Sunday’s slate is ridiculously deep, especially at first base, second base and outfield. I had to leave some really good hitters with nice matchups out of this hitting coach, or risk having way too many names. Guys like David Ortiz, Jose Abreu, Jason Kipnis, Josh Donaldson and Bryce Harper just missed the cut. While the players I have listed are the ones I will use in my lineups Sunday, I have no issue if you want to go off the board at one of the aforementioned deep positions. Unless there is someone at one of those spots who just jumps off the page at you, I recommend you fill those spots last.
| CATCHER | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | POS | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Chris Iannetta | SEA | C | R | A | TEX | Derek Holland | L | 142 | .218 | .313 | .345 | .658 | .282 | .127 | 11.70% | 22.10% | 38.60% | 37.60% | 23.80% | 10.50% | .262 | $2,500 | $3,500 | $4,000 |
| Francisco Pena | BAL | C | R | H | NYY | CC Sabathia | L | 4 | .500 | .500 | 1.250 | 1.750 | .739 | .750 | 0.00% | 25.00% | 33.30% | 66.70% | 0.00% | 50.00% | .500 | $0 | $2,500 | $3,000 |
| Cameron Rupp | PHI | C | R | H | MIL | Wily Peralta | R | 122 | .279 | .313 | .443 | .756 | .328 | .164 | 3.10% | 25.80% | 50.00% | 27.30% | 22.70% | 12.50% | .360 | $2,800 | $3,000 | $3,400 |
| Wilson Ramos | WSH | C | R | A | CIN | Jon Moscot | R | 155 | .342 | .386 | .548 | .934 | .401 | .206 | 6.60% | 11.50% | 55.70% | 19.80% | 24.40% | 26.90% | .357 | $3,400 | $4,200 | $4,650 |
Chris Iannetta is 8-for-22 with a home run against Derek Holland. Iannetta has a four-game hitting streak, including a 3-for-4 performance Saturday.
Francisco Pena went 2-for-4 with a home runs in his Orioles debut Thursday. He has never hit a whole lot in the minors, but on a day where a lot of starting catchers will likely sit, Pena will have the platoon advantage and he costs the minimum.
Cameron Rupp has two multi-hit games in his last three starts, and right-handed batters own a .461 wOBA against Wily Peralta. If Rupp moves back to the middle of the order where he was batting early in the week, he would be a near must-play.
If you have a bit more to spend on a catcher, Wilson Ramos still has a hot hand. He is 9-for-18 over the last week, and he is certainly good enough to take advantage of his matchup with Jon Moscot.
| FIRST BASE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | POS | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Dae-Ho Lee | SEA | 1B | R | A | TEX | Derek Holland | L | 91 | .319 | .354 | .582 | .936 | .397 | .263 | 4.20% | 17.70% | 50.00% | 27.90% | 22.10% | 42.10% | .318 | $2,900 | $3,400 | $4,400 |
| Adam Lind | SEA | 1B | L | A | TEX | Derek Holland | L | 141 | .248 | .277 | .404 | .681 | .293 | .156 | 4.10% | 21.60% | 48.20% | 34.50% | 17.30% | 15.80% | .279 | $2,800 | $3,200 | $4,400 |
| Victor Martinez | DET | DH | B | H | CWS | Jose Quintana | L | 195 | .349 | .392 | .554 | .946 | .399 | .205 | 6.10% | 9.90% | 36.90% | 35.70% | 27.40% | 15.00% | .353 | $3,100 | $4,000 | $4,950 |
| Miguel Cabrera | DET | 1B | R | H | CWS | Jose Quintana | L | 208 | .308 | .383 | .538 | .921 | .398 | .230 | 10.60% | 14.90% | 47.00% | 26.80% | 26.20% | 27.30% | .321 | $3,700 | $4,100 | $5,750 |
| Logan Morrison | TB | 1B | L | A | MIN | Tyler Duffey | R | 150 | .253 | .337 | .387 | .724 | .312 | .134 | 11.20% | 26.00% | 54.50% | 25.30% | 20.20% | 20.00% | .327 | $3,000 | $3,800 | $3,750 |
| Tommy Joseph | PHI | C | R | H | MIL | Wily Peralta | R | 53 | .283 | .286 | .528 | .814 | .327 | .245 | 1.80% | 26.80% | 29.70% | 40.50% | 29.70% | 26.70% | .306 | $2,200 | $3,600 | $3,800 |
After he went 2-for-4 last night, Dae-Ho Lee has at least two hits in five consecutive starts. Adam Lind usually sits against lefties, but he is 6-for-15 against Derek Holland, so if the Mariners keep Lind in the lineup instead of Stefen Romero, Lind would be playable as well.
