DFS MLB Hitting Coach: April 28

Cash games are going to be difficult, especially with the early slate where you have the biggest lock of the day in Jake Arrieta facing the Brewers, combined with another Pirates/Rockies duel in Coors Field. Oh, and how about a 40+ percent chance of rain in both Detroit and Colorado? Good luck with that!

 

There is still rain in Wrigleyville, but it appears that it will clear out before game time. Still, you guys should be careful, because the drainage system isn’t exactly the greatest in Wrigley.

 

As for the evening slate, it appears the only game that may have some weather issues is going to be the White Sox/Orioles in Baltimore. We’ll see what happens, but I’d say it’s about 50/50 whether or not that game gets in. 

 

Nonetheless, I will be giving you a couple of my favorite plays at each position for each slate. Keep an eye on the Fantasy Alarm Daily Lineups page for up-to-the-minute lineup releases. 

 

 

 

Victor Martinez remains way too cheap considering he’s catcher eligible on FanDuel. He has put together a nice little run, going 7-for-14 (.500 AVG) with two homers, two doubles, and six RBIs in his last four games. It also doesn’t help that he has reached base safely six out of eight previous plate appearances against Chris Bassitt of the A’s. 

 

Tony Wolters will almost certainly get the start for the Rockies after Nick Hundley caught a long 12-inning game that went into Midnight. Wolters is dirt cheap. He lacks much upside because of his lack of power, but the price is right for someone who will be playing at Coors. I think there’s also a good shot that Chris Stewart starts for the Pirates, so there’s definitely value options available for the early slate. 

 

 

Yadier Molina not only has a 9-game hitting streak, but has actually been spot on all season long. He has performed his best against right-handed pitching, going .356/.424/.475 with 10 RBIs. This will be repetitive, but I’m not too fond of Rubby De La Rosa tonight against the Cards. 

 

Dioner Navarro just needed a nice little series against his former mates in Toronto to get back into the zone. He is 6-for-14 (.429 AVG) with two homers, a triple, double, and seven RBIs in his last five games. 

 

 

 

David Ortiz got a few days off due to interleague play, but was rolling again at Fenway last night, going 3-for-5 with three doubles. The Red Sox have the highest expected run total tonight, and it’s difficult to imagine that Jhoulys Chacin is going to be able to stop Big Papi. 

 

Brandon Moss finally unleashed the game we all know he can put up on Tuesday, going 4-for-5 with a home run, double, and three RBIs. He’ll face Rubby De La Rosa of the D-Backs, who allowed more home runs in 2015 than anyone not named Kyle Kendrick or James Shields. 

 

 

 

Dustin Pedroia went 3-for-6 with two home runs and five RBIs yesterday against the Braves. He is absolutely locked in. If you haven’t played him through this huge run where he has gone 15-for-34 (.441 AVG) with three homers, a triple, four doubles, nine RBIs, and eight runs scored, it probably makes some sense to consider it tonight with the shorter slate, and rock solid matchup.

 

Jonathan Schoop may just be the 2nd best option at second base in the late slate. Yeah, you can pay up for Dee Gordon, but this could be a good opportunity to save some cash for your other positions. Schoop has the power upside that we covet in the middle infield, and has a decent matchup against John Danks. 

 

 

 

Matt Carpenter just consistently fills up the box score. He has reached base safely TWELVE TIMES in the last four games. Stating the obvious here, but that’s GOOD. And to think, he gets an even better matchup tonight against Rubby De La Rosa. 

 

Jake Lamb will be back in the 2-hole in front of Paul Goldschmidt tonight against the righty, Michael Wacha. Lamb lost some momentum with all of the lefties that the D-Backs have been seeing, but he still continues to put up numbers when he’s in the lineup. 

 

 

 

Marcus Semien is all about upside given his power from the shortstop position. He will face Anibal Sanchez, who currently has a 4.83 xFIP combined with a 40.4% fly ball rate. 

 

Cristhian Adames may be back in the lineup today, and may be a must play if you have Jake Arrieta in your lineup. He took advantage of a good opportunity on Tuesday with his first start in Coors in quite sometime, going 2-for-3 with two walks. 

 

Aledmys Diaz appears to be some supernatural, freak, human-being. We can debate all we want about whether or not this is legit enough for season-long leagues, but if you’ve been playing him in DFS, you’ve probably made a good deal of money. Diaz has gone 13-for-22 (.591 AVG) with two homers, two doubles, five RBIs, and seven runs scored over his last FIVE games. And yes, he is leading all of Major League Baseball with that .468 AVG. What?!

 

J.J. Hardy is back to being featured in the Hitting Coach with his great matchup against John Danks. Hardy is 9-for-25 (.360 AVG) with a home run, four doubles, and four RBIs against Danks throughout his career. 

 

 

 

Mookie Betts has been rolling lately. He is 14-for-38 (.368 AVG) with two homers, two triples, two doubles, five RBIs, three stolen bases, and 12 runs scored over his last eight games. 

 

Christian Yelich will absolutely be underowned tonight, and could be a key component in a winning GPP lineup. While Aledmys Diaz leads the league with his .500 OBP, Yelich is right behind with an amazing .489 OBP. His approach to the plate has definitely improved from last season, and his patience could come into handy against the crafty Kenta Maeda. 

 

David Peralta is 8-for-26 (.308 AVG) with two homers, a triple, and two doubles, and five RBIs in his last six games. 

 

Matt Holliday’s FanDuel price seems to fluctuate like a sumo wrestler’s heart rate, but it’s at a good point right now at $3000. It’s not even like he’s struggling right now, but he gets the reasonable price combined with that good matchup against Rubby De La Rosa.

 

Jackie Bradley Jr. is putting up a run that reminds me of his tear late 2015. Yeah, it’s not that great, but i’ll take 8-for-31 (.258 AVG) as long as he’s able to put up the homer, triple, three doubles, four RBIs, and five runs scored. 

 

 

Carl Crawford has been activated from the Disabled List, and provides extremely good value if you’re looking for a punt play. He is a solid 4-for-8 (.500 AVG) with a stolen base in his career against Jose Fernandez.