Week 14 Buy or Sell: Hitters

Jul 4, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Minnesota Twins designated hitter

(22) singles in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Week 13 is done and Week 14 is upon us. The season is quickly winding down and a playoff position is the goal. With roster construction very important at this point in the season, you need to drop the dead weight in order to make room for the productive players. Here are my Week 14 buy or sell hitter options.

Buy

Gerardo Parra, MIL

Parra has been playing well since starting in the outfield. With Khris Davis and Carlos Gomez out, Parra has gone 9-for-17 at the plate to start the month of July and bringing his season-long batting average up to .306. He has five runs, two home runs, three RBI and a stolen base in his last three games. It will be hard for manager Craig Counsell to keep him out of the lineup. Until then, Parra is a good buy.

Miguel Sano, MIN

Sano is the newest prospect to make his major league debut. He’s only played four games, but has impressed so far. He is 6-for-15 with one run and two RBI. He is the Minnesota Twins‘ designated hitter, but he has the added benefit of having third base eligibility in ESPN leagues. He is owned in just 42.8 percent of leagues. I’m assuming the other 53 percent are in wait-and-see mode, but you shouldn’t be and make the move.

Justin Bour, MIA

Bour is lucky for his recent hot streak. If he wasn’t hitting, he might have lost his spot in favor of Mike Morse. However, Morse is taking over for the struggling Marcell Ozuna. Bour hit a home run in four straight games from June 30 to July 3 before going 0-for-1 on July 4. He now has 10 home runs and 21 RBI with a .270 average. For the season, Bour’s .918 OPS against right-handed pitching ranks 20th in the majors for hitters with at least 100 plate appearances. While he will be benched against left handers, he is a must own against righties.

Sell

Joey Gallo, TEX

Shocker, sell the player that was sent to the minors. You think it would be that obvious. He is still owned in 28.9 percent of leagues. Granted, some of them may be keeper or dynasty leagues, but the majority are redraft leagues. Gallo went 1-for-5 with three RBI in his last major-league game. Gallo posted a .218/.306/.448 slash line over 87 at-bats in his first taste of the majors. He may be back later on in the season, but for now, he is not worth keeping.

Joey Butler, TB

A golden sombrero sound cool, but not when you are a baseball player. Butler struck out four times in his four at bats on July 4. He went 0-for-5 with a run scored on Friday. Even with the injury to Steven Souza, Butler is not worth the add. He’s been in a power outage over the last two weeks. Butler has been dropped in 18.1 percent of leagues because of it. Until he turns it around, stay away from him.

Lucas Duda, NYM

When your team can’t hit, you don’t have a lot of fantasy value. The New York Mets offense is terrible. They are homer-less this month with a collective .203 batting average. He went 0-for-4 on Sunday, and has two hits in his last five games. Duda is 19-for-106 with just two home runs and 10 runs batted in over the past 31 days. The numbers just get worse. In a crowded first base group, you can definitely find a better option on the waiver wire.