It feels good to be back writing the Hitting Coach after I took last week off to run a 200-mile overnight relay from Madison, Wisconsin to Chicago, Illinois. Among the things I learned from that experience: Wisconsin closes at 10:00 p.m., I do not snore, running through the Chicago Botanic Garden is awesome, and I am fortunate to have found 11 other people crazy enough to want to do it with me again next year.
As for Saturday’s split slate, I have learned you are probably better off paying up for a catcher, in both slates. There are more studs worth playing across the board in the early slate, which is probably just as well because the money you save by going cheap in the late slate can easily be spent on pitching.
| 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 |
| Buster Posey | SF | C | R | A | TB | Matt Moore | L | 218 | 0.28 | 0.337 | 0.46 | 0.796 | 0.338 | 0.18 | 8.60% | 11.90% | 48.10% | 27.80% | 24.10% | 15.40% | 0.283 | $3,800 | $4,300 | $4,800 |
| Brian McCann | NYY | C | L | A | MIN | Ricky Nolasco | R | 175 | 0.21 | 0.32 | 0.38 | 0.703 | 0.311 | 0.17 | 12.30% | 20.20% | 39.50% | 42.60% | 17.80% | 14.50% | 0.23 | $3,100 | $3,700 | $4,750 |
| Kurt Suzuki | MIN | C | R | H | NYY | Michael Pineda | R | 141 | 0.24 | 0.283 | 0.33 | 0.616 | 0.279 | 0.09 | 3.90% | 17.00% | 40.70% | 35.40% | 23.90% | 5.00% | 0.278 | $2,600 | $2,400 | $3,750 |
| Salvador Perez | KC | C | R | H | DET | Matt Boyd | L | 216 | 0.3 | 0.326 | 0.55 | 0.872 | 0.365 | 0.25 | 4.00% | 23.40% | 29.30% | 45.90% | 24.80% | 16.70% | 0.342 | $3,100 | $3,700 | $4,700 |
| Chris Stewart | PIT | C | R | A | CHI | Jon Lester | L | 74 | 0.2 | 0.314 | 0.28 | 0.598 | 0.268 | 0.08 | 10.50% | 11.60% | 55.70% | 24.60% | 19.70% | 6.70% | 0.222 | $2,100 | $2,000 | $3,450 |
EARLY
Brian McCann is 21-for-62 with eight home runs and 24 RBI against Ricky Nolasco. He is a bit expensive on FantasyAces, but his price is fair elsewhere.
Kurt Suzuki is 4-for-7 against Michael Pineda and 9-for-27 in his last seven games.
Buster Posey is a nice alternative to Brian McCann on FantasyAces and is probably worth the price if you can afford him. Posey is 10-for-23 over the last week, and right-handed batters own a .347 wOBA against Matt Moore this season.
LATE
Salvador Perez is 16-for-36 with five home runs over his nine-game hitting streak.
If you want to go cheap at catcher in the late slate, Chris Stewart is your guy. He is 3-for-7 with a home run against Jon Lester.
