Daily Batter Breakdown: Friday, July 17th

by Jon Schiller (Varncass) Last Updated 2015-07-20 16:30:27

Welcome to the Daily Batter Breakdown. Whenever there are at least eight games on the night slate, I’ll break down 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 on FanDuel and DraftKings among other sites, and then a description of why I’ll be targeting him.

		John Jaso
		Daily Breakdown		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Left/Right Splits		0.285	0.825	3.36%	0.361
		Last 7 Days Splits		0.409	1.118	4.55%	0.469
		Opp SP vs. LR		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Hutchison – RIGHT		0.256	0.770	3.49%	0.338
PARK-1	PARK-LR	FD	DD	DK	FF	SS	FTD
0.987	0.000	$3,000	$9,050	$3,900	$58,500

John Jaso

All Jaso does is get on base, and he makes a very solid cash game play tonight against Hutchison in the Rogers Centre. Jaso does not hit for a lot of power, but he has a .354 career wOBA against right-handers and gets the bonus of hitting in the Rogers Centre, which should add to his power numbers. Hutchison is solid against lefties, but I don’t mind that because of Jaso’s cheap price and his likelihood of leading off today.

		Edwin Encarnacion
		Daily Breakdown		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Left/Right Splits		0.253	0.859	7.13%	0.371
		Last 7 Days Splits		0.227	0.697	4.55%	0.312
		Opp SP vs. LR		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Odorizzi – RIGHT		0.232	0.694	3.52%	0.309
PARK-1	PARK-LR	FD	DD	DK	FF	SS	FTD
0.987	0.000	$4,400	$9,450	$4,700	$75,200

Edwin Encarnacion

On the other side of the coin in that game, Encarnacion gets to hit against Odorizzi today. Odorizzi has completely relied on BABIP this year to get guys out and has been hit pretty hard by righties. Encarnacion is not going to let him get off easy in the Rogers Centre, especially considering his reverse homer splits against right-handers. Edwin has a ton of power against righties and hits most of his homers against them. He has 16 home runs this year pre-All-Star break, but he has also been getting wildly unlucky with a .211 BABIP.

		Jose Altuve
		Daily Breakdown		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Left/Right Splits		0.381	0.939	1.98%	0.404
		Last 7 Days Splits		0.207	0.578	3.45%	0.253
		Opp SP vs. LR		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Perez – LEFT		0.273	0.753	1.40%	0.335
PARK-1	PARK-LR	FD	DD	DK	FF	SS	FTD
0.895	0.000	$4,300	$8,300	$4,400	$81,300

Jose Altuve

This will be Perez’s first start back from the DL and he gets to face an impressive Astros offense, even without Springer. He does not have terrible numbers against right-handers in his career and has generally been quite effective, but he is in a hitter’s park tonight, and Altuve is one of the top hitting second basemen in the league. Altuve’s .357 wOBA this year against lefties is not one of hit better numbers compared to his numbers against lefties last year, but he is still a terror against them and should be hitting at the top of the lineup.

		Jedd Gyorko
		Daily Breakdown		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Left/Right Splits		0.239	0.707	1.45%	0.318
		Last 7 Days Splits		0.238	0.542	0.00%	0.252
		Opp SP vs. LR		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		De La Rosa – LEFT		0.240	0.743	3.22%	0.328
PARK-1	PARK-LR	FD	DD	DK	FF	SS	FTD
1.040	0.000	$2,200	$5,250	$2,800	$36,500

Jedd Gyorko

Gyorko has done absolutely nothing since coming back from the DL, but he has insane career numbers against De La Rosa, and he had great numbers in 2013 against left-handed pitching. This pick is an extreme risk, but does carry upside as Gyorko has power and is hitting pretty high up in the order lately in the Padres’ offense. He is min salary on FanDuel and close to the minimum on DraftKings, and he can help you get that stud pitcher.

		Tyler Saladino
		Daily Breakdown		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Left/Right Splits
		Last 7 Days Splits
		Opp SP vs. LR		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
PARK-1	PARK-LR	FD	DD	DK	FF	SS	FTD

Tyler Saladino

I have no idea if Saladino will start tonight, and if he does, he will likely be at the bottom of the lineup. But, what do the White Sox have to lose? They have been so terrible this year, particularly at third base and they’ll be looking for some help there. The min-priced Saladino hit well in the minors and also has a good OBP/speed combo. Who knows how he will fare, but he does have a little bit of upside; against Chris Young, who pitches to contact, he might get the ability to steal some bags.

