Welcome back to the Saturday Hitting Coach. I hope you enjoyed the All-Star break, and I hope you are as ready as I am to plunge right back into a big weekend for DFS. There are just five games on the early slate—or four, depending on where you play—and often I will look to skip such a small slate. That is not the case Saturday. There aren’t a ton of options at any position in the early slate, but there are some guys I really like. There is also a nice balance of cheap and expensive players in the early slate.
As for the late slate, there are, as you might expect, a lot of options at each position. That is true of outfielders, though the only outfielder I am super excited to play is Ryan Braun. For that reason, I think you can fill your outfielders last.
| 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 |
| Sandy Leon | BOS | B | A | NYY | CC Sabathia | L | 55 | .455 | .500 | .673 | 1.173 | .502 | .218 | 8.30% | 18.30% | 46.50% | 25.60% | 27.90% | 9.10% | .558 | $3,000 | $2,700 | $3,000 |
| Matt Wieters | BAL | B | A | TB | Matt Moore | L | 229 | .253 | .305 | .410 | .715 | .317 | .157 | 7.20% | 21.70% | 43.90% | 36.80% | 19.30% | 14.30% | .292 | $2,600 | $2,400 | $4,500 |
| Cameron Rupp | PHI | R | H | NYM | Logan Verrett | R | 212 | .288 | .332 | .505 | .837 | .360 | .217 | 4.40% | 25.20% | 49.00% | 30.50% | 20.50% | 19.60% | .356 | $2,700 | $4,300 | $4,200 |
| Buster Posey | SF | R | A | SD | Luis Perdomo | R | 295 | .288 | .361 | .471 | .832 | .359 | .183 | 10.10% | 11.30% | 49.40% | 27.30% | 23.30% | 15.90% | .296 | $3,500 | $4,700 | $4,950 |
| Yasmani Grandal | LA | B | A | ARI | Archie Bradley | R | 203 | .212 | .321 | .429 | .750 | .331 | .217 | 13.90% | 23.60% | 51.00% | 30.10% | 18.90% | 27.90% | .228 | $3,200 | $3,900 | $4,550 |
I will have a hard time justifying playing any catcher other than Matt Wieters in the early slate. Wieters is 8-for-23 with two home runs in his career against Matt Moore.
If you absolutely need another early catcher, Sandy Leon has been strong in limited action, and he is much cheaper than Wieters on FantasyAces.
Cameron Rupp has a .802 OPS against righties this season.
Yasmani Grandal is 9-for-17 during his four-game hitting streak.
I wouldn’t necessarily look for a more expensive option at catcher, but I have no problem paying for Buster Posey if you have some extra money to spend. Right-handed batters have a .397 wOBA against Luis Perdomo this season.
| 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 |
| Marwin Gonzalez | HOU | B | A | SEA | Hisashi Iwakuma | R | 263 | .255 | .297 | .407 | .704 | .302 | .152 | 4.60% | 22.00% | 46.00% | 31.30% | 22.70% | 11.30% | .309 | $2,900 | $2,800 | $4,300 |
| Logan Morrison | TB | L | H | BAL | Chris Tillman | R | 278 | .234 | .311 | .378 | .689 | .304 | .144 | 9.60% | 21.50% | 49.50% | 30.10% | 20.40% | 16.10% | .271 | $2,900 | $2,900 | $3,900 |
| Rob Refsnyder | NYY | R | H | BOS | Eduardo Rodriguez | L | 87 | .276 | .337 | .368 | .705 | .307 | .092 | 9.10% | 16.20% | 51.40% | 19.40% | 29.20% | 0.00% | .329 | $2,500 | $3,300 | $3,700 |
| Carlos Santana | CLE | B | A | MIN | Tyler Duffey | R | 333 | .252 | .349 | .492 | .841 | .366 | .240 | 12.90% | 15.00% | 42.80% | 39.50% | 17.70% | 18.70% | .248 | $4,200 | $5,000 | $4,850 |
| Chris Carter | MIL | R | A | CIN | John Lamb | L | 300 | .227 | .313 | .507 | .820 | .353 | .280 | 10.30% | 32.80% | 34.00% | 41.40% | 24.60% | 27.80% | .269 | $3,700 | $4,600 | $4,600 |
| Eric Hosmer | KC | L | A | DET | Mike Pelfrey | R | 337 | .297 | .354 | .472 | .826 | .360 | .175 | 8.10% | 19.70% | 60.80% | 23.50% | 15.80% | 21.30% | .344 | $3,800 | $3,600 | $5,150 |
| Brandon Belt | SF | L | A | SD | Luis Perdomo | R | 309 | .298 | .402 | .515 | .917 | .397 | .217 | 14.70% | 19.30% | 29.10% | 44.00% | 26.90% | 9.70% | .355 | $4,400 | $4,600 | $4,900 |
| Victor Martinez | DET | B | H | KC | Danny Duffy | L | 315 | .305 | .352 | .511 | .863 | .371 | .206 | 6.50% | 14.10% | 38.10% | 37.30% | 24.60% | 17.50% | .313 | $3,200 | $3,400 | $5,100 |
Rob Refsnyder’s .798 OPS against southpaws looks pretty good considering his low price on FanDuel and FantasyAces.
