I hope everyone had a safe, enjoyable holiday, full of grilled food and explosions. With a full slate of night games, there are, predictably, a lot of nice hitting options at most positions. Of course, the exceptions are worth noting. I am almost certainly paying up for my second baseman. There are two studs with nice matchups, and I am almost certainly playing one of them. I like my catcher options for this slate, but there are only three, so you may want to fill that position first or else risk reaching for a lesser option or leaving some budget money on the table. Outfield is really deep, and for that reason, I will probably fill that position last. I know I can plug in some guys I really like no matter how much money I have left to spend.
| CATCHER | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | 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 |
| Welington Castillo | ARI | R | H | SD | Christian Friedrich | L | 218 | .275 | .319 | .436 | .755 | .326 | .161 | 6.00% | 26.80% | 46.70% | 29.60% | 23.70% | 17.80% | .349 | $2,700 | $4,600 | $4,550 |
| Jonathan Lucroy | MIL | R | A | WSH | Gio Gonzalez | L | 261 | .303 | .362 | .502 | .864 | .368 | .199 | 8.60% | 17.60% | 39.80% | 35.90% | 24.30% | 13.50% | .340 | $3,200 | $3,600 | $4,600 |
| Kurt Suzuki | MIN | R | H | OAK | Sean Manaea | L | 172 | .279 | .319 | .419 | .738 | .323 | .140 | 4.30% | 15.60% | 41.70% | 33.80% | 24.50% | 8.50% | .312 | $2,300 | $3,100 | $3,750 |
Welington Castillo is 7-for-14 with two home runs over his last five games, and he has a .466 wOBA against left-handed pitchers this season.
Jonathan Lucroy is 6-for-10 against Gio Gonzalez and right-handed batters have a .338 wOBA against Gonzalez.
Kurt Suzuki has a .341 wOBA against left-handed pitchers and he is 9-for-26 over his last seven games.
| FIRST BASE | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | 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 |
| Freddie Freeman | ATL | L | A | PHI | Zach Eflin | R | 295 | .285 | .370 | .502 | .872 | .362 | .217 | 10.40% | 26.00% | 32.40% | 35.80% | 31.90% | 17.80% | .362 | $3,900 | $4,900 | $4,750 |
| Billy Butler | OAK | R | A | MIN | Tommy Milone | L | 128 | .250 | .292 | .375 | .667 | .288 | .125 | 5.80% | 16.80% | 48.00% | 27.50% | 24.50% | 7.10% | .288 | $2,700 | $2,900 | $4,100 |
| David Freese | PIT | R | A | STL | Mike Leake | R | 223 | .287 | .361 | .448 | .809 | .356 | .161 | 8.00% | 26.50% | 61.30% | 16.80% | 21.90% | 26.90% | .380 | $2,800 | $4,000 | $4,500 |
| Dae-Ho Lee | SEA | R | A | HOU | Dallas Keuchel | L | 152 | .283 | .327 | .493 | .820 | .357 | .210 | 5.60% | 21.00% | 49.60% | 27.40% | 23.00% | 32.30% | .306 | $2,900 | $3,600 | $4,400 |
Freddie Freeman 9-for-20 during his five-game hitting streak. He has a .879 OPS against right-handed pitchers this season.
Billy Butler is 9-for-18 with a home run against Tommy Milone, and for all of his struggles this season, he still has a .379 wOBA against left-handed pitchers.
David Freese is 11-for-22 against Mike Leake and 8-for-22 with two home runs during his six-game hitting streak.
Dae-Ho Lee is 6-for-15 during his four-game hitting streak, and right-handed batters have a .359 wOBA against Dallas Keuchel this season.
| SECOND BASE | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | 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 |
| Brian Dozier | MIN | R | H | OAK | Sean Manaea | L | 276 | .264 | .346 | .478 | .824 | .352 | .214 | 9.30% | 15.70% | 37.10% | 44.80% | 18.10% | 13.10% | .279 | $3,200 | $5,100 | $4,950 |
| Jose Altuve | HOU | R | H | SEA | Taijuan Walker | R | 311 | .357 | .432 | .572 | 1.004 | .426 | .215 | 10.80% | 8.80% | 42.20% | 31.80% | 26.00% | 14.80% | .362 | $3,600 | $5,300 | $5,500 |
| Stephen Drew | WSH | L | H | MIL | Zach Davies | R | 77 | .247 | .307 | .532 | .839 | .337 | .285 | 8.00% | 23.90% | 36.80% | 42.10% | 21.10% | 25.00% | .245 | $2,700 | $2,800 | $3,950 |
| Devon Travis | TOR | R | H | KC | Chris Young | R | 120 | .283 | .315 | .475 | .790 | .343 | .192 | 4.70% | 17.30% | 45.40% | 35.10% | 19.60% | 14.70% | .309 | $2,700 | $4,100 | $4,700 |
Jose Altuve is 12-for-29 over his last seven games and 8-for-23 against Taijuan Walker.
