This is the toughest Saturday slate we have had in a while. In the morning slate, I struggled to spend my entire budget, while in the afternoon it seems like all the good hitters either play second base or the outfield. Of course, I like a challenge, and a lack of obvious plays means you can gain an even greater advantage over the competition if you can unearth a few hidden gems, which I am pretty confident we can do. Let’s get to it.
| 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 |
| Jonathan Lucroy | MIL | R | H | CIN | Alfredo Simon | R | 164 | .280 | 0.343 | .476 | .819 | .343 | .196 | 8.30% | 19.90% | 37.30% | 38.10% | 24.60% | 15.60% | .320 | $3,000 | $4,300 | $4,800 |
| Cameron Rupp | PHI | R | A | CHI | Kyle Hendricks | R | 103 | .282 | 0.302 | .437 | .739 | .320 | .155 | 1.90% | 26.40% | 50.70% | 26.70% | 22.70% | 10.00% | .370 | $2,800 | $2,600 | $3,400 |
| Matt Wieters | BAL | B | A | CLE | Danny Salazar | R | 113 | .292 | 0.333 | .451 | .784 | .342 | .159 | 5.80% | 25.00% | 40.70% | 37.00% | 22.20% | 13.30% | .367 | $3,200 | $3,200 | $4,500 |
| Bobby Wilson | TEX | R | H | PIT | Juan Nicasio | R | 13 | .154 | 0.2 | .154 | .354 | .164 | .000 | 6.70% | 20.00% | 36.40% | 45.50% | 18.20% | 0.00% | .182 | $2,400 | $3,700 | $3,550 |
| Yadier Molina | STL | R | A | WSH | Gio Gonzalez | L | 169 | .284 | 0.366 | .385 | .751 | .341 | .101 | 10.50% | 10.50% | 53.80% | 22.40% | 23.80% | 3.10% | .318 | $2,700 | $2,800 | $4,600 |
| Bryan Holaday | TEX | R | H | PIT | Juan Nicasio | R | 61 | .230 | 0.299 | .393 | .692 | .304 | .163 | 5.90% | 20.60% | 27.10% | 62.50% | 10.40% | 3.30% | .283 | $2,500 | $2,200 | $3,550 |
EARLY
Jonathan Lucroy is the most expensive non-Coors catcher on DraftKings, but I think he is worth it. Lucroy is 7-for-12 in his career against Alfredo Simon, and Simon has been especially terrible this season.
Cameron Rupp is 11-for-28 over his seven-game hitting streak, and he is really cheap on DraftKings and FantasyAces.
Matt Wieters is 14-for-30 over his seven-game hitting streak, and he is reasonably priced if either Lucroy or Rupp gets the day off.
LATE
Bobby Wilson is too expensive on DraftKings, and there is a decent chance he gets Saturday off, but he is 9-for-16 over his four-game hitting streak, and that makes him playable against Juan Nicasio.
Like Bobby Wilson, I think there is a good chance Yadier Molina gets Saturday off, but he is such a strong play I felt I had to include him anyway. Molina is 6-for-15 against Gio Gonzalez.
Catcher is extremely weak in the late slate, so if Wilson and Molina are out, I’m just going to go cheap with Bryan Holaday and move on.