Logan Morrison is 5-for-11 in his career against Chris Tillman.
You know first base is weak in the early slate when my first two recommendations are Rob Refsynder and Marwin Gonzalez. Gonzalez is 10-for-19 against Hisashi Iwakuma, and it is not like there are a ton of studs you are missing out on.
Chris Carter has a .860 OPS against lefties this season, and right-handed batters have a .374 wOBA against John Lamb.
Eric Hosmer is 5-for-12 against Mike Pelfrey, and he has a .841 OPS against righties this season.
Victor Martinez is 9-for-25 in his career against Danny Duffy.
Carlos Santana has a .390 wOBA against right-handed pitchers, and right-handed batters have a .386 wOBA against Tyler Duffey.
Brandon Belt Has a .906 OPS against right-handed pitchers, and left-handed batters have a .407 wOBA against Luis Perdomo.
| 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 |
| Rougned Odor | TEX | L | A | CHI | Jason Hammel | R | 338 | .275 | .295 | .488 | .783 | .336 | .213 | 2.30% | 20.20% | 42.70% | 40.10% | 17.20% | 15.20% | .303 | $3,100 | $4,400 | $4,700 |
| Jose Altuve | HOU | R | A | SEA | Hisashi Iwakuma | R | 352 | .341 | .414 | .540 | .954 | .404 | .199 | 10.30% | 9.30% | 45.00% | 30.40% | 24.60% | 14.70% | .346 | $3,700 | $5,100 | $5,500 |
| Robinson Cano | SEA | L | H | HOU | Lance McCullers | R | 368 | .310 | .364 | .549 | .913 | .395 | .239 | 7.00% | 14.00% | 45.90% | 31.50% | 22.60% | 21.90% | .318 | $3,400 | $5,300 | $5,400 |
| Jonathan Schoop | BAL | R | A | TB | Matt Moore | L | 330 | .303 | .337 | .515 | .852 | .364 | .212 | 3.70% | 20.30% | 45.20% | 33.70% | 21.00% | 17.60% | .346 | $3,300 | $3,600 | $4,550 |
| Brett Lawrie | CWS | R | A | LAA | Matt Shoemaker | R | 331 | .257 | .321 | .423 | .744 | .325 | .166 | 8.20% | 28.00% | 39.80% | 39.40% | 20.80% | 12.60% | .338 | $3,400 | $3,100 | $4,600 |
| Kelly Johnson | NYM | L | A | PHI | Jerad Eickhoff | R | 121 | .215 | .273 | .289 | .562 | .249 | .074 | 7.60% | 18.90% | 55.30% | 25.50% | 19.10% | 4.20% | .260 | $2,000 | $3,000 | $3,750 |
| Jason Kipnis | CLE | L | A | MIN | Tyler Duffey | R | 345 | .272 | .332 | .470 | .802 | .350 | .198 | 7.80% | 20.80% | 40.60% | 33.80% | 25.60% | 15.60% | .315 | $3,400 | $5,000 | $4,850 |
Rougned Odor lead off for the Rangers with Shin-Soo Choo out Friday, and he will get a nice boost in value if he stays in that spot. Left-handed batters have a .373 wOBA against Jason Hammel this season.