Brian Dozier is 8-for-24 over the last week, and he has a .477 wOBA against left-handed pitchers this season.
Devon Travis had his nine-game hitting streak snapped Monday, but he still scored a run and drove one in. Travis has a .923 OPS against right-handed pitchers and is cheaper than Dozier and Altuve.
Stephen Drew will likely start again with Daniel Murphy out, and left-handed batters have a .335 wOBA against Zach Davies.
| THIRD BASE | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | 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 |
| Aaron Hill | MIL | R | A | WSH | Gio Gonzalez | L | 235 | .277 | .351 | .409 | .760 | .339 | .132 | 10.00% | 15.20% | 37.00% | 37.00% | 26.00% | 9.90% | .304 | $2,800 | $3,000 | $4,200 |
| Danny Valencia | OAK | R | A | MIN | Tommy Milone | L | 222 | .324 | .373 | .527 | .900 | .388 | .203 | 6.60% | 19.50% | 46.50% | 30.60% | 22.90% | 21.20% | .370 | $3,400 | $3,800 | $4,750 |
| Conor Gillaspie | SF | L | H | COL | Tyler Anderson | L | 76 | .263 | .325 | .382 | .707 | .300 | .119 | 7.20% | 13.30% | 35.90% | 35.90% | 28.10% | 8.70% | .286 | $2,500 | $2,000 | $3,400 |
| Josh Donaldson | TOR | R | H | KC | Chris Young | R | 298 | .292 | .399 | .577 | .976 | .414 | .285 | 14.40% | 17.50% | 35.50% | 39.30% | 25.20% | 20.70% | .312 | $4,700 | $5,600 | $5,500 |
| Adrian Beltre | TEX | R | A | BOS | David Price | L | 281 | .285 | .336 | .463 | .799 | .342 | .178 | 6.20% | 10.80% | 45.90% | 35.80% | 18.30% | 13.60% | .285 | $2,600 | $4,200 | $4,950 |
| Jhonny Peralta | STL | R | H | PIT | Steven Brault | L | 82 | .232 | .267 | .415 | .682 | .273 | .183 | 4.70% | 18.60% | 33.90% | 40.30% | 25.80% | 12.00% | .254 | $3,000 | $3,800 | $4,550 |
Conor Gillaspie hasn’t played much lately with the Giants facing lefties in five of their last six games, but he is 10-for-17 over his last four starts. Gillaspie is awfully cheap for a guy with a .797 OPS against righties this season, and there is a decent chance he bats second with Denard Span and Joe Panik out.
Jhonny Peralta is 7-for-20 with a home run during his five-game hitting streak.
Adrian Beltre is 11-for-35 with two home runs against David Price and 10-for-29 over the last week. Beltre is a bit risky, but his price on FanDuel is too good to pass up.
Josh Donaldson is the clear choice if you want a stud third baseman to play. Donaldson is 12-for-30 with three home runs over the last week.
| SHORTSTOP | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | 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 |
| Brandon Crawford | SF | L | H | COL | Tyler Anderson | L | 272 | .276 | .348 | .430 | .778 | .321 | .154 | 10.00% | 18.40% | 41.90% | 36.70% | 21.40% | 8.90% | .319 | $3,100 | $3,900 | $4,550 |
| Alcides Escobar | KC | R | A | TOR | R.A. Dickey | R | 337 | .261 | .282 | .318 | .600 | .264 | .057 | 2.80% | 13.70% | 56.80% | 26.00% | 17.20% | 1.40% | .300 | $2,500 | $3,300 | $4,000 |
| Corey Seager | LA | L | H | BAL | Chris Tillman | R | 311 | .299 | .359 | .540 | .899 | .378 | .241 | 8.50% | 17.50% | 48.00% | 27.20% | 24.80% | 25.40% | .322 | $4,000 | $4,800 | $5,000 |
| Eduardo Nunez | MIN | R | H | OAK | Sean Manaea | L | 273 | .319 | .347 | .487 | .834 | .359 | .168 | 3.40% | 13.10% | 52.60% | 30.30% | 17.10% | 15.50% | .336 | $3,400 | $4,800 | $4,850 |
| Troy Tulowitzki | TOR | R | H | KC | Chris Young | R | 205 | .215 | .294 | .429 | .723 | .313 | .214 | 9.10% | 23.80% | 44.70% | 42.70% | 12.70% | 18.80% | .229 | $3,100 | $4,400 | $4,750 |
Brandon Crawford is 7-for-20 against Tyler Chatwood and he has a .811 OPS against right-handed pitchers.
Alcides Escobar is 6-for-18 in his career against R.A. Dickey and 13-for-37 over his last nine games.
Corey Seager has been my stud shortstop of choice for a while now, and for good reason. Seager has a .949 OPS against righties, and he is 11-for-29 over the last seven days.
