Daily Batter Breakdown: Tue, August 26th

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.

Good luck to all of those in the DK Atlantis final tonight. I came very close to having a seat myself and through the twitter pictures it looks like an incredible time. I only hope there is no broken water main or any other thing that postpones a game tonight. Other than that, the schedule looks incredible for the event, and there should be a lot of matchups to exploit.

Article Image Devin Mesoraco
Daily Breakdown Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Left/Right Splits 0.268 0.862 5.63% 0.370
Last 7 Days Splits 0.050 0.236 0.00% 0.121
Opp SP vs. LR Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Wood – LEFT 0.292 0.831 2.71% 0.369
PARK-1 PARK-LR FD DD DK FF SS FTD
0.931 0.000 $3,300 $7,600 $3,800 $7,500 $8,550

Devin Mesoraco

Mesoraco has been ice cold over the last few weeks, and while I generally back off of guys who are cold, his price has gone down so much that I really think he’s a good buy tonight. It’s a great gamble, but to win tournaments you need to gamble on some high upside guys who can break out. When Mesoraco is hitting right, he carries some of the highest upside, and when Travis Wood is bad he brings some of the lowest downside. Wood hasn’t been good and he’s been terrible against righties which I will note below. Take the bargain and watch Meso grand slam tonight and be happy.

Article Image Adrian Gonzalez
Daily Breakdown Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Left/Right Splits 0.300 0.879 4.86% 0.375
Last 7 Days Splits 0.300 0.918 5.00% 0.384
Opp SP vs. LR Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Cahill – RIGHT 0.331 0.884 1.99% 0.386
PARK-1 PARK-LR FD DD DK FF SS FTD
1.162 0.000 $3,600 $9,800 $3,700 $7,500 $10,000

Adrian Gonzalez

Gonzalez has been money against Cahill in his career, and although I don’t really like to use BVP because of small sample size numbers, it just further solidifies the great matchup he has today. The D’Backs/Dodgers today is in a hitters park with one of the highest over/unders and Gonzalez has absolutely mashed righties this year with 17 of his 18 homers and an .894 OPS. Cahill has never had any luck with the Dodgers and I don’t expect that to change today with his .884 OPS given up to lefties.

Article Image Robinson Cano
Daily Breakdown Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Left/Right Splits 0.348 0.933 3.10% 0.401
Last 7 Days Splits 0.217 0.541 0.00% 0.252
Opp SP vs. LR Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Martinez – RIGHT 0.298 0.895 3.85% 0.393
PARK-1 PARK-LR FD DD DK FF SS FTD
0.888 0.000 $11,150 $5,300 $9,500 $11,150

Robinson Cano

Much has been noted earlier this season with Cano’s issues at the plate, but look at what he’s doing now. He’s raking against right handed pitching and having a very good statistical season. He’s not hitting the homers, however you would expect the homers to decrease going from Yankee Stadium to Safeco. Martinez has allowed a .897 OPS to lefties this year and has a 1.59 WHIP on the season. Vegas has the Mariners as huge favorites today and I think the bats blow up.

Article Image Kyle Seager
Daily Breakdown Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Left/Right Splits 0.283 0.887 5.80% 0.386
Last 7 Days Splits 0.286 0.829 4.76% 0.375
Opp SP vs. LR Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Martinez – RIGHT 0.298 0.895 3.85% 0.393
PARK-1 PARK-LR FD DD DK FF SS FTD
0.888 0.000 $9,650 $4,600 $7,600 $9,650

Kyle Seager

The Cano/Seager combo is probably the best 2 player combo you can have in your lineups today. They are both the top projected wOBA at their positions and I am loving their matchup against the righty Martinez. I noted how bad against lefties he is earlier and what makes this even more juicy is Seager’s .884 OPS and 17 homers against right handed pitching. I would like this game to be in Texas, but Seager’s home average is incredible with a .330 average and .991 OPS. He will most likely be one of the top owned 3rd basemen today.

Article Image Erick Aybar
Daily Breakdown Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Left/Right Splits 0.288 0.729 1.45% 0.322
Last 7 Days Splits 0.429 0.929 0.00% 0.41
Opp SP vs. LR Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Eovaldi – RIGHT 0.298 0.794 2.46% 0.346
PARK-1 PARK-LR FD DD DK FF SS FTD
0.943 0.000 $2,600 $7,650 $3,700 $5,600 $7,300

Erick Aybar

I generally hate the shortstop position so I try to go with a guy playing shortstop in a solid position on a team which I think is going to score some runs. Aybar fits that bill, and for a bonus he has a 10 game hitting streak with multiple hit games in the last 5. He’s not going to give you tremendous upside, but hardly anyone does at the shortstop position and he should be able to provide some points at a position where points are scarce.