After Victor Martinez came through against Chris Sale Saturday, I will have a very difficult time passing on Martinez Sunday. Martinez is 11-for-28 with two home runs over the past week, and 13-for-30 against Jose Quintana.
Miguel Cabrera is a strong play as well, as he is 12-for-33 against Quintana and 8-for-25 over his current six-game hitting streak.
David Ortiz has a 12-game hitting streak, and a .495 wOBA against right-handed pitchers this season.
Jose Abreu is 8-for-21 with two home runs against Justin Verlander, and he has quietly been pretty good the last few. I couldn’t justify his price on FantasyAces, but he is quite cheap elsewhere.
What more does Logan Morrison need to do to get some respect on FantasyAces? Morrison has an eight-game hitting streak including home runs in each of his last two games, and he could easily make it three in-a-row against Tyler Duffey.
Tommy Joseph is 5-for-12 with a home run in his last three games, and he is one of the few Phillies you can feel confident in if you want to target Wily Peralta. Joseph is still ridiculously cheap on FanDuel.
| SECOND BASE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | POS | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Robinson Cano | SEA | 2B | L | A | TEX | Derek Holland | L | 224 | .290 | .350 | .576 | .926 | .399 | .286 | 6.90% | 12.60% | 43.80% | 35.70% | 20.50% | 24.20% | .275 | $4,100 | $5,400 | $5,600 |
| Ian Kinsler | DET | 2B | R | H | CWS | Jose Quintana | L | 217 | .313 | .364 | .525 | .889 | .392 | .212 | 6.40% | 15.70% | 31.00% | 44.40% | 24.60% | 14.50% | .335 | $3,900 | $4,500 | $5,400 |
| Daniel Murphy | WSH | 2B | L | A | CIN | Jon Moscot | R | 206 | .379 | .412 | .612 | 1.024 | .442 | .233 | 4.50% | 10.90% | 31.80% | 39.90% | 28.30% | 13.00% | .394 | $4,200 | $5,200 | $5,100 |
| Mike Aviles | DET | SS | R | H | CWS | Jose Quintana | L | 50 | .180 | .241 | .220 | .461 | .208 | .040 | 5.40% | 23.20% | 60.00% | 22.90% | 17.10% | 0.00% | .243 | $2,100 | $2,200 | $3,500 |
| Josh Harrison | PIT | 3B | R | H | LAA | Hector Santiago | L | 188 | .319 | .353 | .415 | .768 | .331 | .096 | 4.50% | 12.90% | 42.80% | 32.70% | 24.50% | 3.80% | .358 | $2,900 | $3,300 | $4,550 |
| Sean Rodriguez | PIT | 2B | R | H | LAA | Hector Santiago | L | 88 | .273 | .366 | .557 | .923 | .395 | .284 | 11.80% | 34.30% | 35.80% | 39.60% | 24.50% | 28.60% | .383 | $2,600 | $3,000 | $3,400 |
Robinson Cano is 15-for-40 against Derek Holland. Cano has a four-game hitting streak, and he is in the middle of a lineup that could have a huge day.
Ian Kinsler is 10-for-33 against Jose Quintana, and he is a pretty nice value on DraftKings. For the season he has a 1.078 OPS against left-handed pitchers.
Left-handed batters have a .481 wOBA against Jon Moscot, and I would have an awfully hard time passing on Daniel Murphy, especially on FantasyAces.
Mike Aviles is 10-for-26 against Jose Quintana, and his early-season struggles have kept his price down.
