Friday brings us a full slate of MLB action tonight.
There are plenty of pitching options to choose from, and if you are playing on DraftKings, you may notice that many of the top hitters are priced up.
So for this particular edition of the Index, my focus is finding straight value and one offs.
The top stacks, for me, are Washington, Arizona, Toronto, the Yanks, Tampa, Texas, the Cubbies, Houston and Miami. These are in no particular order.
Without seeing lineups, there are very few players from these teams that stick out.
Below are some players from the teams listed above and the rest are cheaper options that you could fit into your stacks.
Mallex Smith – OF – Tampa Bay Rays – $3,600
Analysis: The Rays, especially if Colby Rasmus returns (BvP candidate), are an interesting stack against Ubaldo Suckstick. Mallex has been a great addition to this Rays lineup. Hitting at the top of the order, Mallex gets on base and is going to try and swipe a base or two if he can. Jimenez has been dreadful against lefties this season, allowing them a .415 wOBA, a 3.46 HR/9 rate and a 32% hard contact rate…his BABIP this season against lefties is – .271.
Travis Shaw – 3B – Milwaukee Brewers – $4,200
Analysis: I don’t know that my success rate is very high when it comes to striking iron with one player two days in a row. After a 28-point fantasy effort Thursday, Shaw’s price has dropped and he gets an even better matchup, outdoors in the heat, in a ballpark that favors lefty power. Up against starter Mike Foltynewicz, who has allowed a .402 wOBA, a 1.74 HR/9 rate and a 34.8% hard contact rate to lefties, Shaw comes in as a great play in all formats.
Kendrys Morales – 1B – Toronto Blue Jays – $4,200
Analysis: I won’t argue against you stacking the Blue Jays here. They might have the best matchup on paper against starter Jeff Junis who has allowed a .415 wOBA and a 43% hard contact rate to RH bats and a .375 wOBA, a 2.31 HR/9 rate and a 50% hard contact rate to lefties. Yes, 50% hard contact and he owns a .271 BABIP against lefties, too. Morales faces his old team and is a cheaper first base option today. The only downside here is the ballpark downgrade, but screw that, Morales fared just fine at Kauffman in the past and Morales is scorching hot.
Maikel Franco – 3B – Philadelphia Phillies – $3,500
Analysis: As much as I love Shaw, I don’t think I can ignore Franco tonight. He’s one of the very few cheap options available in this Chase Field game and he’s finally starting to hit the ball. By hit, I mean barreling the ball (@MLBBarrelAlert) finally. He gets to face starting pitcher Patrick Corbin, who allows a .377 wOBA, a 1.80 HR/9 rate and a 37% hard contact rate to RH bats. Corbin shined in his matchup last time out, but I don’t think that happens here with the Phillies again.
Rougned Odor – 2B – Texas Rangers – $3,400
Analysis: Looks like there might be some weather in this game, but if it plays, I think it could be a shootout. Tanaka has been dreadful this season, especially against lefties. We all know the right field home run porch at Yankee Stadium plays short. Against lefties this season, Tanaka owns a .366 wOBA, a 2.62 HR/9 rate and a 33% hard contact rate.
Yoenis Cespedes – OF – New York Mets – $4,100
Analysis: I think Cespedes has been on this list a lot lately, and against lefties. He hasn’t come through yet, but I can’t stop now. I will keep investing until he pays off. The Mets take on noodle-armed Ty Blach tonight, but it is in AT&T Park, one of the best pitching venues in the majors. With that said, Cespedes has played a lot of his career in big parks and this one certainly doesn’t scare me off of him. Against RH bats this season, Blach sports a .340 wOBA and a 30% hard contact rate. He also doesn’t strike out anyone, so Cespedes should be able to make lots of contact tonight.
Cameron Maybin – OF – Los Angeles Angels – $3,800
Analysis: I never would’ve thought I would be sitting here touting Maybin. But here we are. Maybin and the Angels take on Rick Porcello and the Red Sox in Fenway tonight. Maybin has been a stud hitter batting leadoff for the Angels. He has hits in 10 of his last 11 and has a .357 average in that span, averaging 15 DK points. Rick Porcello is an intriguing option at his very reduced price and against a sub-par offense, but he has been allowing all sorts of hard contact this season. The Angels put up 10 against a great pitcher in Severino, and now get a struggling Porcello, who has given up a .373 wOBA and a 40% hard contact rate to righties. Maybin gets a bump also due to the Fenway factor (short left field, big right field). All kinds of extra base hits can be had.
Dinelson Lamet – SP – San Diego Padres – $6,200
Analysis: Man this kid might be a really great pitcher in a couple of years. He just has to tone down the gobs of hard contact to lefties. Thankfully the Tigers don’t offer a lot of lefties for Lamet to face and he gets to pitch in his big, home ballpark. So far this season, Lamet sports a 14.2% SwStr rate and fans 13 per 9 innings of work. People will be scared to use him, but the K upside is there against the Tigers, who strike out 23% of the time and are 20th in team wOBA against right handed pitching this season.
MIchael Fulmer – SP – Detroit Tigers – $8,300
Analysis: I love Chris Archer tonight, but he is certainly pricey. I feel like Fulmer is a cash game play (and hopefully not a trap) more than a tournament play. I can’t ignore the matchup here though. The Padres are 28th in team wOBA against right handers and strike out 25% of the time. They have been better of late with some young, spry call ups, but I don’t think they have enough power to do too much damage here. Fulmer has pitcher very well on the road this season and limits hard contact against both sides of the plate. He has a 9.7% SwStr rate and fans just under 7 bats per 9 innings. Again, I don’t know if Fulmer lights up the K meter, though he could with his matchup, this just feels like a very, very safe cash game option on tonight’s slate.