| 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 |
| Edwin Encarnacion | TOR | R | H | BOS | Rick Porcello | R | 194 | .237 | 0.306 | .428 | .734 | .327 | .191 | 8.30% | 22.20% | 33.80% | 40.80% | 25.40% | 15.50% | .266 | $3,600 | $3,700 | $5,250 |
| Justin Smoak | TOR | B | H | BOS | Rick Porcello | R | 116 | .276 | 0.382 | .431 | .813 | .354 | .155 | 14.00% | 30.20% | 31.10% | 31.10% | 37.80% | 17.40% | .394 | $2,700 | $2,800 | $4,250 |
| Carlos Santana | CLE | B | H | BAL | Ubaldo Jimenez | R | 164 | .226 | 0.343 | .439 | .782 | .347 | .213 | 15.20% | 12.60% | 41.20% | 42.60% | 16.20% | 13.80% | .216 | $3,600 | $4,600 | $4,650 |
| John Jaso | PIT | L | A | TEX | Yu Darvish | R | 152 | .303 | 0.371 | .447 | .818 | .358 | .144 | 9.40% | 11.10% | 62.30% | 20.00% | 17.70% | 11.50% | .328 | $3,400 | $3,200 | $4,300 |
| Adam Lind | SEA | L | H | MIN | Phil Hughes | R | 120 | .242 | 0.27 | .400 | .670 | .287 | .158 | 4.00% | 23.00% | 44.60% | 37.00% | 18.50% | 14.70% | .276 | $2,600 | $3,800 | $4,300 |
EARLY
I know Rick Porcello has been pretty good this season, and Edwin Encarnacion has not, but Encarnacion is 12-for-32 against Porcello, and Encarnacion is pretty cheap on DraftKings. Justin Smoak is 7-for-18 with three home runs against Porcello, and Smoak has a .903 OPS against right-handed pitchers this season.
Carlos Santana has a .943 OPS against right-handed pitchers this season.
LATE
Readers may be sick of me recommending John Jaso so often, but Jaso is 9-for-22 with two home runs against Yu Darvish. There is a good chance Darvish shows some rust in his first outing back from Tommy John surgery, and Darvish is on a strict pitch count, so Jaso could beat up on the Rangers’ bullpen as well.
Adam Lind went 4-for-4 with two home runs in his last start, and while beating up on Zach Neal isn’t exactly an accomplishment, I like Lind’s chances of staying hot against the eminently hittable Phil Hughes.
| 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 |
| Gordon Beckham | ATL | R | H | MIA | Wei-Yin Chen | L | 78 | .308 | 0.413 | .436 | .849 | .382 | .128 | 12.00% | 10.90% | 46.80% | 30.60% | 22.60% | 5.30% | .343 | $2,600 | $2,400 | $3,500 |
| Derek Dietrich | MIA | L | A | ATL | Aaron Blair | R | 120 | .300 | 0.39 | .475 | .865 | .378 | .175 | 8.50% | 19.90% | 38.10% | 32.10% | 29.80% | 7.40% | .370 | $3,300 | $3,300 | $4,300 |
| Daniel Castro | ATL | R | H | MIA | Wei-Yin Chen | L | 98 | .204 | 0.235 | .214 | .449 | .208 | .010 | 3.90% | 16.50% | 66.30% | 17.50% | 16.30% | 0.00% | .247 | $2,200 | $2,400 | $3,250 |
| Ben Zobrist | CHI | B | H | PHI | Jerad Eickhoff | R | 160 | .350 | 0.454 | .525 | .979 | .421 | .175 | 16.20% | 9.60% | 42.90% | 27.90% | 29.30% | 15.40% | .362 | $4,300 | $4,500 | $5,200 |
| Neil Walker | NYM | B | H | LA | Kenta Maeda | R | 164 | .274 | 0.324 | .494 | .818 | .343 | .220 | 6.80% | 24.40% | 32.80% | 40.50% | 26.70% | 23.40% | .309 | $2,800 | $3,400 | $4,750 |
| Daniel Murphy | WSH | L | H | STL | Adam Wainwright | R | 178 | .393 | 0.427 | .612 | 1.039 | .442 | .219 | 5.20% | 11.50% | 31.80% | 39.10% | 29.10% | 11.90% | .417 | $4,100 | $4,800 | $5,100 |
| Johnny Giavotella | LAA | R | H | HOU | Dallas Keuchel | L | 134 | .291 | 0.314 | .403 | .717 | .300 | .112 | 3.50% | 10.60% | 50.40% | 21.00% | 28.60% | 8.00% | .314 | $3,300 | $3,200 | $3,500 |
EARLY
Ben Zobrist is 11-for-25 over the last week, and he extended his hitting streak to 13 games Friday. If I have money to spend at second base, I will spend it on Zobrist.