Josh Harrison is 12-for-32 over his last nine games, and he has a .845 OPS against left-handed pitchers this season. Sean Rodriguez has been even better against lefties, and he costs less, but he will likely see one or two fewer at-bats than Harrison.
| THIRD BASE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | POS | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Manny Machado | BAL | 3B | R | H | NYY | CC Sabathia | L | 219 | .311 | .377 | .598 | .975 | .411 | .287 | 9.40% | 16.80% | 35.80% | 38.20% | 26.00% | 21.20% | .327 | $4,000 | $4,600 | $5,700 |
| Evan Longoria | TB | 3B | R | A | MIN | Tyler Duffey | R | 217 | .272 | .319 | .512 | .831 | .349 | .240 | 6.40% | 23.40% | 33.10% | 43.30% | 23.60% | 17.60% | .309 | $3,700 | $4,300 | $4,900 |
| Alex Rodriguez | NYY | DH | R | A | BAL | Kevin Gausman | R | 105 | .200 | .257 | .438 | .695 | .289 | .238 | 6.20% | 31.00% | 34.80% | 40.90% | 24.20% | 25.90% | .222 | $3,200 | $3,700 | $4,500 |
| Jung-Ho Kang | PIT | SS | R | H | LAA | Hector Santiago | L | 77 | .273 | .333 | .662 | .995 | .396 | .389 | 3.40% | 19.50% | 33.90% | 49.20% | 16.90% | 27.60% | .241 | $3,300 | $3,700 | $5,000 |
As much as I like Manny Machado, it seems like I can never justify his price on days I write the hitting coach. That isn’t a problem Sunday, as Machado has a .303 batting average against CC Sabathia, and a .937 OPS against lefties for the season.
Evan Longoria has an eight-game hitting streak, including home runs in three straight games, but he is still pretty modestly priced.
Alex Rodriguez has a four-game hitting streak, including a 3-for-5 effort Saturday. He is 4-for-8 with two home runs against Kevin Gausman.
As you may have guessed, I like the Pirates right-handed bats against Hector Santiago, and that includes Jung Ho Kang. Kang has a 1.074 OPS against lefties this season.
| SHORTSTOP | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | POS | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Carlos Correa | HOU | SS | R | H | OAK | Sonny Gray | R | 217 | .267 | .356 | .442 | .798 | .341 | .175 | 10.90% | 25.10% | 48.30% | 28.60% | 23.10% | 19.00% | .340 | $3,900 | $3,600 | $5,050 |
| Xander Bogaerts | BOS | SS | R | H | TOR | Marco Estrada | R | 234 | .350 | .402 | .509 | .911 | .390 | .159 | 7.80% | 16.80% | 56.00% | 27.20% | 16.80% | 12.00% | .409 | $3,700 | $4,500 | $5,300 |
| Brad Miller | TB | CF | L | A | MIN | Tyler Duffey | R | 169 | .249 | .306 | .444 | .750 | .326 | .195 | 7.70% | 23.50% | 48.30% | 34.20% | 17.50% | 12.20% | .306 | $3,200 | $3,900 | $4,150 |
| Eduardo Nunez | MIN | 3B | R | H | TB | Drew Smyly | L | 178 | .331 | .360 | .500 | .860 | .367 | .169 | 3.20% | 15.80% | 48.30% | 32.40% | 19.30% | 12.80% | .368 | $3,100 | $3,900 | $4,350 |
Like Logan Morrison and Evan Longoria, Brad Miller extended his hitting streak (to five games) Saturday, so I am targeting him against another weak righty Sunday. Left-handed batters have a .363 wOBA against Tyler Duffey.
Xander Bogaerts bounced back after losing his hitting streak to go 3-for-4 Saturday. He is still ridiculously hot, and I have no problem if you want to pay up for him.
I’m probably not paying for Carlos Correa over Bogaerts, but Correa is awfully hot right now, and I love his price on DraftKings. Correa is 12-for-26 over the last seven day.s
Eduardo Nunez is 10-for-31 over the last week, and he has a .380 wOBA against left-handed pitchers this season.