		Alcides Escobar
		Daily Breakdown		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Left/Right Splits		0.297	0.733	0.86%	0.321
		Last 7 Days Splits		0.419	0.971	0.00%	0.424
		Opp SP vs. LR		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Danks – LEFT		0.284	0.000		0.366
PARK-1	PARK-LR	FD	DD	DK	FF	SS	FTD
0.759	0.000	$2,500	$7,800	$4,200	$71,600

Alcides Escobar

Escobar is nearly min-price on FanDuel, and who is he against? The ever-so-targeted John Danks. Danks has been better of late (I guess? Not really though.) and allows a .389 wOBA to right-handers this year. Escobar is the Royals’ leadoff hitter, and while he is not going to bring you power, he brings SB upside and will get on base at some point in this game.

		Lorenzo Cain
		Daily Breakdown		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Left/Right Splits		0.329	0.886	2.22%	0.385
		Last 7 Days Splits		0.500	1.529	12.50%	0.646
		Opp SP vs. LR		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Danks – LEFT		0.284	0.000		0.366
PARK-1	PARK-LR	FD	DD	DK	FF	SS	FTD
0.759	0.000	$4,000	$10,800	$5,000	$87,200

Lorenzo Cain

In the middle of the Royals lineup, we have one of the hottest hitters in baseball in Lorenzo Cain. His .430 wOBA against left-handers is great, and with him having multiple hits in six of 10 and some huge games in that span, we should definitely use him against Danks. He is worth the high prices as part one of the best teams in baseball and hitting in the middle of the lineup. Cain is a no-brainer play today.

		J.D. Martinez
		Daily Breakdown		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Left/Right Splits		0.308	0.902	5.84%	0.387
		Last 7 Days Splits		0.333	1.012	7.41%	0.428
		Opp SP vs. LR		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Jimenez – RIGHT		0.254	0.686	2.05%	0.308
PARK-1	PARK-LR	FD	DD	DK	FF	SS	FTD
0.988	0.000	$4,400	$11,050	$5,200	$96,900

J.D. Martinez

Martinez is actually the second-best right fielder currently playing right now, outside of Harper, and he will hit against Ubaldo today in Detroit. I do not like the R/R matchup too much, but the fact of the matter is Martinez has 20 HRs and a .395 wOBA against righties, while Ubaldo has allowed a .305 wOBA against righties as well. Martinez has been the glue that has helped the Tigers from completely imploding thanks to his awesome start.

		David Peralta
		Daily Breakdown		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Left/Right Splits		0.294	0.836	3.39%	0.361
		Last 7 Days Splits		0.235	0.969	5.88%	0.411
		Opp SP vs. LR		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Cain – RIGHT		0.244	0.752	3.88%	0.335
PARK-1	PARK-LR	FD	DD	DK	FF	SS	FTD
1.138	0.000	$4,000	$8,450	$3,900	$68,800

David Peralta

Cain was decent in his second start, however he was facing the poor Mets and now has to go to Chase Field to bat against a very, very solid Diamondbacks lineup. Peralta is ridiculously cheap on DraftKings, and with Peralta having a career .364 wOBA against right-handers, I like him hitting against a guy in Cain, who is throwing at a lower velocity than when he put up his monster numbers. Peralta always hits in the middle of the lineup, and with his ridiculous DK price, he makes a great play.

		Mike Trout
		Daily Breakdown		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Left/Right Splits		0.296	0.980	7.52%	0.420
		Last 7 Days Splits		0.478	1.686	21.74%	0.689
		Opp SP vs. LR		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Miley – LEFT		0.270	0.770	2.90%	0.338
PARK-1	PARK-LR	FD	DD	DK	FF	SS	FTD
0.820	0.000	$5,400	$13,600	$5,300	$105,500

Mike Trout

Trout showed his power in the All-Star game and has a .464 wOBA against lefties this year. Trout has simply destroyed them, and while he is not stealing as many bases, he is hitting for a ton of power as he matures. Wade Miley has been awful against righties with a .353 wOBA allowed, and with the Angels having one of the highest over/under teams on the board, Trout is going to be a fantastic play if you can afford him.