Daily Batter Breakdown: Friday, April 18th

Welcome to the Daily Batter Breakdown. Each day, with at least 8 games on the night slate, I’ll breakdown some of the best top tier hitters to target based on matchup. The biggest split taken into account will be left/right, but each player card will also show park factors, player salaries and then a description of why I’ll be targeting him. Be sure to check out the FAQ for more information on specific stats.

There is a game being played at Coors Field today, and what makes it worse is that Vegas is loving a bunch of runs in that game so today I am sure you will see a ton of Rockies/Phillies stacks. All guys from that game make solid plays, so instead of just littering this page with Rockies and Phillies players, I am not going to include any and try to find some other gems that will help you differentiate yourself from the stacks.

Article Image Evan Gattis
Daily Breakdown Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Left/Right Splits 0.284 0.866 5.88% 0.363
Last 7 Days Splits 0.556 1.667 16.67% 0.72
Opp SP vs. LR Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Niese – LEFT 0.297 0.765 7.50% 0.343
PARK-1 PARK-LR FD DS DD DK FF SS FTD
0.867 0.961 $3,400 $8,136 $11,000 $4,900 $86,100 $6,300 $8,600

Evan Gattis

Gattis has been an absolute monster at the plate in the last 3 games going 9 for 13 with 3 homers. His price is rising, but I still don’t mind rostering him while he continues to mash the cover off of the ball. Gattis doesn’t have a large sample against left handed pitchers but he did hit them better than righties last year with 50 points higher in the OPS department. Niese held lefties to an extremely small batting average last year but did struggle a little bit against right handers allowing them to average almost .300. It’s not the greatest matchup in Citi Field, but if you don’t like Ruiz or Rosario tonight, Gattis is hot and will provide you with 2 HR upside.


Article Image Chris Davis
Daily Breakdown Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Left/Right Splits 0.313 1.117 10.25% 0.463
Last 7 Days Splits 0.267 1.01 6.67% 0.446
Opp SP vs. LR Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Lackey – RIGHT 0.237 0.662 5.56% 0.293
PARK-1 PARK-LR FD DS DD DK FF SS FTD
0.960 1.043 $4,400 $7,312 $12,000 $4,900 $95,500 $8,100 $11,000

Chris Davis

Davis finally got over the HR schneid 3 games ago and is now riding a 3 game hit streak. Davis always hits for power and is in the middle of a solid Orioles lineup. Lackey is a bit of a reverse splits guy but Davis mashes right handed pitching so I am not too worried about the splits in this one also considering that the game is going to be played at Fenway. Lackey was awful in the last game against the lefties in Yankee stadium and could face the same fate today against the Orioles.


Article Image Brian Dozier
Daily Breakdown Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Left/Right Splits 0.303 0.920 4.14% 0.397
Last 7 Days Splits 0.235 0.997 11.76% 0.43
Opp SP vs. LR Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Vargas – LEFT 0.247 0.716 7.61% 0.322
PARK-1 PARK-LR FD DS DD DK FF SS FTD
1.082 0.971 $3,800 $8,001 $10,000 $5,200 $81,500 $6,000 $8,200

Brian Dozier

It makes me a little bit nervous recommending 2 Twins in this spot against Vargas, but I think both Dozier and Plouffe make really solid GPP gambles. Vargas is not a strikeout pitcher so on a site like Draftstreet, you won’t have to worry about that too much. While Dozier has struggled in the early part of this season, he had ridiculous numbers against lefties last year hitting .328 with a .978 OPS and it appears that this year his power game has developed substantially. Dozier should bat at the top of the lineup and Vargas only allows his homers to right handed batters. While fairly expensive, he still makes a nice gamble play in GPPs that no one will own.


Article Image Trevor Plouffe
Daily Breakdown Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Left/Right Splits 0.296 0.817 1.60% 0.357
Last 7 Days Splits 0.222 0.778 5.56% 0.345
Opp SP vs. LR Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Vargas – LEFT 0.247 0.716 7.61% 0.322
PARK-1 PARK-LR FD DS DD DK FF SS FTD
1.082 0.971 $3,200 $7,107 $8,400 $4,000 $69,700 $5,800 $7,700

Trevor Plouffe

Most likely hitting one or two spots behind Dozier will be Plouffe, a lefty masher as well. In the last 3 years Plouffe has a 50% higher HR rate against left handers than right handers, hits better for average, and has a much higher OPS. He hasn’t crushed left handers that well recently, but I still like his splits against Vargas here. Plouffe is playing well right now and is cheap on almost all of the sites. The Plouffe/Dozier/Colabello combo could put up some huge numbers tonight if their balls find the gaps against Vargas.


Article Image Yangervis Solarte
Daily Breakdown Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Left/Right Splits 0.278 0.739 0.00% 0.332
Last 7 Days Splits 0.222 0.586 0.00% 0.287
Opp SP vs. LR Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Bedard – LEFT 0.244 0.745 11.52% 0.332
PARK-1 PARK-LR FD DS DD DK FF SS FTD
0.931 0.967 $3,000 $5,637 $5,000 $2,800 $52,600 $4,700 $9,200

Yangervis Solarte

Following up the Twins are a couple of Yankees here who get to hit against Erik Bedard. Solarte is having a great time right now and his price is still extremely low all across the industry. He has a 1.017 OPS and is doing some really solid things in the Yankees lineup. Bedard is not an ace and has some really terrible games. While he pitches fairly well against right handed hitters in the batting average department, when they do make contact he allows them to hit for power which makes Solarte and Soriano some really nice GPP options tonight.