Eduardo Nunez has a .373 wOBA against left-handed pitchers and he is 11-for-32 over the last week.
Troy Tulowitzki is back to his old self, even if his price hasn’t caught up, yet. Tulo is 11-for-27 with three home runs during his six-game hitting streak.
| OUTFIELD | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | 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 |
| Jose Ramirez | CLE | B | H | DET | Anibal Sanchez | R | 244 | .295 | .354 | .430 | .784 | .340 | .135 | 7.80% | 10.40% | 38.90% | 33.70% | 27.40% | 5.70% | .319 | $2,800 | $4,100 | $4,250 |
| Robbie Grossman | MIN | B | H | OAK | Sean Manaea | L | 130 | .269 | .403 | .485 | .888 | .381 | .216 | 18.20% | 23.30% | 37.80% | 36.70% | 25.60% | 18.20% | .333 | $3,300 | $3,200 | $4,300 |
| Nelson Cruz | SEA | R | A | HOU | Dallas Keuchel | L | 291 | .285 | .370 | .540 | .910 | .380 | .255 | 10.10% | 23.30% | 44.80% | 35.40% | 19.80% | 26.70% | .321 | $3,700 | $5,300 | $5,400 |
| Stephen Piscotty | STL | R | H | PIT | Steven Brault | L | 281 | .288 | .369 | .466 | .835 | .366 | .178 | 9.50% | 17.40% | 45.70% | 32.70% | 21.50% | 12.30% | .332 | $3,600 | $4,500 | $4,800 |
| Yoenis Cespedes | NYM | R | H | MIA | Wei-Yin Chen | L | 260 | .288 | .357 | .562 | .919 | .388 | .274 | 9.30% | 24.40% | 37.20% | 33.00% | 29.80% | 30.60% | .326 | $3,200 | $4,200 | $5,200 |
| Juan Lagares | NYM | R | H | MIA | Wei-Yin Chen | L | 90 | .289 | .326 | .433 | .759 | .330 | .144 | 5.20% | 14.60% | 41.30% | 32.00% | 26.70% | 8.30% | .324 | $2,100 | $3,600 | $3,600 |
| Khris Davis | OAK | R | A | MIN | Tommy Milone | L | 265 | .253 | .291 | .509 | .800 | .341 | .256 | 3.50% | 25.60% | 42.30% | 38.30% | 19.40% | 25.30% | .271 | $3,600 | $4,600 | $4,900 |
| Matt Joyce | PIT | L | A | STL | Mike Leake | R | 113 | .292 | .420 | .584 | 1.004 | .428 | .292 | 17.40% | 26.10% | 49.30% | 30.70% | 20.00% | 34.80% | .362 | $2,700 | $3,600 | $4,650 |
| Jake Smolinski | OAK | R | A | MIN | Tommy Milone | L | 63 | .333 | .353 | .571 | .924 | .372 | .238 | 4.40% | 11.80% | 41.50% | 47.20% | 11.30% | 16.00% | .321 | $2,700 | $4,600 | $3,650 |
| Odubel Herrera | PHI | L | H | ATL | Michael Foltynewicz | R | 290 | .303 | .393 | .428 | .821 | .360 | .125 | 12.50% | 17.60% | 47.60% | 31.40% | 21.00% | 11.10% | .356 | $3,700 | $4,600 | $4,600 |
Jose Ramirez has a nine-game hitting streak, and for the season he has a .801 OPS against right-handed pitchers. He should be able to take advantage of the struggling Anibal Sanchez.
Robbie Grossman is 7-for-18 in his last six games, and he has a 1.070 OPS against lefties this season.
Yoenis Cespedes is 13-for-33 with two home runs during his current eight-game hitting streak, and he has a .491 wOBA against left-handed pitchers.
Juan Lagares led off the last time the Mets faced a lefty, and he went 2-for-6. If he leads off against Wei-Yin Chen he would be a nice value play on FanDuel and FantasyAces.
Khris Davis has three consecutive multi-hit games, and he has a .859 OPS against lefties this season.
Jake Smolinski is 6-for-14 with a home run over his last five games and he has a 1.227 OPS against left-handed pitchers. His price is pretty low on FanDuel and FantasyAces.
I don’t love paying full price for a guy who doesn’t have much of a track record before this season, but Odubel Herrera is showing no signs of slowing down. More importantly, left-handed batters have a .425 wOBA against Michael Foltynewicz this season.
Matt Joyce is 5-for-12 during his four-game hitting streak, and he has a 1.016 OPS against right-handed pitchers this season.
Nelson Cruz is 8-for-20 with two home runs against Dallas Keuchel and he has a .446 wOBA against left-handed pitchers this season.
Stephen Piscotty is 8-for-22 with two home runs during his five-game hitting streak and he has a 1.108 OPS against left-handed pitchers this season.