Wednesday's First Baseman/DH Value Rankings
Here are theScore's first baseman/DH value rankings for Wednesday, July 6 (all stats exclude Tuesday's games):
Value Rankings
C | 1B/DH | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | SP
Top Options
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| David Ortiz (BOS) | vs. TEX | 9 |
| Edwin Encarnacion (TOR) | vs. KC | 8 |
| Anthony Rizzo (CHC) | vs. CIN | 8 |
Ortiz and Encarnacion are, no matter the matchup, appealing plays with their extremely high floors. Both have an ample amount of power, take their share of walks, and are well on their way to 40-plus home run seasons - which is what makes them so expensive.
The Cubs' slugger has improved at the dish in almost every way possibly. Rizzo's strikeout percentage is the lowest it has been in his career (14.5%) and he has increased his walk percentage from 11.1 percent to 13.4 percent.
Mid Tier Targets
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Wil Myers (SD) | at ARI | 7 |
| Paul Goldschmidt (ARI) | vs. SD | 6 |
| Brandon Belt (SF) | vs. COL | 5 |
Myers and Goldschmidt will be locked into what should be a high scoring affair, with two scuffling pitchers toeing the rubber for their respective teams. Goldschmidt is back to his regular self after an early season slump and should have success against Colin Rea, but the upper hand goes to Myers against D-backs RHP Shelby Miller, who owns an abysmal 6.86 ERA in 14 starts.
At a considerable discount due to a recent slump and lefty-lefty matchup, Belt has hit left-handed pitching to the tune of .280 while sustaining his power, crushing four of his 10 home runs. He's worth a flier even with southpaw Jorge De La Rosa trotting to the mound.
Nothing to See Here
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| C.J. Cron (LAA) | at TB | 4 |
| Chris Carter (MIL) | at WAS | 3 |
| Justin Bour (MIA) | at NYY | 3 |
Other than his 6-for-6 explosion resulting in two homers, a double and five RBIs, Cron has been a non-factor. He should remain a non-factor in spacious Tropicana Field.
After a hot start to the season, Carter came crashing back down to earth and has saw his average normalize. Despite his swing-and-miss tendencies, he has connected on 20 long balls, so there is upside. Against the Nationals' red-hot Tanner Roark, fade him.
Bour is listed as day-to-day with an ankle injury and is hoping to avoid the DL. He's missed three-consecutive games and is likely to miss yet another one.