The toughest decision in the early slate may be whether to use Robinson Cano or Jose Altuve. Cano is 5-for-11 against Lance McCullers, while Jose Altuve is 14-for-32 against Hisashi Iwakuma. I’ll probably just use whoever is cheaper.
If you can’t afford Altuve or Cano and aren’t playing on FanDuel, Jonathan Schoop is a solid 4-for-9 against Matt Moore.
Kelly Johnson is 4-for-9 against Jerad Eickhoff.
Brett Lawrie is 5-for-15 with a home run and a stolen base against Matt Shoemaker. Lawrie is 12-for-37 in July.
Jason Kipnis has a .876 OPS against righties, and he is batting .283/.353/.587 in July.
| 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 |
| Evan Longoria | TB | R | H | BAL | Chris Tillman | R | 345 | .287 | .338 | .522 | .860 | .365 | .235 | 7.20% | 22.10% | 31.00% | 45.70% | 23.30% | 16.10% | .325 | $3,900 | $3,200 | $5,200 |
| Danny Valencia | OAK | R | H | TOR | R.A. Dickey | R | 255 | .306 | .357 | .498 | .855 | .369 | .192 | 6.90% | 20.90% | 46.90% | 30.70% | 22.40% | 20.30% | .355 | $3,200 | $3,400 | $4,750 |
| Alex Rodriguez | NYY | R | H | BOS | Eduardo Rodriguez | L | 190 | .221 | .260 | .379 | .639 | .278 | .158 | 4.90% | 27.50% | 46.50% | 33.30% | 20.20% | 18.60% | .264 | $3,300 | $4,500 | $4,300 |
| Maikel Franco | PHI | R | H | NYM | Logan Verrett | R | 320 | .266 | .319 | .484 | .803 | .343 | .218 | 7.10% | 18.00% | 44.50% | 35.00% | 20.50% | 20.20% | .276 | $2,900 | $4,700 | $5,450 |
| Nick Castellanos | DET | R | H | KC | Danny Duffy | L | 331 | .299 | .341 | .529 | .870 | .373 | .230 | 5.90% | 24.00% | 33.10% | 41.40% | 25.50% | 17.20% | .353 | $2,900 | $3,900 | $4,900 |
| Justin Turner | LA | R | A | ARI | Archie Bradley | R | 305 | .259 | .337 | .456 | .793 | .336 | .197 | 8.60% | 16.00% | 34.10% | 41.50% | 24.40% | 13.70% | .270 | $3,800 | $4,400 | $4,750 |
Alex Rodriguez is 5-for-11 with a home run against Eduardo Rodriguez, and A-Rod has a respectable .791 OPS against lefties this season.
Danny Valencia is 2-for-6 with two home runs and three walks against R.A. Dickey.
Evan Longoria is 17-for-57 with seven home runs against Chris Tillman.
Maikel Franco has a .828 OPS against right-handed pitchers.
Nick Castellanos is 6-for-18 with a home run against Danny Duffy.
Justin Turner has a .834 OPS against right-handed pitchers this season, and he has three home runs in his last six games.
