You Make the Call (Hitters)
Here are 18 hitters worth drafting. Your mission is to choose the nine most valuable, filling all positions. Remember you still need three pitchers, so don’t automatically pick the most expensive bat.
CATCHER: Russell Martin ($4,888) vs. J.P. Arencibia ($6,251). Martin is part of a resurgent Pirates hitting core which performed very well against the Braves, previously the hottest team in the league. Arencibia is mashing the ball (a double and his seventh HR on Sunday) when he’s not being rung up by umpire Tim Timmons on bogus third strike calls. Likely to DH when he doesn’t catch, J.P. puts the “S” into OPS with a .611 SLG that makes up for an anemic .260 OBP.
FIRST BASE: Anthony Rizzo ($7,343) vs. Adam Lind ($6,324). Did Lind really draw four walks yesterday? It appears so; if that patience continues, he suddenly becomes a solid play against most RHP. Still cheap but won’t be for long if he keeps it up. Rizzo, more of a homerun threat, travels to hitter-friendly Cincinnati to take on righty Mike Leake ($10,650).
SECOND BASE: Matt Carpenter ($6,989) vs. Jason Kipnis ($7,091). Both of these guys bat second in good lineups. Kipnis has just returned from a minor injury and faces Pale Hose fill-in starter Axelrod. Carp hit a homerun yesterday off Kyle Kendrick, who was otherwise solid against a good hitting lineup.
THIRD BASE: Pedro Alvarez ($4,840) vs. Chris Johnson ($7,294). On the face of it, a mismatch. Johnson will take on crafty left Jeff Francis ($6,273) in Coors, while Alvarez deals with call-up Tyler Cloyd ($12,137). However, Johnson is cooling down a bit and Alvarez is on the upswing; the nearly $2,500 salary bucks you save will come in handy.
SHORTSTOP: J.J. Hardy ($6,677) vs. Andrelton Simmons ($7,204). Simmons has the benefit of Coors Field and the platoon advantage; Hardy is at home, also faces a lefthander — J.A. Happ ($10,250) — and all three of his 2013 homers have come in 20 AB off southpaws.
OUTFIELD 1: Justin Upton ($12,382) vs. Andrew McCutchen ($9,276). The premium bats are going to be hitting in favorable conditions, McCutchen off the newcomer Cloyd and Upton against a lefty in Coors. I am concerned that J-Up will be pitched around so you might consider the two guys that will bat behind him — most likely C-eligible Evan Gattis ($9,343) and 3B Johnson.
OUTFIELD 2: Adam Jones ($8,737) vs. Mike Trout ($9,232). Trout has the tougher matchup — lefty Derek Holland ($13,124) has been sharp so far — but by the same token he has exploded in a number of recent games and it’s tough to shut him down completely. Jones hit another blast yesterday and we wait in vain for him to cool off; he faces a slightly easier lefty but has a small platoon differential so R/L isn’t a big deal.
OUTFIELD 3: Alfonso Soriano ($6,261) vs. Travis Snider ($5,485). We tipped Snider a few days ago, and he’s continued to shine, showing more maturity at the plate. Travis was something of a personal cause for me while he was with the Blue Jays — I exhorted them to just give him 500 PA one year and see what happens. In Pittsburgh, he might finally be getting that chance as he enters his prime. Soriano is batting cleanup against Leake, who may pitch around Rizzo to get to him.
UTILITY: Joey Votto ($9,206) vs. Buster Posey ($8,152). Posey, who finally hit a circuit clout on Sunday, faces another lefty in Wade Miley ($13,283) today. Votto is starting to catch fire and as always, the primary concern is that he gets pitched around, even with southpaw Travis Wood ($10,222) on the hill.
Kent Williams is on Twitter @SheridanFantasy and be sure to follow Rob Dudek for updates when our morning picks change during the day.