| 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 |
| Edwin Encarnacion | TOR | DH | R | A | BAL | Yovani Gallardo | R | 262 | 0.26 | 0.346 | 0.53 | 0.873 | 0.369 | 0.27 | 10.60% | 19.90% | 34.30% | 42.30% | 23.40% | 21.20% | 0.267 | $4,400 | $5,500 | $5,350 |
| Carlos Santana | CLE | 1B | B | H | CWS | James Shields | R | 243 | 0.23 | 0.332 | 0.45 | 0.785 | 0.339 | 0.23 | 13.60% | 13.30% | 43.10% | 41.60% | 15.30% | 16.70% | 0.211 | $4,000 | $5,400 | $4,650 |
| Marwin Gonzalez | HOU | SS | B | H | CIN | 180 | 0.25 | 0.293 | 0.38 | 0.671 | 0.298 | 0.13 | 4.70% | 24.00% | 48.90% | 26.70% | 24.40% | 11.40% | 0.315 | $3,000 | $3,500 | $3,850 | ||
| Paul Goldschmidt | ARI | 1B | R | A | PHI | Jerad Eickhoff | R | 240 | 0.29 | 0.426 | 0.51 | 0.934 | 0.394 | 0.22 | 18.50% | 22.80% | 46.40% | 29.20% | 24.40% | 26.50% | 0.348 | $4,500 | $4,600 | $5,400 |
| Miguel Cabrera | DET | 1B | R | A | KC | Edinson Volquez | R | 258 | 0.31 | 0.379 | 0.54 | 0.918 | 0.381 | 0.23 | 10.30% | 16.20% | 45.00% | 31.20% | 23.80% | 22.20% | 0.328 | $3,900 | $4,400 | $5,600 |
| Kendrys Morales | KC | DH | B | H | DET | Matt Boyd | L | 226 | 0.21 | 0.283 | 0.35 | 0.637 | 0.268 | 0.14 | 8.00% | 21.10% | 50.00% | 32.40% | 17.60% | 14.50% | 0.24 | $2,500 | $2,900 | $4,300 |
EARLY
Paul Goldschmidt is 18-for-44 with 10 RBI over his 11-game hitting streak. His price on DraftKings is pretty fantastic.
Edwin Encarnacion is probably the hottest hitter in baseball right now. He is 13-for-27 with six home runs over his current seven-game hitting streak. Encarnacion is 5-for-16 with three home runs against Yovani Gallardo.
Marwin Gonzalez is 7-for-18 over the last week. If you want to save money at first base, Gonzalez is the guy for you.
Carlos Santana has four home runs over his last five games, and you can get him for a discount on FantasyAces.
LATE
Miguel Cabrera is 5-for-11 against Edinson Volquez, and he is 11-for-30 over the last week, with a home run in each of his last two games.
Kendrys Morales is 6-for-9 with a home run against Tigers’ lefty Matt Boyd. Morales is 7-for-21 with two home runs over his six-game hitting streak.
| 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 | BOS | Rick Porcello | R | 278 | 0.3 | 0.351 | 0.57 | 0.919 | 0.389 | 0.27 | 6.30% | 13.90% | 45.40% | 33.60% | 21.00% | 24.70% | 0.294 | $3,900 | $5,200 | $5,300 |
| Rougned Odor | TEX | 2B | L | A | STL | Carlos Martinez | R | 246 | 0.27 | 0.292 | 0.49 | 0.784 | 0.332 | 0.22 | 2.70% | 19.10% | 42.70% | 42.20% | 15.10% | 16.00% | 0.285 | $3,200 | $3,800 | $4,600 |
| Devon Travis | TOR | 2B | R | A | BAL | Yovani Gallardo | R | 75 | 0.21 | 0.241 | 0.35 | 0.588 | 0.254 | 0.13 | 3.80% | 19.00% | 50.80% | 29.50% | 19.70% | 11.10% | 0.237 | $3,000 | $4,300 | $4,100 |
| Kelly Johnson | NYM | LF | L | H | ATL | Aaron Blair | R | 121 | 0.22 | 0.273 | 0.29 | 0.562 | 0.249 | 0.07 | 7.60% | 18.90% | 55.30% | 25.50% | 19.10% | 4.20% | 0.26 | $2,100 | $3,200 | $4,000 |
| Ian Kinsler | DET | 2B | R | A | KC | Edinson Volquez | R | 270 | 0.31 | 0.361 | 0.53 | 0.891 | 0.388 | 0.22 | 6.40% | 16.60% | 32.50% | 44.00% | 23.40% | 15.20% | 0.33 | $4,200 | $5,500 | $5,450 |
| Whit Merrifield | KC | 2B | R | H | DET | Matt Boyd | L | 110 | 0.33 | 0.339 | 0.48 | 0.821 | 0.354 | 0.16 | 1.80% | 18.80% | 48.20% | 26.50% | 25.30% | 9.10% | 0.391 | $3,400 | $4,100 | $4,050 |
EARLY
Robinson Cano is 10-for-30 over his current six-game hitting streak and 9-for-24 against Rick Porcello.
