MLB DFS Hitters:Simmering Sluggers: Week of 7/15-7/21

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MLB DFS Hitters: Simmering Sluggers: Week of 7/15- 7/21- SS, 3B, OF

THIRD BASE

Kyle Seager, SEA

Line-Drive Rate since 7/1: 32.0 percent
Hard-Contact Rate since 7/1: 40.0 percent
BABIP since 7/1: .083
Total Plate Appearances since 7/1: 31

Much like Wendle, Seager has seen his season significantly encumbered by injury thus far. The veteran third baseman’s line is all the way down to .195/.276/.351 entering Tuesday night’s action, despite the fact he sports a solid 39.8 percent hard-contact rate in 2019. However, BABIP has been a major albatross for Seager, both from a season-long and current-month perspective.

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Seager is averaging just .214 on balls put in play for the season, but his .083 figure in that category thus far in July is both absurd and unsustainable. That’s especially true when considering his LD and HC rates during the same period cited above. Seager will have a chance to face right-handers in four of his remaining five games his week through Sunday, and the one lefty he’s slated to see, Andrew Heaney, is a pitcher he owns a .300 average against during his career.

SHORTSTOP

Trevor Story, COL

Line-Drive Rate since 7/1: 28.0 percent
Hard-Contact Rate since 7/1: 40.0 percent
BABIP since 7/1: .227
Total Plate Appearances since 7/1: 41

Story’s name hasn’t been synonymous with struggle too often this season. The slugger sports a .284/.350/.536 line through 369 plate appearances and has already hit the 20-homer threshold for the fourth time in as many campaigns. However, July hasn’t been kind to him so far, despite Story’s impressive LD and HC rates over his first 41 plate appearances of the month.

The rest of the week sets up interestingly for Story, in the sense he’ll face a nice mix of righties and lefties. Story has done well in different ways versus both. Against southpaws, Story owns a .309 average, .359 wOBA and 50.7 percent hard-contact rate, but only three homers. In turn, he’s blasted 17 round-trippers off righties despite a lower 43.1 percent hard-contact rate, leading to a .373 wOBA.

In terms of ballparks, he’ll have Coors as his setting Tuesday (LHP Drew Pomeranz) and Wednesday (RHP Shaun Anderson) before shuttling off to Yankee Stadium for an interleague weekend series.

OUTFIELD

Byron Buxton, MIN

Line-Drive Rate since 7/1: 31.8 percent
Hard-Contact Rate since 7/1: 54.5 percent
BABIP since 7/1: .227
Total Plate Appearances since 7/1: 34

Buxton is enjoying a solid season overall during what is a highly successful campaign for the Twins. Thanks in large part to his career-high 37 extra-base hits (24 doubles, four triples, nine home runs), Buxton boasts a career-high .490 slugging percentage. He also should comfortably exceed his career-best 51 RBI if he remains healthy the rest of the way, considering he’s compiled 42 over his first 75 games.

Buxton is absolutely lambasting the ball so far in July, as his LD and HC rates listed above clearly indicate. However, all that’s led to is a .161 average and no home runs over the first eight games of the month. The metrics indicate Buxton is a slugger about to boil over, and the fact he faces three lefties over his next five games may only accelerate his imminent turnaround — Buxton sports a .293 average, .363 wOBA and .224 ISO versus southpaws on the season (63 plate appearances).

ALSO CONSIDER: Melky Cabrera, PIT

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MLB DFS HItters: Simmering Sluggers: Week of 7/15-7/21

By Juan Carlos Blanco | Jul 16, 2019