| 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 |
| Didi Gregorius | NYY | L | H | BOS | Eduardo Rodriguez | L | 302 | .295 | .325 | .464 | .789 | .343 | .169 | 3.40% | 11.30% | 47.70% | 30.50% | 21.80% | 13.80% | .305 | $3,000 | $4,300 | $4,450 |
| Xander Bogaerts | BOS | R | A | NYY | CC Sabathia | L | 361 | .327 | .386 | .479 | .865 | .377 | .152 | 8.50% | 14.80% | 53.40% | 30.80% | 15.80% | 12.20% | .365 | $3,800 | $5,200 | $5,350 |
| Jonathan Villar | MIL | B | A | CIN | John Lamb | L | 323 | .300 | .383 | .427 | .810 | .354 | .127 | 11.80% | 26.50% | 60.20% | 19.00% | 20.80% | 14.30% | .412 | $4,300 | $4,900 | $4,950 |
| Brandon Crawford | SF | L | A | SD | Luis Perdomo | R | 305 | .282 | .352 | .449 | .801 | .339 | .167 | 9.70% | 18.10% | 41.20% | 36.70% | 22.00% | 10.00% | .321 | $3,300 | $5,000 | $4,550 |
| Alcides Escobar | KC | R | A | DET | Mike Pelfrey | R | 372 | .261 | .285 | .323 | .608 | .268 | .062 | 3.30% | 13.10% | 56.80% | 25.20% | 18.00% | 1.30% | .298 | $2,700 | $3,600 | $4,000 |
Didi Gregorius is 4-for-11 against Eduardo Rodriguez, and he has a .369 wOBA against lefties this season.
Xander Bogaerts has a .411 wOBA against left-handed pitchers this season, and he hit his 11th home run of the season Friday.
Jonathan Villar has a .888 OPS against left-handed pitchers, and he extended hit hitting streak to six games Friday.
Alcides Escobar is 8-for-20 with two stolen bases against Mike Pelfrey.
Brandon Crawford is 9-for-20 during his current six-game hitting streak, and he has a .822 OPS against right-handed pitchers this season.
| 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 |
| Nomar Mazara | TEX | L | A | CHI | Jason Hammel | R | 309 | .282 | .329 | .417 | .746 | .326 | .135 | 6.50% | 15.90% | 48.40% | 29.00% | 22.60% | 15.30% | .304 | $2,800 | $3,300 | $4,700 |
| Carlos Beltran | NYY | B | H | BOS | Eduardo Rodriguez | L | 302 | .298 | .336 | .546 | .882 | .378 | .248 | 5.20% | 18.50% | 40.90% | 36.00% | 23.10% | 21.80% | .314 | $3,800 | $5,000 | $4,900 |
| Jacoby Ellsbury | NYY | L | H | BOS | Eduardo Rodriguez | L | 297 | .276 | .345 | .394 | .739 | .329 | .118 | 8.90% | 12.70% | 49.60% | 29.50% | 20.90% | 5.30% | .311 | $3,900 | $3,700 | $4,600 |
| Shawn O'Malley | SEA | B | H | HOU | Lance McCullers | R | 76 | .224 | .289 | .316 | .605 | .256 | .092 | 8.30% | 28.60% | 57.10% | 18.40% | 24.50% | 0.00% | .327 | $2,200 | $2,300 | $3,200 |
| Seth Smith | SEA | L | H | HOU | Lance McCullers | R | 234 | .274 | .364 | .444 | .808 | .358 | .170 | 11.00% | 19.50% | 50.30% | 27.10% | 22.70% | 22.40% | .306 | $3,200 | $3,700 | $4,400 |
| Adam Jones | BAL | R | A | TB | Matt Moore | L | 343 | .265 | .313 | .455 | .768 | .335 | .190 | 6.50% | 17.50% | 44.90% | 38.00% | 17.20% | 16.30% | .280 | $3,600 | $3,100 | $4,850 |
| Ryan Braun | MIL | R | A | CIN | John Lamb | L | 287 | .310 | .364 | .509 | .873 | .377 | .199 | 7.00% | 16.30% | 57.60% | 21.20% | 21.20% | 26.50% | .339 | $3,700 | $4,800 | $5,100 |
| Ben Revere | WSH | L | H | PIT | Gerrit Cole | R | 219 | .224 | .268 | .301 | .569 | .252 | .077 | 5.10% | 8.90% | 56.30% | 26.90% | 16.80% | 1.90% | .241 | $2,900 | $3,500 | $4,100 |
| Odubel Herrera | PHI | L | H | NYM | Logan Verrett | R | 334 | .290 | .374 | .422 | .796 | .353 | .132 | 11.50% | 18.30% | 45.90% | 31.70% | 22.40% | 12.20% | .340 | $3,200 | $4,600 | $5,400 |