Devon Travis is 8-for-20 over his last five games, and he is quite cheap on FantasyAces.
Rougned Odor is 10-for-31 with eight runs, four home runs and five RBI over the past week, and you don’t even have to pay that much to use him.
LATE
Kelly Johnson is 8-for-23 since he was traded to the Mets, and left-handed batters have a .411 wOBA against Aaron Blair.
Ian Kinsler is 8-for-20 against Edinson Volquez.
Whit Merrifield has a .889 OPS against left-handed pitchers this season, and he is 11-for-32 with two home runs over the last week.
| 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 | TOR | R.A. Dickey | R | 267 | 0.31 | 0.375 | 0.6 | 0.974 | 0.408 | 0.29 | 8.80% | 17.90% | 35.60% | 40.00% | 24.40% | 20.70% | 0.333 | $4,200 | $5,400 | $5,500 |
| Josh Donaldson | TOR | 3B | R | A | BAL | Yovani Gallardo | R | 254 | 0.28 | 0.393 | 0.58 | 0.968 | 0.403 | 0.3 | 15.10% | 17.80% | 34.20% | 41.30% | 24.50% | 21.00% | 0.293 | $4,500 | $5,600 | $5,550 |
| Chase Headley | NYY | 3B | B | A | MIN | Ricky Nolasco | R | 197 | 0.26 | 0.333 | 0.36 | 0.688 | 0.297 | 0.1 | 9.50% | 20.70% | 47.00% | 34.90% | 18.10% | 5.80% | 0.32 | $3,100 | $2,800 | $4,300 |
| Kris Bryant | CHI | 3B | R | H | PIT | Jon Niese | L | 249 | 0.27 | 0.36 | 0.51 | 0.874 | 0.376 | 0.24 | 9.90% | 22.60% | 36.50% | 41.00% | 22.50% | 20.50% | 0.312 | $3,900 | $5,000 | $5,400 |
| Adonis Garcia | ATL | 3B | R | A | NYM | Steven Matz | L | 176 | 0.26 | 0.303 | 0.33 | 0.633 | 0.279 | 0.07 | 4.80% | 20.20% | 50.00% | 21.30% | 28.70% | 10.30% | 0.311 | $2,700 | $3,600 | $4,000 |
| Justin Turner | LA | 3B | R | H | MIL | Chase Anderson | R | 222 | 0.24 | 0.329 | 0.41 | 0.734 | 0.309 | 0.16 | 9.00% | 15.70% | 38.90% | 37.10% | 24.00% | 12.30% | 0.26 | $3,200 | $3,500 | $4,350 |
EARLY
Chase Headley is 9-for-27 over his six-game hitting streak and 8-for-18 against Ricky Nolasco.
Josh Donaldson is just as hot as Edwin Encarnacion, but Donaldson extended his hitting streak to 10 games Friday, and he has four consecutive multi-hit games.
Manny Machado is 7-for-19 against R.A. Dickey, and Machado is 11-for-31 over the last week.
LATE
Kris Bryant did not play Friday due to an illness, but he was available to pinch-hit if needed, so there is a pretty good chance he plays Saturday. Bryant is 4-for-8 against Jonathon Niese, and Bryant starts, you should not hesitate to play him.
Adonis Garcia is 8-for-19 over his last four games, and if he is back in the lineup Saturday, he is a cheap alternative to Bryant at third base.
