Daily Batter Breakdown: Monday, July 6th

by Jon Schiller (Varncass) Last Updated 2015-07-08 12:27:11

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.

		Yasmani Grandal
		Daily Breakdown		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Left/Right Splits		0.253	0.833	5.74%	0.364
		Last 7 Days Splits		0.353	1.324	11.76%	0.535
		Opp SP vs. LR		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		O’Sullivan – RIGHT		0.360	1.122	8.08%	0.468
PARK-1	PARK-LR	FD	DD	DK	FF	SS	FTD
1.064	0.000	$3,200	$8,600	$4,200	$77,300

Yasmani Grandal

There is one clear stack today, and it is the Dodgers against the completely inept Sean O’Sullivan. The Dodgers are the #1 team against right-handed pitching this year and they get to face arguably the worst pitcher in the game against lefties. O’Sullivan has allowed a .477 wOBA to left-handed hitters this year and his xFIP is at a dreadful 5.97. Grandal has a nice .397 wOBA against right-handed pitching and should feast in this matchup as the top catcher play.

		Adam Lind
		Daily Breakdown		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Left/Right Splits		0.333	0.928	3.79%	0.401
		Last 7 Days Splits		0.320	1.139	12.00%	0.469
		Opp SP vs. LR		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Wisler – RIGHT		0.179	0.533	0.00%	0.261
PARK-1	PARK-LR	FD	DD	DK	FF	SS	FTD
1.184	0.000	$4,200	$10,100	$4,500	$81,300

Adam Lind

The Brewers are on fire! While Wisler has been solid, the Brewers are battling for one of the top over/unders of the day, and Lind has been one of the most reliable hitters against right-handed pitching this year. His .404 wOBA and .242 ISO are elite numbers and he is always in play against right-handed pitching, especially against a guy new to the majors. The Dodgers are the clear #1 stack of the day, but the Brewers are probably #2.

		Adrian Gonzalez
		Daily Breakdown		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Left/Right Splits		0.301	0.903	5.33%	0.385
		Last 7 Days Splits		0.217	0.802	8.70%	0.344
		Opp SP vs. LR		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		O’Sullivan – RIGHT		0.360	1.122	8.08%	0.468
PARK-1	PARK-LR	FD	DD	DK	FF	SS	FTD
1.064	0.000	$3,000	$9,300	$4,700	$80,400

Adrian Gonzalez

Check Gonzalez’s status today before putting him in, but if he’s active, he definitely should be in your lineup. If you need a recap on how terrible O’Sullivan has been against left-handed batters, look up to Grandal’s writeup. Gonzalez has been poor recently, but his two homers in the last couple of games makes it look like he’s getting it back together; with a career .383 wOBA against right-handers and a .393 wOBA this year, he makes a very solid play if in the lineup.

		Robinson Cano
		Daily Breakdown		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Left/Right Splits		0.301	0.818	2.72%	0.352
		Last 7 Days Splits		0.333	0.926	4.17%	0.401
		Opp SP vs. LR		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Simon – RIGHT		0.263	0.762	3.35%	0.332
PARK-1	PARK-LR	FD	DD	DK	FF	SS	FTD
0.834	0.000	$2,900	$7,850	$4,300	$65,600

Robinson Cano

One of these things is not like the other one is what I say when I look at Cano’s career stats against right-handed pitching. He has been so bad this year, but at some point he is going to return to his hitting ways, and today is a good gamble on that happening. Cano still hits at the top of the lineup and Simon has a .365 wOBA allowed to lefties with a 4.61 xFIP as well. The right-hander has also sported a ridiculously terrible WHIP lately, so he should be targeted against.

		Kyle Seager
		Daily Breakdown		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Left/Right Splits		0.269	0.811	4.80%	0.353
		Last 7 Days Splits		0.182	0.659	4.55%	0.287
		Opp SP vs. LR		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Simon – RIGHT		0.263	0.762	3.35%	0.332
PARK-1	PARK-LR	FD	DD	DK	FF	SS	FTD
0.834	0.000	$2,500	$7,250	$4,100	$58,000

Kyle Seager

Seager is extremely cheap on FanDuel, where I would really target him, but he makes a solid play on the other sites as well. Neither him or Cano have been good lately, but I do like the Mariners as a sneaky stack against Simon, who has allowed 29 hits in his last three outings. Simon is not throwing the ball particularly well, and despite Seager doing poorly lately, he does have a .347 wOBA and is expected to rebound to his career numbers.