| OUTFIELD | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | POS | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Adam Eaton | CWS | CF | L | A | DET | Justin Verlander | R | 218 | .275 | .359 | .399 | .758 | .326 | .124 | 9.10% | 13.10% | 64.40% | 18.30% | 17.20% | 9.10% | .311 | $3,300 | $3,100 | $4,750 |
| Nori Aoki | SEA | LF | L | A | TEX | Derek Holland | L | 198 | .247 | .327 | .328 | .655 | .296 | .081 | 9.30% | 11.60% | 67.20% | 16.10% | 16.70% | 3.60% | .279 | $3,400 | $4,300 | $4,300 |
| Nick Markakis | ATL | RF | L | A | LA | Scott Kazmir | L | 198 | .237 | .336 | .323 | .659 | .299 | .086 | 12.50% | 16.40% | 46.20% | 31.60% | 22.20% | 2.00% | .284 | $2,300 | $2,600 | $4,300 |
| Nolan Reimold | BAL | RF | R | H | NYY | CC Sabathia | L | 81 | .296 | .341 | .519 | .860 | .371 | .223 | 6.80% | 26.10% | 36.80% | 43.90% | 19.30% | 16.00% | .364 | $2,600 | $3,100 | $3,800 |
| Mark Trumbo | BAL | RF | R | H | NYY | CC Sabathia | L | 213 | .296 | .348 | .601 | .949 | .402 | .305 | 6.50% | 26.50% | 39.20% | 37.80% | 23.10% | 33.30% | .336 | $3,900 | $5,100 | $5,600 |
| Jeff Francoeur | ATL | RF | R | A | LA | Scott Kazmir | L | 119 | .277 | .307 | .378 | .685 | .298 | .101 | 4.70% | 22.10% | 43.80% | 32.60% | 23.60% | 6.90% | .341 | $2,500 | $2,400 | $3,300 |
| Cameron Maybin | DET | CF | R | H | CWS | Jose Quintana | L | 67 | .418 | .466 | .478 | .944 | .409 | .060 | 8.10% | 12.20% | 61.10% | 13.00% | 25.90% | 14.30% | .474 | $2,900 | $3,200 | $4,200 |
| Tyler Naquin | CLE | CF | L | H | KC | Chris Young | R | 72 | .333 | .368 | .500 | .868 | .346 | .167 | 5.30% | 30.30% | 56.50% | 17.40% | 26.10% | 25.00% | .468 | $2,300 | $3,400 | $3,900 |
| Rajai Davis | CLE | LF | R | H | KC | Chris Young | R | 168 | .262 | .333 | .411 | .744 | .320 | .149 | 9.10% | 25.80% | 49.10% | 28.90% | 21.90% | 15.20% | .339 | $3,000 | $3,700 | $4,400 |
| Starling Marte | PIT | LF | R | H | LAA | Hector Santiago | L | 211 | .327 | .369 | .493 | .862 | .362 | .166 | 2.70% | 22.20% | 51.30% | 24.70% | 24.00% | 13.50% | .410 | $3,800 | $4,700 | $5,500 |
| Matt Holliday | STL | LF | R | H | SF | Jake Peavy | R | 190 | .258 | .329 | .474 | .803 | .349 | .216 | 8.60% | 16.20% | 53.60% | 27.80% | 18.50% | 21.40% | .272 | $3,100 | $4,100 | $4,600 |
Adam Eaton is 7-for-21 against Justin Verlander. Eaton went 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI Saturday.
Usually when the Mariners face a lefty, I simply write a stat or two about Franklin Gutierrez and Nelson Cruz and then move onto something interesting. You can certainly use those two Sunday, but neither has had much success against Derek Holland. Norichika Aoki, on the other hand, is 5-for-10 against Holland, and 3-for-9 over his last two games.
I guess Saturday is just the day to take left-handed batters with good track records against left-handed pitchers. Nick Markakis is 11-for-26 with two home runs and four walks against Scott Kazmir, and his price is fantastic on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Jeff Francoeur will likely bat one spot ahead of Markakis, and he has an .834 OPS against lefties this season.
Nolan Reimold is 13-for-35 with two home runs against CC Sabathia, and he has a .799 OPS against left-handed pitchers this season. Mark Trumbo has had more modest success against Sabathia, going 6-for-19, but Trumbo is 7-for-15 with three home runs over his four-game hitting streak, and that helps.
Cameron Maybin is 9-for-27 over the last week, and he owns a 1.161 OPS against lefties this season.
Rajai Davis is 12-for-30 over his eight-game hitting streak, and a matchup with Chris Young certainly isn’t scary. Tyler Naquin is 4-for-9 with two home runs since he was recalled Wednesday, and while he is riskier than Davis, he costs less as well.
Starling Marte has gone 3-for-4 in each of his last two games, and he has a chance to do it again, as right-handed batters have a .358 wOBA against Hector Santiago this season.
Matt Holliday is 10-for-24 over the last week, and 8-for-28 against Jake Peavy. I suspect Peavy will come back down to earth after beating up on the Padres and Braves.