Justin Turner is 11-for-27 with three home runs in the last week.
| 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 |
| Didi Gregorius | NYY | SS | L | A | MIN | Ricky Nolasco | R | 219 | 0.28 | 0.312 | 0.41 | 0.718 | 0.317 | 0.13 | 3.90% | 11.20% | 49.70% | 31.00% | 19.30% | 10.30% | 0.293 | $3,100 | $3,500 | $4,450 |
| Francisco Lindor | CLE | SS | B | H | CWS | James Shields | R | 253 | 0.3 | 0.364 | 0.45 | 0.811 | 0.351 | 0.14 | 8.50% | 13.40% | 53.70% | 23.40% | 22.90% | 14.00% | 0.33 | $3,700 | $5,400 | $4,900 |
| Erick Aybar | ATL | SS | B | A | NYM | Steven Matz | L | 164 | 0.21 | 0.257 | 0.25 | 0.507 | 0.213 | 0.04 | 4.40% | 17.00% | 60.90% | 22.60% | 16.50% | 0.00% | 0.25 | $2,200 | $2,100 | $4,000 |
| Javier Baez | CHI | 2B | R | H | PIT | Jon Niese | L | 138 | 0.25 | 0.295 | 0.41 | 0.708 | 0.301 | 0.16 | 3.40% | 21.20% | 49.50% | 34.70% | 15.80% | 14.30% | 0.294 | $2,800 | $3,800 | $4,050 |
EARLY
Didi Gregorius is 7-for-16 with five runs, two home runs and nine RBI over his last four games. Gregorius is 8-for-16 in his career against Ricky Nolasco.
Francisco Lindor is 7-for-18 over the last week, and he is very cheap on FantasyAces.
LATE
Erick Aybar has quietly been serviceable since coming off the disabled list, going 7-for-16 with at least one hit in all four starts. If he gets another hit or two against Steven Matz he will be well worth his meager price.
Javier Baez has a .996 OPS against left-handed pitchers this season, and right-handed batters have a .381 wOBA against Jonathon Niese.
| 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 |
| Kevin Pillar | TOR | CF | R | A | BAL | Yovani Gallardo | R | 268 | 0.26 | 0.292 | 0.42 | 0.71 | 0.31 | 0.16 | 2.50% | 15.30% | 44.60% | 37.80% | 17.60% | 8.30% | 0.288 | $3,400 | $5,300 | $4,450 |
| Carlos Beltran | NYY | RF | B | A | MIN | Ricky Nolasco | R | 231 | 0.28 | 0.316 | 0.56 | 0.879 | 0.362 | 0.28 | 4.90% | 20.20% | 39.40% | 36.70% | 23.90% | 25.80% | 0.287 | $3,500 | $4,700 | $5,100 |
| Kole Calhoun | LAA | RF | L | A | OAK | Andrew Triggs | R | 250 | 0.29 | 0.364 | 0.46 | 0.828 | 0.358 | 0.17 | 9.50% | 18.70% | 38.50% | 37.00% | 24.50% | 12.70% | 0.335 | $3,400 | $4,500 | $4,650 |
| Seth Smith | SEA | LF | L | A | BOS | Rick Porcello | R | 167 | 0.25 | 0.363 | 0.4 | 0.758 | 0.338 | 0.14 | 12.90% | 17.40% | 51.50% | 26.90% | 21.60% | 16.70% | 0.279 | $3,100 | $3,800 | $4,400 |
| Ezequiel Carrera | TOR | CF | L | A | BAL | Yovani Gallardo | R | 92 | 0.33 | 0.398 | 0.44 | 0.833 | 0.372 | 0.11 | 7.70% | 18.30% | 60.60% | 21.10% | 18.30% | 13.30% | 0.394 | $3,100 | $3,800 | $4,100 |
| Carlos Gomez | HOU | CF | R | H | CIN | 167 | 0.21 | 0.275 | 0.32 | 0.592 | 0.255 | 0.11 | 7.10% | 34.80% | 52.00% | 28.00% | 20.00% | 10.70% | 0.32 | $3,000 | $3,500 | $4,300 | ||
| Curtis Granderson | NYM | RF | L | H | ATL | Aaron Blair | R | 247 | 0.23 | 0.32 | 0.47 | 0.786 | 0.333 | 0.24 | 9.60% | 22.80% | 43.30% | 39.30% | 17.40% | 18.60% | 0.257 | $3,600 | $5,100 | $4,550 |
