DFS MLB Hitting Coach: May 11

It’s split slate Wednesday! We have seven games on tap for our early slate (1:05 PM ET/10:05 PT roster lock) to go with nine games for our late slate (7:05 PM ET/4:05 PM PT roster lock). Keep in mind, the Padres and Cubs are going to play a day/night doubleheader so that could be problematic when it comes to confirming starters for the later game.

As far as weather is concerned, it looks relatively good. The only game that appears to have any sort of trouble is in Minnesota for the Orioles/Twins game. It looks like there will be some showers towards the latter half of the game, so it should finish fine. Keep a close eye on it, though, because these comments are based on forecasts more than 12 hours prior to the start of the game. 

Once again I’m going to continue to include the advanced statistics for each of my highlighted players in the Hitting Coach article. Nonetheless, our stats provider was a bit off with this year's stats update, so I decided to just put last season's statistics as a reference.

Plus, given the split slate, I will include at least three players at each position for each slate. These players will not be organized in terms of preference, rather, they will be organized based on highest to lowest FanDuel salary for their respective slate.

EARLY SLATE

Chris Herrmann and the D-Backs will face another right-handed pitcher in Chad Bettis, and I’d be surprised if he doesn’t get the nod again today, whether it be as the catcher, or right-fielder. Since the start of May, Herrmann has gone 7-for-18 (.389 AVG) with two homers, a triple, and five Rbis. 

Dustin Garneau will likely get the start for the Rockies against the southpaw, Robbie Ray. Garneau is nothing flashy, but is obviously in a good situation at Coors, and is batting .313 in limited action this season. He definitely has the ability to hit the ball out of the park, considering he hit 17 homers in 373 at-bats between Triple-A and the Majors last season. 

Matt Wieters hasn’t shown much consistency this season, but we all know what he is capable of doing at the plate, and at $2,100 on FanDuel, I think it’s worth the risk considering he has a solid matchup against Phil Hughes. 

LATE SLATE

Wilson Ramos appears to be in the middle of a career resurrection. Besides having a .372/.407/.558 line with three homers, he is rocking a .414/.485/.621 line at home. He’ll face his former battery mate in Jordan Zimmermann. Even though Zimmermann is pitching better than ever, I can’t ignore the fact that Ramos has had a better look at his pitches than anyone in baseball. 

J.T. Realmuto continues to be one of the most productive catchers in baseball, yet his price remains reasonable throughout the industry. He has gone 11-for-34 (.324 AVG) since the beginning of May, with four doubles, and five RBI. I’d mention the fact that he hit a home run a couple days ago, but Marcell Ozuna wants me to inform you guys that it was really a single. 

Jarrod Saltalamacchia hasn’t gotten many opportunities lately, but should be back in action against Max Scherzer, who is allowing an abysmal 1.88 HR/9. Salty has a good history against Mad Max, going 6-for-15 (.400 AVG) with a home run and three RBI. 

EARLY SLATE

Paul Goldschmidt just needed a series at Coors Field to get back on track. In his first two games of the series, Goldy has gone 3-for-7 (.429 AVG) with a homer, double, two walks, four runs, and two RBI. 

Mark Reynolds is a bat you want in your lineup if you want Coors Field exposure with low ownership. Everyone avoids this guy like the plague, but I’m still a believer until he proves me wrong. He came in the game last night as a late replacement, and hit another opposite field single in his only at-bat. 

Adam Lind is an interesting play if you’re looking to budget for some of the more expensive bats. Lind has batted a respectable .350/.435/.500 against Chris Archer throughout his career. And while Archer has had a few good outings recently, the main concern is that he is currently leading the majors allowing a 41.4 percent hard hit rate. The other names in the top five are: David Price (bad luck or not, that’s not good), Chris Young, Patrick Corbin, and Josh Tomlin.

LATE SLATE

Miguel Cabrera got the night off last night but should be back in action tonight against Max Scherzer. As I mentioned with Salty, Scherzer’s kryptonite has been the long ball, and Miggy has been swinging a hot bat, batting .375/.459/.406 in the month of May. 

Adrian Gonzalez, hopefully, broke out of his slump last night against Jacob deGrom of the Mets. He has had three multi-hit games over his last seven games, but he hasn’t been able to do much damage with those hits. He homered against Noah Syndergaard last season, and while I wouldn’t normally play him in this spot, his cheap price point is mighty enticing. 

Matt Adams hasn’t gotten many starts lately, but I think he should be back in business tonight, especially with the DH in play. With Brandon Moss going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts against Matt Shoemaker in his career, I’m hoping this means Adams gets the opportunity he deserves. His price throughout the industry is definitely very appealing. 

EARLY SLATE

Rougned Odor has been *insert FIRE emoji.* He has gone 16-for-40 (.400 AVG) with four homers, a triple, three doubles, nine runs, and seven RBI over his last eight games, and he has had good success against Mat Latos of the White Sox, going 2-for-4 with a home run. 

