DFS MLB Hitting Coach: August 13

I just finished reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, a thought-provoking read I highly recommend. The book got me thinking a lot about what makes me happy, and not to sound too sappy, but that got me to thinking about FantasyAlarm. Whenever I tell somebody I write for FantasyAlarm, I inevitably get a response of “that’s so cool.” Well, random person I just met, you are right. It is “so cool.” Sometimes in the midst of deadlines and other jobs and life, it is easy to forget that fact, but the truth is I really am fortunate to have this platform every week, and I do appreciate it. I just wanted to take this opportunity on a stormy Saturday in August to let all of our readers know I appreciate you, as well. As always, I look forward to hearing from you in the comments, on our message board and on twitter @stevesfantasyad.

Now that the sappy stuff is out of the way, let us turn our attention to Sunday’s slate. There are four games on the early slate, and each one features a strong pitcher and a weaker one, which complicates that slate considerably. There are some stud hitters I really like in the early slate, but unless you are brave enough to start Matt Andriese and Luke Weaver, you probably won’t get to play most of them. Be sure to check the lineups in the early slate to look for some cheap guys batting near the top of the lineup so you can afford one or two studs.

One thing both slates have in common is a lack of cheap second base options. I could recommend someone like Cesar Hernandez if you really want, but I think a far better strategy is to simply pay up at the position. You don’t have to pay a ton, but there are far better places to try to go cheap. The best place to go cheap is probably shortstop, but there are some solid values at every position (except for second base) if you look hard enough.

Willson Contreras is 5-for-12 with two home runs during his four-game hitting streak.

Russell Martin is 5-for-8 with a home run against Collin McHugh and he is worth a shot if you need a cheap catcher in the early slate.

Sandy Leon is 6-for-10 in his last three games and has a .871 OPS against right-handed pitchers this season.

Tucker Barnhart is 9-for-26 with a home run during his eight-game hitting streak and he is a great value on FanDuel.

Juan Centeno and Kurt Suzuki are 5-for-11 and 5-for-13 respectively over the last week. Centeno is more likely to start Saturday, but whoever catches Tyler Duffey will be a strong DFS play Saturday.

Jonathan Lucroy is 9-for-27 with six home runs over his last eight games. He is the top catcher of the day if you can afford him.

A.J. Reed went 2-for-6 in his last start, and he offers a lot of cheap upside at first base.

David Freese is 7-for-15 over his last four games.

Adrian Gonzalez is 12-for-24 during his six-game hitting streak, and his price is pretty reasonable. He is one of the better first basemen in the early slate despite a potentially tough matchup against Gerrit Cole.

Freddie Freeman is 6-for-8 with three home runs over his last three games and he has an excellent matchup against Reynaldo Lopez.

Joey Votto is 8-for-21 over the last week.

Jose Abreu is 11-for-24 with a home run during his five-game hitting streak.

Kendrys Morales is 6-for-13 with two home runs during his four-game hitting streak.

Devon Travis is 16-for-35 with three home runs during his eight-game hitting streak and he has a .393 wOBA against righties this season.

Matt Carpenter is 6-for-13 with a home run against Kyle Hendricks and 6-for-21 over his last five games.

Robinson Cano is 5-for-8 against Kendall Graveman and 5-for-14 with a home run over his last three games.

Jason Kipnis is 9-for-23 over the last week.

DJ LeMahieu is 4-for-11 with a home run over his last three games, all on the road, and he has a .367 wOBA against right-handed pitchers this season.

Neil Walker is 9-for-22 with two home runs over the last seven days.

Josh Donaldson is 4-for-11 with two home runs against Collin McHugh and he currently has a five-game hitting streak.

Alex Bregman is 10-for-31 during his six-game hitting streak and he is pretty cheap considering he is batting second for the Astros most games.

Kris Bryant is 9-for-22 with two home runs during his five-game hitting streak.

Cheslor Cuthbert is 11-for-29 over the last week and right-handed batters have a .406 wOBA against Tyler Duffey this season.

Martin Prado is 5-for-10 with a home run against James Shields and 8-for-23 with a home run over the last week.

Kyle Seager is 10-for-23 with two home runs over the last week.

Adrian Beltre is 3-for-7 with a home run against Matt Boyd and 12-for-31 with two home runs over the last week.

Didi Gregorius is 4-for-12 with a home run over his last three games, and he has a decent chance to move up in the batting order if Brett Gardner is out.

Carlos Correa is 10-for-28 with three home runs and 10 RBI over the last week.

Jhonny Peralta is 4-for-11 against Kyle Hendricks and 9-for-25 over the last week.

Erick Aybar is batting .333/.333/.533 in August and he is pretty cheap on FanDuel and FantasyAces.

Francisco Lindor is 9-for-26 over the last week.

Tim Anderson is 7-for-23 during his six-game hitting streak and he has a .863 OPS against left-handed pitchers this season.

Jorge Polanco is batting .372/.386/.512 in August.

Brandon Crawford is 11-for-27 with a home run and a stolen base over the last week.

Kevin Kiermaier is 3-for-5 with a home run against Masahiro Tanaka and 5-for-14 over his last three games.

Michael Saunders is 5-for-15 with two home runs against Collin McHugh and he has a .829 OPS against right-handed pitchers this season.

Jorge Soler is 9-for-21 with three home runs in six games since coming off the disabled list.

Starling Marte is 5-for-10 with three stolen bases against Brandon McCarthy. Marte is 3-for-7 over his last two games.

Andrew McCutchen is 4-for-10 against Brandon McCarthy and 6-for-20 over the last week.

Tony Kemp is 6-for-18 since he was recalled from Triple-A, and he a has a .349 wOBA against right-handed pitchers this season.

Charlie Blackmon is 10-for-15 with four home runs in his last three games, which were all on the road.

Ender Inciarte is batting .370/.420/.457 in August.

Nick Markakis is 11-for-31 with a home run over the last week.

Brock Holt has batted second in each of the last two games Dustin Pedroia has missed, and Holt would be a solid play against Archie Bradley if Pedroia’s flu-like symptoms keep him out Saturday.

Mookie Betts s 6-for-19 over the last week and has a .911 OPS against right-handed pitchers this season.

Kole Calhoun is 9-for-22 with two home runs over the last week.

Christian Yelich is 9-for-27 with a home run over the last week.

Miguel Sano is 12-for-30 with five home runs during his eight-game hitting streak.

Seth Smith and Nelson Cruz are 4-for-9 and 5-for-9 respectively against Kendall Graveman. Nelson Cruz has a .360 wOBA against righties this season, while Seth Smith has a .349 wOBA against righties.

Carlos Beltran is 7-for-17 with a home run over the last week.

Jose Ramirez is 12-for-24 with two home runs and six stolen bases over the last week.