I know he has slowed down this week, but I think Gordon Beckham is legit, and I’m going to keep using him, especially against lefties, until he stops batting second or his price goes up. If you need to go even cheaper, Daniel Castro will probably start for Erick Aybar, so he is worth considering.
Derek Dietrich is 7-for-17 in his last four games, and while he will probably improve eventually, Aaron Blair was really terrible in his first go-around in the big leagues.
LATE
Neil Walker is 9-for-23 over his six-game hitting streak.
Daniel Murphy is 7-for-14 against Adam Wainwright, and 10-for-23 over the last week.
Johnny Giavotella is 10-for-24 over the last week, and you cannot beat his price on FantasyAces.
| 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 |
| Danny Valencia | OAK | R | H | DET | Matt Boyd | L | 115 | .296 | 0.322 | .487 | .809 | .360 | .191 | 4.10% | 18.20% | 42.70% | 30.30% | 27.00% | 22.20% | .318 | $2,900 | $3,500 | $4,850 |
| Kris Bryant | CHI | R | H | PHI | Jerad Eickhoff | R | 182 | .280 | 0.37 | .516 | .886 | .378 | .236 | 10.60% | 19.20% | 37.10% | 36.40% | 26.50% | 22.90% | .305 | $4,500 | $4,800 | $5,350 |
| Kyle Seager | SEA | L | H | MIN | Phil Hughes | R | 175 | .251 | 0.33 | .480 | .810 | .351 | .229 | 9.60% | 13.70% | 33.80% | 46.20% | 20.00% | 11.90% | .255 | $3,900 | $4,000 | $5,050 |
| Jake Lamb | ARI | L | H | SD | Cesar Vargas | R | 157 | .280 | 0.363 | .529 | .892 | .371 | .249 | 11.20% | 19.00% | 51.60% | 25.40% | 23.00% | 22.60% | .316 | $3,400 | $4,200 | $4,750 |
| Luis Valbuena | HOU | L | A | LAA | Jered Weaver | R | 131 | .214 | 0.295 | .389 | .684 | .310 | .175 | 10.10% | 24.80% | 43.60% | 36.20% | 20.20% | 14.70% | .258 | $2,800 | $3,500 | $4,250 |
EARLY
Kris Bryant is 5-for-12 with a run and an RBI in three consecutive games.
Danny Valencia will probably be in a ton of lineups Saturday, but I will play him anyway. He has always hit lefties, including a .493 wOBA against them this season, and his price is pretty modest.
LATE
It might be a good idea to pay a bit more for a third baseman you can trust, which is one reason I like Kyle Seager. Seager has always hit righties, and he is 6-for-19 against Phil Hughes.
Like Kyle Seager, Jake Lamb is beating up on righties this season. Unlike Kyle Seager, Jake Lam has a 6-game hitting streak.
Luis Valbuena is 5-for-13 with three home runs in his last four games, and he is a cheap alternative to Kyle Seager and Jake Lamb.
| 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 |
| Jonathan Villar | MIL | B | H | CIN | Alfredo Simon | R | 170 | .306 | 0.402 | .429 | .831 | .357 | .123 | 13.40% | 24.30% | 62.70% | 16.10% | 21.20% | 10.50% | .417 | $3,800 | $4,900 | $4,550 |
| Alcides Escobar | KC | R | H | CWS | Carlos Rodon | L | 204 | .270 | 0.299 | .319 | .618 | .272 | .049 | 3.70% | 13.90% | 58.80% | 23.60% | 17.60% | 0.00% | .314 | $3,100 | $3,600 | $3,800 |
| Jurickson Profar | TEX | B | H | PIT | Juan Nicasio | R | 5 | .200 | 0.2 | .200 | .400 | .000 | .000 | 0.00% | 20.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | .250 | $0 | $2,900 | $0 |
| Eduardo Escobar | MIN | B | A | SEA | Wade Miley | L | 111 | .261 | 0.293 | .315 | .608 | .271 | .054 | 4.30% | 19.80% | 39.80% | 36.10% | 24.10% | 0.00% | .330 | $2,300 | $2,600 | $3,900 |
| Elvis Andrus | TEX | R | H | PIT | Juan Nicasio | R | 156 | 0.29 | 0.339 | 0.4 | 0.736 | 0.328 | 0.11 | 7.00% | 11.10% | 49.60% | 29.00% | 21.40% | 2.60% | 0.319 | $3,500 | $3,700 | $4,200 |
EARLY
Shortstop is pretty ugly at shortstop, and the easiest thing is to simply pay up for Jonathan Villar. Villar is 11-for-25 with a home runs and three stolen bases in the last week, and Alfredo Simon has a 10.16 ERA this season.
