I guess Tyler Saladino is the king of grand slams…and am not talking about Denny’s.
Dude hit his second grand slam in as many nights on Monday. FULL FADE TODAY!
We have a jam-packed slate with 15 games, tons of pitching options to consider and some of the best offenses in the best spots.
Two things about tonight’s recommendations…1
- All bats are under $3K
- Dodgers are my top stack and who I will build around on FanDuel.
Enough chatting here, let’s go!
Pitcher xFIP vs. LH
1. Dylan Covey – 6.94
2. Tanner Roark – 5.93
3. Zach Davies – 5.79
4. Danny Duffy – 5.60
5. Felix Pena – 5.30
6. Dakota Hudson – 5.23
7. Kenta Maeda – 5.09
8. Chris Archer – 5.01
9. Trevor Bauer – 4.99
10. Dylan Bundy – 4.98
11. Jason Vargas – 4.94
12. Merrill Kelly – 4.94
13. Peter Lambert – 4.90
Pitcher xFIP vs. RH
1. Aaron Sanchez – 6.13
2. Mike Fiers – 5.82
3. Dylan Covey – 5.46
4. Jason Vargas – 5.26
5. Danny Duffy – 5.04
6. Dallas Keuchel – 4.94
7. Wade Miley – 4.68
Qualified Hitter wOBA vs. LH
1. Manny Machado – San Diego Padres – .532
2. Kris Bryant – Chicago Cubs – .464
3. Rhys Hoskins – Philadelphia Phillies – .446
4. Ozzie Albies – Atlanta Braves – .430
5. Ronald Acuna Jr. – Atlanta Braves – .414
6. Yandy Diaz – Tampa Bay Rays – .411
7. Matt Olson – Oakland Athletics – .401
8. Matt Chapman – Oakland Athletics – .392
9. Jean Segura – Philadelphia Phillies – .392
10. Jose Abreu – Chicago White Sox – .377
Qualified Hitter wOBA vs. RH
1. Christian Yelich – Milwaukee Brewers – .494
2. Mike Trout – Los Angeles Angels – .466
3. Cody Bellinger – Los Angeles Dodgers – .453
4. Rafael Devers – Boston Red Sox – .418
5. Josh Bell – Pittsburgh Pirates – .410
6. Daniel Vogelbach – Seattle Mariners – .409
7. George Springer – Houston Astros – .406
8. Anthony Rendon – Washington Nationals – .401
9. Xander Bogaerts – Boston Red Sox – .401
10. Michael Brantley – Houston Astros – .399
PITCHERS
Yu Darvish – at San Francisco Giants – $8,500
Analysis: There are plenty of pitchers on this slate up top that are worth rostering, but I want the Dodgers today. Yu will be one of the pitchers I will be looking to at a discounted rate with lots of upside. The Giants have been a better team of late, but this ballpark will help hide Darvish’s weakness – the long ball. San Fran is still 24th in team wOBA with a .178 ISO and a strikeout rate of 20.2%. Darvish strikes out lefties at a 9.23 K/9 and righties at an elite 11.50 K/9. Darvish has allowed a .269 wOBA to righties and a .343 wOBA to lefties, just above league average.
Merrill Kelly – vs. Baltimore Orioles – $7,600
Analysis: Kelly is the other pitcher I really want to roster in the cheaper end. He gets the lowly Baltimore Orioles, who are 27th in team wOBA and strikes out at 23% clip vs. right-handed pitching. Kelly doesn’t have the strikeout numbers like Yu, but they certainly get a bump facing the O’s. Against righties, Kelly owns a 6.04 K/9 and a 7.96 K/9 to righties. But Kelly has been solid against both sides of the plate, so he feels safe with his .306 wOBA vs. lefties and .298 wOBA vs. righties.
HITTERS
Curtis Granderson – OF – Miami Marlins – $2,000
Analysis: Am I that ballsy enough to allow this recommendation be public and outside the paywall??? Apparently I am, but the Marlins haven’t made their way to the Index much this year. But Granderson is the absolute minimum against the worst pitcher on the slate in a hitter’s park. Seems like a very low-risk play to me! The Marlins get Dylan Covey, who as you can see the xFIP table above, is awful. He’s really bad against lefties with a .407 wOBA and a 1.47 HR/9 with a 7.36 BB/9. Granderson doesn’t have the power numbers he used to, but he still owns a .152 ISO with a 43% hard hit rate. Granderson has been rather unlucky holding a .200 BABIP.