Article Image Kole Calhoun
Daily Breakdown Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Left/Right Splits 0.295 0.839 4.03% 0.368
Last 7 Days Splits 0.320 0.819 0.00% 0.358
Opp SP vs. LR Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Eovaldi – RIGHT 0.298 0.794 2.46% 0.346
PARK-1 PARK-LR FD DD DK FF SS FTD
0.943 0.000 $3,600 $10,400 $4,600 $9,500 $10,450

Kole Calhoun

After fiddling with it for a while, the Angels seem to have found their leadoff guy as they have taken it to the Athletics in the past month in the West. Calhoun has been great in that time and should have another solid game tonight. I wish he was still at his cheaper price, but you can’t argue with the matchup against Eovaldi who has been either great or terrible in his last 7 starts. He’s given up a .794 OPS to lefties on the season and most of the big hits are to lefties. The Angels are big favorites with an over/under of 4 so they should be in for some runs tonight.

Article Image Alex Gordon
Daily Breakdown Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Left/Right Splits 0.297 0.822 2.58% 0.360
Last 7 Days Splits 0.217 0.802 8.70% 0.348
Opp SP vs. LR Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Nolasco – RIGHT 0.336 0.936 3.69% 0.407
PARK-1 PARK-LR FD DD DK FF SS FTD
0.987 0.000 $3,500 $9,250 $5,000 $9,200 $9,250

Alex Gordon

Gordon has been great lately and has definitely been the Royals best hitter. He is facing Ricky Nolasco who is just awful with his 1.59 WHIP and almost 6 ERA. He’s given up a .936 OPS to lefties which is terrible and Gordon has been mashing right handed pitching lately. The Royals have had one of the best offenses as of late and I really like their lefties today against Nolasco who Vegas is tabbing as a huge underdog.

Article Image Ryan Ludwick
Daily Breakdown Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Left/Right Splits 0.253 0.825 5.06% 0.354
Last 7 Days Splits 0.100 0.286 0.00% 0.13
Opp SP vs. LR Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Wood – LEFT 0.292 0.831 2.71% 0.369
PARK-1 PARK-LR FD DD DK FF SS FTD
0.931 0.000 $2,400 $7,050 $3,000 $5,700 $7,050

Ryan Ludwick

Travis Wood just isn’t good at all this year. All of the Reds righties are in play today, although use caution with guys like Santiago or Cozart as they don’t hae much power in their bats. Ludwick, Frazier and Phillips make sweet plays against a guy like Wood who consistently gives up 4 ER games and a .831 OPS to right handed bats. Ludwick has hit lefties to an .824 OPS this year and should be a very solid very cheap play today with homer upside in Great American.

Article Image Jose Bautista
Daily Breakdown Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Left/Right Splits 0.271 0.857 4.41% 0.374
Last 7 Days Splits 0.111 0.491 5.56% 0.216
Opp SP vs. LR Avg OPS HR% wOBA
De La Rosa – RIGHT 0.256 0.743 2.06% 0.330
PARK-1 PARK-LR FD DD DK FF SS FTD
1.060 0.000 $11,400 $4,900 $9,500 $11,400

Jose Bautista

Don’t let Bautista’s cold last few days shy you away from him tonight. He’s one of the top guys with 2 homer power, something that you really need to win a big tournament. Bautista doesn’t have the greatest matchup against De La Rosa, the righty, but he is hitting in Rogers Centre tonight which has one of the greater homer rates among all ballparks. I don’t expect Bautista to be highly owned, making a 2 HR night from him a golden ticket.

Article Image Wil Myers
Daily Breakdown Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Left/Right Splits 0.185 0.530 1.54% 0.243
Last 7 Days Splits 0.167 0.619 5.56% 0.285
Opp SP vs. LR Avg OPS HR% wOBA
Chen – LEFT 0.260 0.758 1.64% 0.329
PARK-1 PARK-LR FD DD DK FF SS FTD
0.892 0.000 $7,950 $4,200 $5,700 $8,000

Wil Myers

I like Myers tonight against Chen as he’s been super home prone against right handers this year giving up 18 of the 21 he’s allowed in the year. Chen has issues with getting ground balls and when I’m rostering Myers I’m really looking for a homer. He hasn’t been good at all this year but since coming back from the DL he has been hitting pretty well. I don’t think he will be highly owned anywhere and is a pretty nice homer sleeper.

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