Article Image Alfonso Soriano
Daily Breakdown Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Left/Right Splits 0.291 0.907 7.28% 0.386
Last 7 Days Splits 0.261 0.783 8.70% 0.339
Opp SP vs. LR Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Bedard – LEFT 0.244 0.745 11.52% 0.332
PARK-1 PARK-LR FD DS DD DK FF SS FTD
0.931 0.967 $3,300 $6,615 $8,900 $4,700 $76,100 $7,100 $7,900

Alfonso Soriano

Coming back to the Yankees has really reinvigorated Soriano to the point where it seems as if he’s just mashing homers every other day now. I do pick on Bedard a lot but a 7 for 14 mark against Bedard is pretty solid for Soriano. The Yankees are hot right now and these guys in the middle of the lineup have a chance to do some damage. I have recommended Soriano multiple times in the last 2 weeks and he has hit homers at least twice so I will try to keep it going here. He’s continuing to brutalize left handed pitching with a 1.166 OPS this year and a .904 OPS last year; watch out Bedard.


Article Image Brandon Moss
Daily Breakdown Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Left/Right Splits 0.269 0.888 6.55% 0.381
Last 7 Days Splits 0.250 0.738 4.17% 0.31
Opp SP vs. LR Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Cosart – RIGHT 0.186 0.522 12.04% 0.245
PARK-1 PARK-LR FD DS DD DK FF SS FTD
0.889 0.931 $3,300 $7,408 $9,050 $3,800 $85,500 $6,600 $10,600

Brandon Moss

I love Moss tonight against Cosart as Vegas has the Athletics as huge favorites to take down the Astros and one of the highest scoring teams outside of the Coors Field game. Moss crushes right handed pitching, and appears to have worked batting average into the things that he is good at with walking and hitting for power so his wOBA is higher and OPS against righties is above .900. Moss will hit higher in the lineup because of the righty on the mound and I like him for a homer tonight.


Article Image Matt Kemp
Daily Breakdown Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Left/Right Splits 0.286 0.766 1.19% 0.323
Last 7 Days Splits 0.231 0.95 7.69% 0.414
Opp SP vs. LR Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Miley – LEFT 0.258 0.723 8.55% 0.323
PARK-1 PARK-LR FD DS DD DK FF SS FTD
0.868 0.958 $8,049 $10,700 $4,900 $75,700 $7,900 $11,200

Matt Kemp

Twelve at-bats just isn’t a proper enough sample to judge Kemp’s proficiency against left handers this year but his at bats in the previous years show a ridiculous ability to rock left handed pitching. Kemp isn’t one of the top salaries even though he is a bit more expensive than I would like him to be here. He’s not my favorite play of the night but he’s got a great history of destroying left handed pitching and Wade Miley has not been good this year at all. The Dodgers are another one of the best stack options if you’re fading the Colorado game and guys like Puig, Kemp, and Hanley all look like attractive options if you go by the numbers. My concern is that Kemp just hasn’t looked like a solid option recently and hurt fantasy players so many times last year.


Article Image Michael Bourn
Daily Breakdown Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Left/Right Splits 0.254 0.679 1.35% 0.301
Last 7 Days Splits 0.000 0.2 0.00% 0.138
Opp SP vs. LR Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Hutchison – RIGHT 0.250 0.829 20.00% 0.372
PARK-1 PARK-LR FD DS DD DK FF SS FTD
0.933 0.992 $3,200 $6,871 $8,550 $3,500 $60,500 $6,200 $8,100

Michael Bourn

Bourn is back and will be hitting leadoff tonight for the Indians against Drew Hutchison. Hutchison has had his ups and his downs this year but he has really struggled against left handed batters and the Indians have a lot of them. Bourn’s price is ridiculously low for a leadoff hitter with power and multiple stolen base potential. I love him tonight and think that he could really be the difference maker as I don’t expect him to be highly owned.


Article Image Collin Cowgill
Daily Breakdown Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Left/Right Splits 0.261 0.717 2.70% 0.312
Last 7 Days Splits 0.429 1.286 14.29% 0.557
Opp SP vs. LR Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Smyly – LEFT 0.241 0.682 6.52% 0.305
PARK-1 PARK-LR FD DS DD DK FF SS FTD
1.139 1.090 $2,400 $4,664 $5,000 $2,500 $28,500 $4,100 $4,500

Collin Cowgill

Another extremely cheap guy today with a great chance at a big night is Cowgill. He should be leading off against Smyly, and while I am a huge fan of Smyly, Cowgill is extremely cheap and has a history of doing damage against lefties. Cowgill has Trout and Pujols backing him up and driving him in if he’s able to get on, so he becomes one of the greatest punt plays of the night especially when he takes the #1 spot on the lineup card against the lefty.


About the Author

Varncass
Jon Schiller (Varncass)

Jon Schiller (aka Varncass) has been providing college sports content for the fantasy industry since 2012 and the sports betting industry since 2022. He’s an analytics junkie who uses any and all predictive stats and game theory to discover edges for the RotoGrinders and ScoresAndOdds community. Follow Jon on Twitter – @Bronzesword