and he is 8-for-24 with two home runs over that span. Right-handed batters have a .352 wOBA against Jeff Locke this season.

It always makes me nervous picking against a stud like Chris Sale, but Victor Martinez has been so good against him, I’m just going to go for it. Martinez is 16-for-34 with four home runs against Sale, and 11-for-28 with three home runs over the last week. For the season, Victor Martinez has a .937 OPS.

I have always had a soft spot for Logan Morrison, and over the last couple of weeks, he has validated my belief he can hit righties when he is healthy. Morrison is 10-for-26 over his seven-game hitting streak.

LATE

Eric Hosmer is 12-for-26 with a home run and a stolen base over the last week.

Chris Davis is 9-for-29 with three home runs and 10 RBI against Ivan Nova, and he has six runs scored in his last three games. If I have money left in my budget, I’m going to pay up for Davis.
Dae-Ho Lee has at least two hits in each of his last four starts, with two home runs and seven RBI in those games.

Adrian Gonzalez is 8-for-22 with a home run over the last week, and left-handed batters are hitting .364 against Bud Norris.

EARLY

Javier Baez is 9-for-20 against left-handed pitchers this season, and he has two runs scored and five RBI on three hits in his last two games. I like him in all formats, but he is a fantastic GPP play.

Dustin Pedroia is 6-for-13 with three RBI against Marcus Stroman, and he is 19-for-48 over his current 11-game hitting streak.

I may be a bit too high on Brett Lawrie, but he seems awfully cheap for somebody who is 9-for-28 over his last seven games and gets to face Mike Pelfrey.

Jed Lowrie has reached base in all eight games since returning from the disabled list, going 11-for-32 with five runs scored. Left-handed batters have a .375 wOBA against Collin McHugh this season.

LATE

DJ LeMahieu is 5-for-13 against Andrew Cashner and 7-for-21 over the last week.

Whit Merrifield is cheaper than LeMahieu, at least on DraftKings and FantasyAces, but he is just as hot. Merrifield is 8-for-26 with two stolen bases over the last week, and if the Royals get to Josh Tomlin, Merrifield could be right in the thick of it.

EARLY

Kris Bryant has home runs in two of his last three games, and he has at least one hit in nine of his last 10.

Yunel Escobar will likely bat lead off ahead of Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, and Escobar has an .889 OPS against lefties this season.

I tend to only play Evan Longoria against lefties, but Saturday is a good day to make an exception. Longoria is 7-for-17 with two stolen bases against Ervin Santana and 12-for-27 with three home runs over his seven-game hitting streak. Right-handed batters have a .352 wOBA against Ervin Santana this season.

LATE

Cheslor Cuthbert is 6-for-11 with a home run over his last three games, and right-handed batters have a .331 wOBA against Josh Tomlin this season.

Jose Ramirez costs a bit more than Cuthbert, and he is facing a better pitcher, but he is also a much better hitter. Ramirez is 10-for-24 with two stolen bases over the last week.
Kyle Seager is usually one of the last Mariners I consider against a lefty, but he is 10-for-22 with three home runs against Martin Perez. Over his seven-game hitting streak, Seager is 17-for-29 with 10 runs and 12 RBI.

If you want a slightly cheaper alternative to Seager, Matt Carpenter is 11-for-27 over the last week. I’m certainly not scared away by Jeff Samardzija.

EARLY

Carlos Correa is 9-for-21 with a home run and seven RBI over his six-game hitting streak. He is ridiculously cheap on DraftKings, and he has an .826 OPS against right-handed pitchers this season.

Brad Miller is just as hot as his Rays teammates, going 10-for-27 over the past week.

Trea Turner will probably be the most-owned hitter in the early slate, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should avoid him. If he bats second again he could be a nice value, especially after his 3-for-3 debut Friday.

LATE

Corey Seager would probably be my top shortstop play of the late slate even if he cost $500 more. Seager is 13-for-33 with five home runs over his last eight games, and left-handed batters have a .449 wOBA against Bud Norris.

Brandon Crawford is 3-for-23 over the last week, including two consecutive multi-hit games.

EARLY

Despite his early struggles, Jorge Soler has been batting fifth against lefties. You can’t beat the matchup, and Soler did go 2-for-3 in his last start.

Mike Trout has an .865 OPS against lefties this season, and he is 7-for-22 with two home runs, two stolen bases, seven runs and nine RBI over his last seven games.

Avisail Garcia is 6-for-15 in his career against Mike Pelfrey.

George Springer is 15-for-34 over the last week, and there is no reason to believe Kendall Graveman can slow him down.

Byron Buxton has at least one hit in every game since he was recalled from Triple-A, and this may finally be the time all of that talent translates into big league success. He would be a near must-play if the Twins move him up to first or second in the lineup.

Gregory Polanco has slowed down a bit of late, but he still has a .967 OPS against right-handed pitchers this season. Both Polanco and Starling Marte are strong DFS plays with Jhoulys Chacin moving up a day to pitch Saturday.

LATE

Lorenzo Cain is 6-for-16 against Josh Tomlin, and 12-for-30 with two home runs over the last week, while Jarrod Dyson is 5-for-14 against Tomlin and 4-for-13 with two stolen bases over the last week.

Mark Trumbo is 9-for-16 with two home runs against Ivan Nova and 10-for-26 with two home runs over the last week. He costs an awful lot, but he is worth it.

Lonnie Chisenhall is 8-for-19 in his last seven games, and he is one of the better cheap options in the late slate.

Franklin Gutierrez has a nine-game hitting streak, with three home runs over that span. If you ever needed a bit more incentive to play Gutierrez against a lefty, there it is.

Like Gutierrez, Nelson Cruz is always worth considering against lefties, and in this case, he is 3-for-4 with a home run against Martin Perez.

Jon Jay has been red-hot lately, going 18-for-42 over his last nine games. Leading off against Chad Bettis is not a bad place to be at all.