		Cesar Hernandez
		Daily Breakdown		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Left/Right Splits		0.234	0.625	0.98%	0.282
		Last 7 Days Splits		0.471	1.043	0.00%	0.457
		Opp SP vs. LR		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Frias – RIGHT		0.237	0.640	2.68%	0.281
PARK-1	PARK-LR	FD	DD	DK	FF	SS	FTD
1.064	0.000	$3,000	$6,600	$3,100	$57,600

Cesar Hernandez

Hernandez is still $3,100 on DraftKings? That seems like a complete steal, especially because Surkamp is projected to start at this time, and he has never posted good numbers against righties. Hernandez has a .421 wOBA against righties this year, and while that will come down eventually, he is on absolute fire right now and is stealing bags almost every time he gets on base. I love the price and do not want to fade him while he is this hot.

		Gerardo Parra
		Daily Breakdown		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Left/Right Splits		0.283	0.733	1.88%	0.318
		Last 7 Days Splits		0.480	1.243	4.00%	0.518
		Opp SP vs. LR		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Wisler – RIGHT		0.179	0.533	0.00%	0.261
PARK-1	PARK-LR	FD	DD	DK	FF	SS	FTD
1.184	0.000	$3,100	$8,000	$3,700	$60,600

Gerardo Parra

Here’s another guy who is extremely hot right now and not really seeing his price rise on DraftKings at all. Parra has double digit hits over his last six games, and his combination of power and speed has made his fantasy point totals explode lately. Wisler does not scare me at all here and I would really like to use Parra, especially at the $3,700 price point, especially if he leads off in this game again. The .358 wOBA for Parra against righties is not bad either.

		Thomas Pham
		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

Thomas Pham

Pham is min-salary at $2,000 tonight at DraftKings, and while he is not super cheap on FanDuel, I think that price on DraftKings is enough to use him. He has shown some power after hitting a homer, has had a couple of productive games, and despite being a career minor leaguer, he has great stats this year in the minors with a 170 wRC+ and a .288 ISO. The $2,000 price point is just too cheap, so despite facing Lester, I like Pham as a value play to allow yourself to roster an expensive pitcher.

		Bryce Harper
		Daily Breakdown		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Left/Right Splits		0.303	0.948	6.93%	0.405
		Last 7 Days Splits		0.381	1.233	4.76%	0.509
		Opp SP vs. LR		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Desclafani – RIGHT		0.251	0.754	2.70%	0.329
PARK-1	PARK-LR	FD	DD	DK	FF	SS	FTD
0.775	0.000	$5,200	$13,050	$5,700	$107,500

Bryce Harper

On the other side of the coin, Harper is the most expensive outfielder and should again prove his worth against DeSclafani. Harper’s .503 wOBA and 203 wRC+ against right-handers is out of control, and even though DeSclafani has has not had a horrible year (he does have a 5.02 xFIP), Harper gets to hit at home tonight against a pitcher who has struggled a bit lately. Harper looks to be starting a new hot streak, and he should be used if you can afford the price.

		Andre Ethier
		Daily Breakdown		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		Left/Right Splits		0.260	0.768	2.89%	0.336
		Last 7 Days Splits		0.400	1.193	6.67%	0.507
		Opp SP vs. LR		Avg	OPS	HR%	wOBA
		O’Sullivan – RIGHT		0.360	1.122	8.08%	0.468
PARK-1	PARK-LR	FD	DD	DK	FF	SS	FTD
1.064	0.000	$2,400	$6,950	$3,500	$54,700

Andre Ethier

Ethier is the next piece of the Dodgers outfield lefty attack against Sean O’Sullivan. He makes a fantastic play because of his cheap price and career .379 wOBA and 139 wRC+ against right-handed pitching. If you need any more reason why O’Sullivan is the worst pitcher in the majors against lefties, look at Grandal’s writeup. I am looking hard at the Dodgers lefties and the only thing stopping me from rostering Ethier would be him not being in the lineup.