Wednesday's First Baseman/DH Value Rankings
Here are theScore's first baseman/DH value rankings for Wednesday, June 29 (all stats exclude Tuesday's games):
Value Rankings
C | 1B/DH | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | SP
Top Options
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Edwin Encarnacion (TOR) | at COL | 9 |
| Eric Hosmer (KC) | at STL | 8 |
| Joey Votto (CIN) | vs. CHC | 8 |
| Miguel Cabrera (DET) | vs. MIA | 8 |
| David Ortiz (BOS) | at TB | 8 |
Encarnacion is on a hot streak, against a lefty, in Coors Field. Not much more needs to be said. There may not be a salary too high to keep him out of Wednesday's top spot.
Hosmer has cooled slightly, posting an OPS of .723 over his past 10 games, but he's still hitting .335 against righties, while drawing 23 walks to 42 strikeouts.
Mid-Tier Targets
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Hanley Ramirez (BOS) | at TB | 7 |
| Freddie Freeman (ATL) | vs. CLE | 7 |
| Jose Abreu (CWS) | vs. MIN | 7 |
| David Freese (PIT) | at SEA | 7 |
| Wil Myers (SD) | vs. BAL | 7 |
| Victor Martinez (DET) | vs. MIA | 7 |
| Paul Goldschmidt (ARI) | vs. PHI | 7 |
| Brandon Belt (SF) | at OAK | 7 |
| Albert Pujols (LAA) | vs. HOU | 7 |
| Joe Mauer (MIN) | at CWS | 7 |
| Carlos Santana (CLE) | at ATL | 7 |
| Adrian Gonzalez (LAD) | at MIL | 7 |
| C.J. Cron (LAA) | vs. HOU | 6 |
| Prince Fielder (TEX) | at NYY | 6 |
| Adam Lind (SEA) | vs. PIT | 6 |
| Chris Carter (MIL) | vs. LAD | 6 |
| Yonder Alonso (OAK) | vs. SF | 6 |
| Rob Refsnyder (NYY) | vs. TEX | 6 |
| A.J. Reed (HOU) | at LAA | 6 |
Ramirez is hitting .345 against lefties, heading into a matchup against Rays LHP Matt Moore. Moore has allowed 12 home runs over his past 10 starts. If it wasn't for the Tropicana Field location, Ramirez would be a top option.
Reed has struggled in the majors thus far but a date with RHP Jered Weaver and his 83.4 MPH fastball may be the perfect cure.
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Marwin Gonzalez (HOU) | at LAA | 5 |
| Mark Reynolds (COL) | vs. TOR | 5 |
| Brandon Moss (STL) | vs. KC | 5 |
| Tommy Joseph (PHI) | at ARI | 5 |
| Mike Napoli (CLE) | at ATL | 5 |
| Chris Davis (BAL) | at SD | 5 |
| Anthony Rizzo (CHC) | at CIN | 5 |
| Jefry Marte (LAA) | vs. HOU | 5 |
| Mitch Moreland (TEX) | at NYY | 5 |
| James Loney (NYM) | at WAS | 5 |
| Justin Bour (MIA) | at DET | 5 |
| Alex Rodriguez (NYY) | vs. TEX | 5 |
| Logan Morrison (TB) | vs. BOS | 5 |
Rizzo has a 1.000 slugging percentage over his past 10 games, with a 1.595 OPS. Still, he's hitting a much more modest .205/.347/.446 against lefties this season, putting a cap on his rapidly rising salary whenever facing a southpaw.
Alternatively, Loney is in the strong half of his split, but a matchup against RHP Max Scherzer tends to render even the most appealing splits obsolete.
Nothing to See Here
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Adams (STL) | vs. KC | 4 |
| Justin Smoak (TOR) | at COL | 4 |
| Kendrys Morales (KC) | at STL | 3 |
| Ryan Zimmerman (WAS) | vs. NYM | 3 |
| Mark Teixeira (NYY) | vs. TEX | 2 |
| Byung Ho Park (MIN) | at CWS | 1 |
Morales has looked much better of late, after struggling for much of the first half of the season. He still struggles against righties, and he will have a particularly difficult matchup while on the road.