| Justin Upton | DET | LF | R | A | KC | Edinson Volquez | R | 244 | 0.23 | 0.281 | 0.36 | 0.638 | 0.275 | 0.13 | 6.80% | 33.80% | 35.60% | 40.30% | 24.20% | 8.30% | 0.338 | $3,000 | $4,100 | $4,350 |
| Paulo Orlando | KC | RF | R | H | DET | Matt Boyd | L | 141 | 0.34 | 0.369 | 0.44 | 0.809 | 0.343 | 0.1 | 2.70% | 23.50% | 52.00% | 26.50% | 21.60% | 3.70% | 0.443 | $2,800 | $3,200 | $4,100 |
| Matt Szczur | CHI | CF | R | H | PIT | Jon Niese | L | 60 | 0.33 | 0.375 | 0.53 | 0.908 | 0.375 | 0.2 | 6.20% | 16.90% | 40.90% | 43.20% | 15.90% | 15.80% | 0.37 | $2,000 | $3,300 | $3,700 |
| Albert Almora | CHI | CF | R | H | PIT | Jon Niese | L | 21 | 0.43 | 0.455 | 0.62 | 1.074 | 0.378 | 0.19 | 4.50% | 22.70% | 46.20% | 15.40% | 38.50% | 0.00% | 0.563 | $2,000 | $3,400 | $3,000 |
| Jayson Werth | WSH | LF | R | A | SD | Colin Rea | R | 224 | 0.25 | 0.323 | 0.44 | 0.761 | 0.33 | 0.18 | 9.20% | 22.70% | 42.10% | 36.60% | 21.30% | 16.70% | 0.294 | $3,700 | $4,500 | $4,650 |
| Lorenzo Cain | KC | CF | R | H | DET | Matt Boyd | L | 252 | 0.29 | 0.337 | 0.42 | 0.754 | 0.33 | 0.13 | 7.00% | 22.30% | 48.60% | 28.20% | 23.20% | 15.70% | 0.348 | $3,600 | $4,000 | $5,300 |
EARLY
Carlos Beltran is 16-for-48 in his career against Ricky Nolasco, and he went 3-for-4 with a home run Friday.
Kole Calhoun is 4-for-12 with two home runs over his last three games, and he will have the platoon advantage against Oakland starter Andrew Triggs.
Seth Smith is 6-for-13 in his career against Rick Porcello.
Ezequiel Carrera has led off two of Toronto’s last three games, and he is 7-for-23 over the last week. Carerra is a decent value if he bats lead-off again.
Kevin Pillar is 11-for-32 with four home runs over the last week
Like many fantasy players, I have been waiting for Carlos Gomez to break out of his funk all season, and it appears the time is now again. Gomez has at least two hits in three consecutive games, with stolen bases in two of those.
LATE
Curtis Granderson is on another of his yearly hot streaks, and I suspect it will continue against Aaron Blair. Granderson is 11-for-27 over the last week, and he has a .844 OPS against right-handed pitchers this season.
Justin Upton is 8-for-20 against Edinson Volquez and 8-for-29 over his seven-game hitting streak.
Paulo Orlando has two hits in each of his last three starts, and right-handed batters own a .339 wOBA against Matt Boyd this season.
Matt Sczur is 3-for-6 with a home run in his last two games, and he has an .891 OPS against left-handed pitchers this season. His teammate Albert Almora is batting .429 since he was called up from Triple-A, and he is 6-for-10 over his last three games. Both Cubs are great plays on FanDuel, but Almora costs the minimum on FantasyAces as well.
Lorenzo Cain is a bit expensive on FantasyAces, but he has a 1.109 OPS against left-handed pitchers, and he is 5-for-13 over his last three games.
Jayson Werth has two hits in three consecutive games, and he is now batting .353/.452/.529 in June.