DFS MLB Hitting Coach: September 17

I know from the feedback I have gotten there are few things more frustrating than to read a DFS article where all of the recommended batters at a certain position are all really expensive. Back when I used to read more of those articles, I felt the same way. That being said, there are some slates where you are simply better off paying up. In those cases, I try to still find a cheaper option, but I like to point them out because even though I might recommend Marwin Gonzalez in a certain slate, the odds are I will never feel particularly happy about playing him.

With that in mind, I struggled to find cheap options at second base, third base and in the outfield. I don’t hate the cheap guys I mentioned at those positions, but I would much rather save money at shortstop and first base and pay for studs in the middle infield especially. As always, hit me up in the comments below or on Twitter if you have any questions, and I will try to answer some questions on the message board prior to the late slate as well.

When there aren’t many catchers I like I usually just punt the position, which is why I love Ramon Cabrera for whichever game he starts. Cabrera is 4-for-7 with a home run over his last two games.

I really wanted to use Wilson Ramos, but Pedro Severino is much cheaper and will still get to face Josh Collmenter once or twice, and that has value.

The inevitable Sandy Leon decline has begun, but he is still batting .278 over the last week, and he is really cheap on FanDuel.

Welington Castillo is 5-for-16 with a home run during his four-game hitting streak.
J.T. Realmuto has three consecutive multi-hit games and he is batting .354 in September.

Evan Gattis is 3-for-7 with a home run over his last two games and he has a .921 OPS against left-handed pitchers this season.

Buster Posey is 13-for-30 over the last week and 6-for-16 against Mike Leake.

Yadier Molina is 10-for-22 against Jeff Samardzija.

David Ortiz is 5-for-7 with a home run over his last two games.

Using Reds or Pirates is a bit tricky Saturday, as FanDuel has the first game of the double-header in their early slate while DraftKings includes the second game and FantasyAces does not have either. Even so, it is difficult to avoid them altogether considering there are so few options to choose from. Joey Votto is 7-for-17 with a home run during his four-game hitting streak, and he is usable for either game, though I prefer the matchup in the second game.

Hanley Ramirez is 4-for-11 with two home runs over his last three games.

Jose Abreu is 4-for-8 with a home run over the last two days and he has a .834 OPS against lefties this season.

Adrian Gonzalez is 5-for-10 with a home run against Shelby Miller.

Kennys Vargas is 7-for-16 with a home run over his last five games.

Wil Myers is 5-for-12 with a home run against Jon Gray and 4-for-13 with a home run over his last three games.

Matt Adams is 5-for-10 against Jeff Samardzija.

Starlin Castro is 12-for-26 over the last week and 4-for-8 against David Price.

Daniel Murphy is 5-for-12 against Josh Collmenter and 21-for-49 in September.

Dee Gordon is 3-for-7 against Jeremy Hellickson and he is 13-for-38 with seven stolen bases during his eight-game hitting streak.

DJ LeMahieu is 14-for-30 during his seven-game hitting streak, and only one of those games was at Coors Field.

Jose Altuve is 6-for-11 with a home run over his last three games and he has a .945 OPS against lefties this season.

Devon Travis is 22-for-61 in September.

Chase Headley is 10-for-27 against David Price and 5-for-15 during his four-game hitting streak.

Adonis Garcia is 4-for-8 against Gio Gonzalez.

Jose Ramirez is 6-for-17 with a stolen base against Justin Verlander.

Kyle Seager is 3-for-5 with a home run and a double against Mike Fiers.

Justin Turner is 8-for-24 with two home runs during his six-game hitting streak.

Adrian Beltre is 13-for-34 with four home runs during his eight-game hitting streak.

If you have to save some money at third base, Yulieski Gurriel is a nice option, especially on DraftKings. Gurriel is 18-for-54 with three home runs in September.

Francisco Lindor is 7-for-15 with a home run against Justin Verlander.

Didi Gregorius is 6-for-15 against David Price.

Brandon Crawford is 7-for-20 with two home runs against Mike Leake.

J.J. Hardy is 7-for-12 with a home run and seven RBI during his four-game hitting streak.

Luis Sardinas is 12-for-28 during his seven-game hitting streak.

Alexei Ramirez is 4-for-10 with a home run over his last three games and 5-for-11 with a home run against Chris Tillman.

If you want to spend a bit more at catcher in the late slate, Troy Tulowitzki is 6-for-19 with a home run against Ricky Nolasco.

Tyler Holt is 5-for-10 over his last three games and he is a nice punt play on the early slate. Be sure to check the lineups before the games start because Holt will likely only play in one of the contests Saturday.

Trea Turner is 6-for-9 with a home run and two stolen bases over his last two games.

J.D. Martinez is 7-for-19 with two home runs against Carlos Carrasco.

Matt Kemp is 14-for-33 with three home runs during his eight-game hitting streak.

Domingo Santana is 5-for-12 with a home run over his last three games.

Christian Yelich is 6-for-18 against Jeremy Hellickson.

Jarrod Dyson is 8-for-11 against Miguel Gonzalez and 14-for-39 in September.

Brandon Drury is 15-for-31 with four home runs during his eight-game hitting streak.

Carlos Gonzalez s 6-for-17 with seven RBI over his last four games and 7-for-14 against Edwin Jackson.

Charlie Blackmon doesn’t have the same track record against Edwin Jackson, but he is even hotter at the plate, going 10-for-22 with three home runs during his five-game hitting streak.

Odubel Herrera is 8-for-15 during his four-game hitting streak.

Nelson Cruz is 9-for-21 with two home runs over the last week, while Norichika Aoki and Leonys Martin are 8-for-23 and 8-for-19 respectively over that same span.

Hunter Pence is nearly a must-play despite being pretty expensive. Pence is 13-for-31 against Mike Leake and 18-for-39 with two home runs during his 10-game hitting streak.