| Alex Gordon | KC | L | A | DET | Mike Pelfrey | R | 200 | .205 | .310 | .345 | .655 | .294 | .140 | 9.90% | 28.50% | 37.20% | 40.30% | 22.50% | 13.50% | .266 | $3,300 | $4,400 | $4,400 |
| Cameron Maybin | DET | R | H | KC | Danny Duffy | L | 182 | .341 | .404 | .412 | .816 | .362 | .071 | 9.80% | 14.70% | 65.80% | 18.10% | 16.10% | 7.40% | .397 | $2,900 | $4,100 | $4,900 |
| Randal Grichuk | STL | R | H | MIA | Tom Koehler | R | 231 | .229 | .290 | .442 | .732 | .309 | .213 | 7.10% | 23.00% | 44.10% | 42.90% | 12.90% | 15.10% | .258 | $2,500 | $4,600 | $4,400 |
| Eddie Rosario | MIN | L | H | CLE | Trevor Bauer | R | 146 | .240 | .252 | .384 | .636 | .269 | .144 | 2.00% | 22.20% | 50.40% | 34.80% | 14.80% | 10.00% | .282 | $2,500 | $2,900 | $3,800 |
| Jay Bruce | CIN | L | H | MIL | Jimmy Nelson | R | 320 | .269 | .320 | .541 | .861 | .359 | .272 | 6.60% | 20.20% | 39.40% | 37.80% | 22.90% | 19.10% | .291 | $3,400 | $4,600 | $5,000 |
| Melky Cabrera | CWS | B | A | LAA | Matt Shoemaker | R | 307 | .293 | .341 | .450 | .791 | .345 | .157 | 7.10% | 10.40% | 47.20% | 29.70% | 23.00% | 10.00% | .307 | $3,100 | $3,000 | $4,650 |
| Mike Trout | LAA | R | H | CWS | James Shields | R | 326 | .319 | .423 | .561 | .984 | .420 | .242 | 15.10% | 18.70% | 44.40% | 32.00% | 23.60% | 22.50% | .361 | $4,400 | $5,600 | $5,550 |
Nomar Mazara moved up to third with Shin-Soo Choo out Friday, and he is far more valuable in the top third of the lineup. Mazara has a .831 OPS against right-handed pitchers this season.
Jacoby Ellsbury is 5-for-11 with two home runs against Eduardo Rodriguez, which is really impressive considering they Yankees have not faced Rodriguez this season, and Rodriguez was actually good last year.
Carlos Beltran is still the lone Yankee I trust day in and day out, especially considering his .424 wOBA against left-handed pitchers this season.
Shawn O’Malley is eligible in the outfield on FanDuel and FantasyAces, but at second base and shortstop in DraftKings. Fortunately, he is cheap across the board and worth considering at any position. O’Malley will likely start for Ketel Marte Saturday, and he will be a must-start if he replaces Marte in the leadoff spot.
Seth Smith is another candidate to lead off, but he will probably be playable no matter where he bats thanks to his .369 wOBA against righties.
Adam Jones is 12-for-31 with three home runs and two stolen bases against Matt Moore, and he is probably the top outfielder of the morning slate.
Ryan Braun is a no-brainer against week lefties, especially Saturday against John Lamb. Braun is 4-for-7 with two home runs and four stolen bases against Lamb.
Ben Revere is 7-for-12 with three stolen bases against Gerrit Cole, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that this is Cole’s first start since going on the disabled list.
Odubel Herrera has a .379 wOBA against righties this season.
Alex Gordon is 5-for-16 in his career against Mike Pelfrey.
Cameron Maybin has a .432 wOBA against left-handed pitchers this season.
Eddie Rosario is 4-for-11 with a home run and a stolen base against Trevor Bauer. Rosario is 12-for-31 with five extra-base hits in July.
Jay Bruce is 8-for-19 with three home runs against Jimmy Nelson. Bruce has a .881 OPS against righties this season.
Melky Cabrera is 4-for-7 in his career against Matt Shoemaker.
Mike Trout is 2-for-6 with a home run against James Shields and he has a 1.016 OPS against right-handed pitchers.
Randal Grichuk is 11-for-27 since being recalled from Triple-A, including a home run Saturday.