DFS MLB Hitting Coach: May 15

It feels good to be back in the saddle after Ben Scherr ably handled Hitting Coach duties yesterday so I could set a new half-marathon PR. Sunday’s slate is full of solid plays, but there aren’t a lot of stars or scrubs I would be in a hurry to play. If that is your preference, you could have a hard time. The good news is there are plenty of strong plays at every position, which should provide plenty of flexibility when you set your lineup.

Buster Posey is 4-for-8 with a home run against Rubby De La Rosa.

Jason Castro is 3-for-7 since returning from the paternity list and 2-for-2 against Boston starter Sean O’Sullivan.

Chris Stewart is 3-for-7 with a home run against Jon Lester, and Stewart will likely start after Francisco Cervelli caught the last four games.

Russell Martin is 3-for-7 in his career against Cesar Ramos, and if he can get a couple of hits he could do some damage as the Toronto lineup figures do score plenty of runs Sunday.

Chris Davis is 11-for-19 with a home run, five runs and six RBI over his last five games.

David Ortiz is 10-for-25 with three home runs and eight RBI over his last six games.

Joe Mauer is 6-for-17 against Trevor Bauer and he has two multi-hit games in the last three days.

Edwin Encarnacion is 3-for-6 with a home run against Cesar Ramos, and Encarnacion has a .389 wOBA against lefties this season.

Victor Martinez is 13-for-21 over his current five-game hitting streak.

Gordon Beckham is 6-for-14 in his last four games, and he is 4-for-13 against Royals starter Danny Duffy.

Jonathan Schoop had two home runs Saturday, and over the last week he is 8-for-23 with three home runs. Michael Fulmer has allowed three home runs in as many starts this season, and Schoop has an excellent chance to homer Sunday.

Jason Kipnis is 8-for-18 with a home run over his last four games, and left-handed batters have a .385 wOBA against Tyler Duffey this season.

Righties have a .420 wOBA against Cesar Ramos this season, and Darwin Barney continues to have value when he starts.

Justin Turner is 6-for-12 in his career against Mike Leake, and it is encouraging to see he is still batting third despite his struggles to start the season.

Danny Valencia is 7-for-17 with two home runs in five games since returning from a hamstring injury, and he is 3-for-8 in his career against Matt Moore.

David Wright is batting second at Coors, and while I don’t necessarily love his matchup or his price, the lack of other options at third base makes Wright that much more interesting.

Travis Shaw may be the hottest third baseman in the game right now, going 11-for-22 with nine runs, nine RBI, two home runs and a steal over his last six games.

Mike Leake has allowed three runs or more in six of his seven starts this season, and Corey Seager is heating up, with five multi-hit games in his last eight starts and a .393 average over the last week.

Brandon Crawford is 5-for-14 with two home runs against Rubby De La Rosa, and it sounds like Crawford should be fine after missing Saturday’s game with a stiff neck. If Crawford is out, Kelby Tomlinson would be a solid DFS play.

Jonathan Villar is 11-for-24 with three stolen bases over his last six games, and he is a strong play if he bats first or second.

Troy Tulowitzki is 5-for-11 with three home runs over his last four games.

Chris Owings is 5-for-7 with a home run versus Matt Cain, and 12-for-29 over the last week. He is one of the few Arizona hitters I trust despite a very nice matchup at home.

Carlos Beltran and Dustin Ackley are 5-for-8 and 4-for-8 respectively against Miguel Gonzalez, each with a home run.

Adam Jones is 11-for-21 with four home runs over his last five games.

Mike Trout is batting .368 with five home runs and 15 RBI in 68 at-bats against Felix Hernandez.

Oswaldo Arcia is 5-for-10 with four home runs against Trevor Bauer.

Melvin Upton is 9-for-19 with three home runs over his last five games, and he is 2-for-2 against Brewers’ starter Zach Davies.

Franklin Gutierrez is 4-for-9 against Hector Santiago, and he is still batting near the top of the order against lefties.

Nelson Cruz has two home runs with four runs and four RBI over his current four-game hitting streak, and he is pretty cheap for somebody who has a 1.011 OPS against lefties this season.

Stephen Piscotty is one of the safest hitters around, having reached safely in 11 of his last 12 games, batting .373 over that span.