DFS MLB Hitting Coach: April 17

I have to say it is nice dealing with one giant slate of games, after Saturday’s split slate. I always like having as many options as possible, and that is certainly the case Sunday. The hardest part of filling out a lineup may be limiting myself to just three outfielders, as there are a bunch I really like. I will probably fill in the more difficult positions like catcher and third base first and come back to first base and outfield at the end.

CATCHER

Cameron Rupp has a .327 wOBA against left-handed pitchers in his career. Gio Gonzalez can be prone to blowups, and Rupp is very cheap on FanDuel and FantasyAces.

Stephen Vogt is 5-for-8 with two home runs over his last two games. Vogt had a .353 wOBA against righties last season, and he has picked up where he left off in 2016.

The catcher position is pretty ugly, especially when you consider a lot of starting catchers will get Sunday off. Welington Castillo has a good chance to play after he got Thursday off, especially considering his numbers against lefties. Castillo has an .813 OPS against lefties in his career.

FIRST BASE

Mark Trumbo is 14-for-45 with five home runs against Derek Holland. Trumbo is on fire right now, with five home runs in his last five games, including three in two games in Texas.

I liked Darin Ruf in this matchup even before I knew he was 8-for-23 with three home runs against Gio Gonzalez. His record against Gonzalez comes as no surprise, as Ruf led the league in OPS against lefties last season for players with at least 100 plate appearances.

Joey Votto is 8-for-19 against Michael Wacha, and he is working on a five-game hitting streak.

Mike Napoli is 10-for-32 with eight runs, two home runs and six RBI over his eight-game hitting streak. Napoli had a .403 wOBA against lefties last season.

SECOND BASE

Chase Utley is 6-for-15 in his career against Jeff Samardzija. Utley is off to a strong start, and he continues to lead off against righties.

Jonathan Schoop seems awfully cheap for a guy with hits in nine of his 11 games this season. Facing a lefty in Texas only makes his price look that much better, especially on DraftKings.

Daniel Murphy has an eight-game hitting streak, and Charlie Morton has a 4.55 ERA. Getting Murphy in a hitter’s park like Philadelphia is just a bonus.

Brett Lawrie is 9-for-24 over his current six-game hitting streak, and he had an .825 OPS against lefties last season.

THIRD BASE

Yunel Escobar is 12-for-26 over the last week. Anyone batting at the top of the order has value against Kyle Gibson and his 4.42 career ERA.

I definitely want to get some exposure to Jon Moscot Sunday, and Matt Carpenter is an obvious choice. Carpenter has a .373 career wOBA against right-handed pitchers.

If I had the extra money to spend I would go with Carpenter, but there is an argument to be made Evan Longoria is a better play, and he will save you a little bit of money on top of it.

Martin Prado is 6-for-16 against Jhoulys Chacin, and he is batting fifth in a lineup that should score some runs. Prado has reached base in all eight of his starts this season.

SHORTSTOP

Zack Cozart has at least one hit in every game this season, and he is 5-for-8 over his last two games. In his career, Cozart is 8-for-17 against Michael Wacha.

Eduardo Nunez is 9-for-11 in his three starts this season, and he will likely continue to start so long as he stays hot. His hot streak probably won’t last, but as long as he is batting leadoff and is relatively cheap, I’m willing to ride it out.

Javier Baez went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored Saturday in his first game of the season, and his price dropped $600 on DraftKings. I already thought he was a bargain on the other sites, now he just needs to get the start.

While I am perfectly content to go cheap at shortstop Sunday, Corey Seager is worth considering if you are willing to pay a bit more. He hit his first home run of the season Saturday, and he is especially valuable batting second.

OUTFIELD

Melky Cabrera has a six-game hitting streak, with five multi-hit games over that span. He is 5-for-10 in his career against Matt Moore.

Anytime a batter costs more on DraftKings than on FantasyAces, that should raise an eyebrow. Rafael Ortega batted second Saturday after Daniel Nava went on the disabled list, and I love his price on FanDuel and FantasyAces, especially if he continues to bat second.

Chris Coghlan is 6-for-11 against Kris Medlen, and Coghlan has a .339 career wOBA against right-handed pitchers. Coghlan has mostly batted second this season, but his value would take a bit of a hit if the A’s move him back in the order.

It looks like McCutchen is finally heating up, as he hit his first home run of the season to extend his hitting streak to four games Saturday. McCutchen is an elite hitter facing Zach Davies, and you don’t even have to pay an elite price.

Starling Marte may be an even better play as he is cheaper and playing better right now. Marte is batting .400 with a home run and three steals over the last week.

The only knock against Nomar Mazara is he will likely be heavily owned. I will leave you to decide how much stock to put into that, but he is off to a flying start, and there is no doubt he has a nice matchup at home with Mike Wright.

Stephen Piscotty will likely be less-owned than Mazara, but he could be just as productive at the same price. Piscotty will bat in the heart of the order against a weak righty, and he has four multi-hit games in his last six starts.