For a cheaper alternative, Alcides Escobar is 7-for-20 over his four-game hitting streak. Right-handed batters have a .351 wOBA against Rodon in his career.
LATE
Jurickson Profar is only available on DraftKings, but he led off Friday and he is pretty cheap.
Eduardo Escobar is 6-for-14 since coming off the disabled list, and he has a .800 OPS against lefties this season. He is even cheaper than Profar.
Elvis Andrus had his 11-game hitting streak snapped Friday, but he has a good chance to start a new streak Saturday, as Andrus is batting .277/.333/.378 against righties 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 |
| Jose Bautista | TOR | R | H | BOS | Rick Porcello | R | 172 | .238 | 0.379 | .494 | .873 | .377 | .256 | 18.20% | 16.40% | 39.10% | 34.80% | 26.10% | 20.80% | .240 | $4,500 | $4,300 | $5,500 |
| Lorenzo Cain | KC | R | H | CWS | Carlos Rodon | L | 176 | .284 | 0.339 | .415 | .754 | .338 | .131 | 7.30% | 23.40% | 48.80% | 24.80% | 26.40% | 19.40% | .349 | $3,900 | $4,400 | $5,250 |
| Paulo Orlando | KC | R | H | CWS | Carlos Rodon | L | 77 | .390 | 0.4 | .519 | .919 | .406 | .129 | 1.30% | 21.30% | 49.10% | 24.60% | 26.30% | 7.10% | .483 | $2,900 | $3,300 | $4,050 |
| Steven Souza Jr. | TB | R | H | NYY | Michael Pineda | R | 157 | .268 | 0.324 | .484 | .808 | .350 | .216 | 7.10% | 35.30% | 49.50% | 27.40% | 23.20% | 34.60% | .375 | $3,100 | $3,500 | $4,550 |
| Cameron Maybin | DET | R | A | OAK | Jesse Hahn | R | 36 | .528 | 0.575 | .639 | 1.214 | .532 | .111 | 9.80% | 9.80% | 60.00% | 10.00% | 30.00% | 33.30% | .581 | $3,400 | $3,500 | $4,200 |
| Jeff Francoeur | ATL | R | H | MIA | Wei-Yin Chen | L | 102 | .284 | 0.315 | .392 | .707 | .285 | .108 | 4.60% | 22.20% | 43.80% | 32.90% | 23.30% | 8.30% | .351 | $2,400 | $2,400 | $3,300 |
| George Springer | HOU | R | A | LAA | Jered Weaver | R | 192 | .266 | 0.359 | .484 | .843 | .371 | .218 | 11.80% | 24.10% | 51.90% | 29.60% | 18.50% | 27.50% | .313 | $3,800 | $4,500 | $5,100 |
| Nomar Mazara | TEX | L | H | PIT | Juan Nicasio | R | 154 | .325 | 0.368 | .500 | .868 | .371 | .175 | 7.00% | 17.50% | 45.80% | 28.80% | 25.40% | 23.50% | .350 | $3,500 | $4,100 | $4,800 |
| Ian Desmond | TEX | R | H | PIT | Juan Nicasio | R | 185 | .292 | 0.343 | .459 | .802 | .351 | .167 | 6.50% | 21.90% | 55.60% | 22.60% | 21.80% | 20.00% | .353 | $4,100 | $4,700 | $4,800 |
| Stephen Piscotty | STL | R | A | WSH | Gio Gonzalez | L | 188 | .324 | 0.395 | .505 | .900 | .389 | .181 | 8.60% | 16.70% | 46.60% | 28.80% | 24.70% | 14.30% | .374 | $3,500 | $4,000 | $4,900 |
| Randal Grichuk | STL | R | A | WSH | Gio Gonzalez | L | 151 | .232 | 0.304 | .430 | .734 | .327 | .198 | 9.50% | 23.80% | 46.80% | 40.40% | 12.80% | 15.90% | .267 | $3,400 | $3,300 | $4,800 |
| Robbie Grossman | MIN | B | A | SEA | Wade Miley | L | 21 | .429 | 0.538 | .714 | 1.252 | .535 | .285 | 19.20% | 11.50% | 46.70% | 33.30% | 20.00% | 20.00% | .471 | $2,600 | $2,000 | $3,000 |