Ben Zobrist has been a beast over the last week or so. He’s almost a lock to reach base safely multiple times every game game. Over his last eight games, he has gone 13-for-29 (.448 AVG) with four homers, a double, five walks, 11 runs, and a whopping 17 RBI. He is by far the safest option at second for the early slate, but you’re going to have to figure out a way to fit him in, because he’s no longer a bargain.

Jonathan Schoop is looking good at the plate, and has gone 10-for-27 (.370 AVG) with a homer and two doubles in the month of May. He has not has much success throughout his career against Phil Hughes, but he should quite a few opportunities with runners on base today. 

LATE SLATE

Daniel Murphy gets to be in the middle of this Jordan Zimmermann revenge game, even though Murphy has never been Zimmermann’s teammate. While he was with the Mets, Murphy was busy going 20-for-61 (.328 AVG) with four homers and nine RBI against the long-time Nat. 

Brandon Phillips’s finally gets that juicy matchup against Juan Nicasio. Phillips is 5-for-11 (.455 AVG) with a  homer, triple, double, and three RBI throughout his career against Nicasio.

Cesar Hernandez went on a tough run towards the end of April, but he seems to be back on track, going 5-for-13 (.385 AVG) with a triple and three RBI over his last three games. Yes, he can’t buy a stolen base, but at just $2,300 on FanDuel, we’re not looking for much from him beyond his ability to get on base.

EARLY SLATE

Manny Machado is hitting a cool .526/.550/.842 with two homers against Phil Hughes of the Twins. Oh, and he has hit three homers in his last two games. Wowwowwewow. That has all the makings of a great DFS play.

Adrian Beltre tends to be a very streaky player, and it looks like he’s starting up another big run right now. Over his last four games, he has gone 6-for-15 (.400 AVG) with two homers, a double, and eight RBI. 

Juan Uribe should get the start at third today, especially with Jose Ramirez taking a tough pitch off of his hand in yesterday’s game against the Astros. Uribe is 2-for-6 (.333 AVG) in his career against Doug Fister, but both of those hits went out of the park. If he does get the start, it could be a nice way to save up some funds for some of your bigger bats. 

LATE SLATE

Matt Carpenter went double dong last night, and has gone 9-for-21 (.429 AVG) with three homers, three doubles, six runs, and four RBI over his last five games. Matt Shoemaker has made five starts this season, and he has delivered a pitiful 2.61 HR/9 and 4.96 xFIP. 

Nick Castellanos, in my opinion, is the most likely to go deep tonight in Washington. He has homered in back-to-back nights, and gets Max Scherzer, who has allowed at least a home run in five of his seven starts, and allowed four homers last Friday against the Cubs. Castellanos is 15-for-35 (.429 AVG) with four homers and 14 RBI over his last 10 games. 

Aaron Hill is absolutely not going to go triple dong tonight, but he has a good shot at being productive. He is at a good price point throughout the industry, and is in the middle of a heck of a run where he has reached base safely in 10 consecutive games. Last night wasn’t too shabby either, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI. 

EARLY SLATE

Addison Russell continues to bat towards the bottom of the Cubs batting order, but he has been sensational over the last week or so, going 9-for-21 (.429 AVG) with a triple, three doubles, and seven RBI. 

Troy Tulowitzki silenced some of the haters last night by accounting for the majority of the Blue Jays offense in a 4-0 victory over the Giants. This interleague series against the Giants is just what the doctor ordered for Tulo, mainly because he has crushed Giants pitching throughout his career. He gets a tough matchup against Madison Bumgarner, but he has actually gone 11-for-29 (.379 AVG) with two homers, two doubles,  and five RBI against the Giants ace. 

Brad Miller gets one more revenge game against his former team. His replacement at shortstop, Ketel Marte, has most definitely outplayed him so far, but I think Miller rebounds today at Safeco. He is 7-for-20 (.350 AVG) with two homers over his last five games, and is still at a good price point throughout the industry.

LATE SLATE

Xander Bogaerts was a name I highlighted last night who crushes lefties, and he’ll get another good matchup against a lefty in Eric Surkamp. He may be a bit pricey, but should be worth it, especially, with the big monster in play at Fenway. 

Addison Russell is going to be my first copy/paste of the season because of the doubleheader. I like him in both matchups. He continues to bat towards the bottom of the Cubs batting order, but he has been sensational over the last week or so, going 9-for-21 (.429 AVG) with a triple, three doubles, and seven RBI. 

Jonathan Villar is back in business, reeking havoc on the bases, and getting the job done at the plate. Through two games in Miami, Villar has gone 4-for-11 (.364 AVG) with two runs, two RBI, and three stolen bases. 

