Steven Moya (DET) - Steven Moya notched another hit and another RBI on Friday night and has gotten hits in all but 4 of his 16 games this season. He doesn't have the best approach at the plate, which is reflected not only in his batting EYE (3:17), but also his low 74% contact rate and pitiful 16% swinging strike rate. Based on these numbers, about the only thing propping up his .322 batting average (and .421 BABIP!) is a 46% hard hit rate. I have some very real concerns about Moya being able to maintain this recent hot streak and I wouldn't hesitate to move him if there's an owner in your thinking thinking they can buy the "next big thing" in the Tigers vaunted lineup.
Jason Kipnis (CLE)- Jason Kipnis tripled twice off the Tigers' Jordan Zimmermann, knocking in 3 RBI and generating the majority of the Cleveland offense in a 7-4 win. Kipnis has been a frustrating player to own this season, seemingly going 1-for-4 nearly every night. As a result, he's sporting a disappointing .268/.325/.429 line through the first two and a half months of the regular season. On a more positive note, he's hitting the ball hard on a more conistsent basis this year, but it's coming at the expense of fewer up-the-middle and opposite field batted balls. For a player like Kipnis, pulling the ball more isn't the type of approach we like to see from hitters like him. Lacking big power upside, we'd rather he place the ball than try to hit the ball over the fence. Based on the current statistics, it feels like he might be pressing the issue a bit too much right now. Look for a little positive regression to the second baseman's BABIP & batting average in the second half.
George Springer (HOU) - George Springer had a monster night on Friday, finishing 3-for-5 with just a double short of the cycle. Springer knocked in 5 runs and scored 2 more in a rout of the Kansas City Royals. After a hot stretch at the end of May and beginning of June, Springer cooled down considerably over the last 2 weeks. Historically a streaky hitter, Springer now has 15 homeruns, 49 RBI, 6 stolen bases and is slashing .266/.358/.475 on the year. Springer is on pace to shatter his previous career highs of 20 homeruns and 51 RBI that he tallied in his rookie season. After stealing 16 bases out of 20 attempts last season, outfielder has just a 50% success rate this year. Given his role on the team as a primary run producer, I'm skeptical that he'll continue to be a double-digit steal threat beyond this season. Outside of that, expect plenty of strikeouts offset by plenty of walks, a below average contact rate, but massive power upside in the second half.
Colby Rasmus (HOU) - Another Houston bat that has been cold over the last few weeks is Colby Rasmus. Fortunately, he had a nice night at the plate last night, going 4-for-5 with a couple RBI and 3 runs scored. He also added his 10th homerun of the season. The contact issues are very real with Rasmus and in fact, at 66%, it's actually the worst contact % that he has posted of his career. This stat will continue to hold down his overall value and will continue to lead to his 15% swinging strike rate and 29% strikeout rate. Nonetheless, he's a nice player to roster while he's on a hot streak. He's a great target for the DFS game on Saturday when he faces the right-handed Chris Young in what's expected to be another hot and humid day in Kauffman Stadium (great hitting conditions). On the season, left-handers have a .523 OBA against him with 14 homeruns over a mere 20 innings pitched. Rasmus is a steal on FanDuel at $3,400.
David Price got an unfavorable park shift and was tasked to face a dangerous, albeit very left-handed, Rangers offense that has really scuffled over the last week. Texas fans will be happy to know that they're no longer scuffling. David Price was absolutely torched, lasting just 2.1 innings while allowing 6 earned runs on 12 hits with just 1 strikeout. On the bright side, none of the Rangers batters waited long enough to draw a walk, so Price finished with 0 walks, which was about the only positive thing in his brutal line. After a slow start to the year, David Price had really turned his season around coming into the start last night. Since May 12th, Price had struck out nearly a batter per inning and despite an elevated 17% HR/FB rate, his ERA had been well below 3. On the season, it's now an ugly 4.68.
AL DFS Salary Relief Plays - June 25, 2016 | |||
Position | Player | FD Price | DK Price |
C | Stephen Vogt | $ 3,300 | $ 3,500 |
1B | Eric Hosmer | $ 3,000 | $ 4,300 |
2B | Jason Kipnis | $ 3,800 | $ 4,200 |
3B | Pedro Alvarez | $ 2,900 | N/A |
SS | Tim Anderson | $ 2,500 | $ 3,800 |
OF | Hyun-Soo Kim | $ 2,900 | $ 2,500 |
OF | Seth Smith | $ 3,000 | $ 3,400 |
OF | Nomar Mazara | $ 2,800 | $ 2,700 |
SP | Nate Karns | $ 7,700 | $ 7,100 |