| Seth Smith | SEA | L | H | MIN | Phil Hughes | R | 117 | .256 | 0.376 | .376 | .752 | .340 | .120 | 14.90% | 19.20% | 61.10% | 21.10% | 17.80% | 21.10% | .299 | $3,000 | $3,500 | $4,300 |
| Mike Trout | LAA | R | H | HOU | Dallas Keuchel | L | 178 | .320 | 0.411 | .562 | .973 | .408 | .242 | 13.90% | 20.10% | 43.20% | 30.30% | 26.50% | 25.00% | .367 | $4,700 | $5,200 | $5,900 |
EARLY
Jose Bautista was in the midst of turning his season around before he served his one-game suspension Friday, and I suspect he will pick right back up where he left off on Saturday. Bautista is 9-for-28 with three home runs over his seven-game hitting streak, and he is 13-for-30 with three home runs against Rick Porcello.
I know Paulo Orlando isn’t going to hit .397 all season, but he seems awfully cheap considering how well he is hitting, especially against lefties. Orlando has a 1.063 OPS against lefties this season, and he is 18-for-34 over his current 10-game hitting streak. Lorenzo Cain has a .951 OPS against left-handers, and while Cain costs more than Orlando, Cain bats higher in the lineup and has a longer track record.
Cameron Maybin is 18-for-33 over his 10-game hitting streak, and he is a relatively cheap option for some exposure to Jesse Hahn.
Jeff Francoeur is always a cheap consideration against lefties, and he is 6-for-9 over his last two games.
Steven Souza is 6-for-12 with three home runs in his career against Michael Pineda.
LATE
George Springer is 6-for-15 with two home runs over four games since moving to the leadoff spot, and he is 4-for-12 with a home run against Jered Weaver.
Gregory Polanco? Is 10-for-26 over the last week.
Nomar Mazara is 10-for-20 with three home runs over his last five games, and there is a pretty good chance he bats lead off with a righty on the mound Saturday. Mazara is cheaper than Ian Desmond, but both outfielders are on fire and deserve strong consideration.
I was on the fence about recommending Mike Trout, especially because I really like Mazara and George Springer, but the lack of expensive bats at other positions makes Trout much easier to play. Trout is 10-for-31 in his career against Dallas Keuchel, and we all know how much Keuchel has struggled this season.
I’m not convinced Robbie Grossman is any good, but he still costs the minimum on DraftKings and FantasyAces, and he is 9-for-21 since getting called up 10 days ago. Right-handed batters have a .338 wOBA against Wade Miley this season.
Just in case you needed another reason to play Seth Smith against a weak righty, Smith is 6-for-17 with a home run against Phil Hughes.
Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty have both been solid lately, if not great, but I could see them both having a big game against Gio Gonzalez. I love Grichuk’s price on DraftKings.