EARLY SLATE

Charlie Blackmon is going to be in a lefty-versus-lefty situation against Robbie Ray of the D-Backs, but don’t sweat it, because Charlie owns this matchup. He is batting .636/.667/.818, lifetime, against Ray, and has also stolen three bases. Again, similar to Reynolds, this is going to be a way to get low-owned Coors exposure.

Avisail Garcia happens to be a guy who produces EVERY SINGLE TIME I play him. So yeah, I do have a little bit of favoritism when it comes to Avi. He is currently in the middle of a 10-game hitting streak, where he has gone 16-for-37 (.432 AVG) with two homers, a triple, three doubles, 10 runs, and nine RBI. 

Jon Jay gets a matchup at Wrigley against Kyle Hendricks, who has been giving up more contact this season than in any of his previous campaigns. Believe it or not, Jay has been hitting extremely well, going 12-for-31 (.387 AVG) with a homer, five doubles, five runs, and five RBI. 

Nomar Mazara is batting .301/.359/.447 in his debut season with the Rangers, and gets a nice matchup against Mat Latos of the White Sox, who he homered a few weeks back when the Rangers visited the Cell. 

Ryan Raburn may get another opportunity to face the lefty, Robbie Ray.  He’s at a very reasonable price, and even homered off of Ray in his only previous at-bat against the southpaw. Just know, if Ray gets taken out of the game early, I wouldn’t be surprised if Raburn gets subbed. 

Steven Souza Jr. might just be the hottest Rays bat right now. He has gone 7-for-21 (.333 AVG) with three homers over his last six games. 

Miguel Sano has shown some reverse splits throughout his short career, including his .393 OBP last season against right-handed pitching. He and the rest of the Twins face Tyler Wilson, who has performed pretty well, but he gives up a lot of contact, and has a paltry 3.92 K/9 over 59.2 innings pitched in his major league career. He has also allowed three home runs in the majors, and they’ve all been hit by right-handed batters. 

Adam Jones comes from the Troy Tulowitzki theory of “he’s too good to continue playing like poop.” He responded to the doubters with a homer last night, and gets rewarded with a matchup against Phil Hughes, who he has homered against three times throughout his career. 

LATE SLATE

Giancarlo Stanton hasn’t been hitting well, and we’ve generally been able to avoid the landmines, but tonight is the night we’re going to pull the trigger. He has batted .364/.417/.636 with a home run throughout his career against Chase Anderson, and I think he’s in a great situation tonight, especially considering his price has dropped a bit over the last few games. 

Dexter Fowler is a beast against southpaws. Throughout his career, he has batted .305/.394/.441 against lefties, placing him in a good situation in Game 2 against Drew Pomeranz. 

Starling Marte has batted .333/.444/.400 throughout his career against Alfredo Simon. Marte has been the most consistent Pirates bat this season, and he is currently in the middle of a four game run where he has gone 9-for-18 (.500 AVG) with three doubles, three runs, and two stolen bases. 

Marcell Ozuna will continue to be ignored and ignored because of the logjam of options available in the Marlins outfield, but as I mentioned on Twitter last night, he’s smashing everything he makes contact with, and is truly the best hitter on the Marlins roster right now. Over his last 10 games, he has gone 18-for-41 (.439 AVG) with four homers, nine runs, eight RBI, and a terrible base running gaffe (sorry, J.T.). 

Josh Reddick is 15-for-24 (.625 AVG) over his last six games, with two doubles, three walks, five runs, and five RBI. He’ll face Rick Porcello, who he has gone 3-for-8 (.375 AVG) with a home run and .583 OBP over his career. 

J.D. Martinez probably gives me the least amount of confidence of all the Tigers I’ve listed in the Hitting Coach article tonight, but he’s at a good price point, and has the power necessary to take any pitch deep. I would generally say that the majority of the Tigers are more so GPP plays, but Martinez, in particular, is definitely a GPP play. 

Alex Gordon is in the middle of a seven-game hitting streak, and has reached base safely four out of his eight plate appearances over the first two games of the series against the Yankees, including a homer on Monday off of Ivan Nova. 

Matt Holliday has been absolutely brutal lately, but I guess all he needed was a date with the struggling Angels in Anaheim. He is a mere $2,500 on FanDuel, and he’ll get a decent matchup against Matt Shoemaker, who struggled so hard to start the season that he was sent to Triple-A Salt Lake City to get back on track. 

Aaron Hicks continues to be a phenomenal punt play in the outfield. He has been highlighted in my Hitting Coach article for the past two games, and he has delivered in both games. He is 6-for-17 (.353 AVG) with two homers, a double, four runs, and five RBI over his last five games. He is going to remain in the lineup as long as Jacoby Ellsbury is nursing his hip injury, and I’d be shocked if he doesn’t continue to play at least five games a week moving forward. 

Be sure to keep an eye on the Fantasy Alarm Daily Lineups page to confirm that your players are starting.

If you guys have any questions, you can always reach me on Twitter @kle18. Good luck!