Eagles. Apple pie. Baseball. These are all things that people associated with the USA back in the 1950s, but for the purposes of this article, we’re going to pretend that they all still matter. It’s July 4. Independence Day. As such, the good people at MLB are supplying you with action on the diamond all afternoon long.
The good people at DraftKings? They have a contest. Let’s break it all down.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $150K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st] (Early)
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PITCHER
Stud
Cristopher Sanchez, Philadelphia Phillies at Chicago Cubs, $9,000 – Sanchez is the most expensive pitcher on this slate, but he remains underpriced at just $9K. The RHP is on the heels of taking home NL Pitcher of the Month and it’s not very hard to see why. Across his last eight starts, Sanchez is in possession of a 1.58 ERA and a 1.95 FIP. In that 51.1 inning sample, opponents have managed just a .231 wOBA off the 27-year-old. Really, the only area where Sanchez hasn’t been elite is strikeouts. That’s where matchup comes into play on Thursday. The Cubs have a 29.3% strikeout rate over the past two weeks — the worst mark of any National League lineup.
Value
Frankie Montas, Cincinnati Reds at New York Yankees, $6,500 – There’s a case to be made for Framber Valdez ($7,500) as a top value asset, but let’s save even more salary with Montas. The veteran will make his return to Yankee Stadium on Thursday and he’ll be looking to silence a crowd that likely won’t be happy to see him. Luckily, Montas has been in a groove as of late. The RHP is coming off his best month of the season in June, pitching to a 3.24 FIP with a 24.0% strikeout rate. This isn’t New York at full-strength. Montas can take advantage and continue his recent run of success.
INFIELD
Stud
Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox at Miami Marlins, $5,900 – Devers has been red-hot since the beginning of June and I like him in virtually any matchup with a right-handed opponent. Why? Well, for the season as a whole, the All-Star has managed an eye-popping 172 wRC+ within the split. We don’t have a large sample of data for Kyle Tyler ($6,000) at the MLB level in 2024, however we do know he’s surrendered a .417 wOBA to the 21 LHBs he’s seen. Devers could be in store for a huge performance.
Stud
Carlos Correa, Minnesota Twins vs. Detroit Tigers, $5,200 – Speaking of hot bats, Correa is coming off a month of June that saw him slash .388/.411/.582 with a 187 wRC+. The man is unconscious at the plate at the moment. On Thursday, the shortstop will draw a matchup with former teammate Kenta Maeda ($6,300). 2024 has been a struggle for the RHP — particularly when he’s been asked to pitch outside the comfy confines of Comerica Park. To wit, Maeda owns an 8.53 ERA in his seven road outings this season. Woof.
Value
Ernie Clement, Toronto Blue Jays vs. Houston Astros, $2,800 – I don’t want to go out of my way to pick on Valdez, though the lefty hasn’t looked exactly right this season for the Astros. In fact, Valdez is sporting a 4.99 ERA across his last eight starts. A full-out stack seems foolish, but there might be room in your lineups for Clement. In 64 plate appearances against LHPs in 2024, Clement is hitting .322 with a 149 wRC+. The man even hit a long ball of Josh Hader less than 72 hours ago. At less than $3K, he’s clearly viable.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros at Toronto Blue Jays, $5,500 – Look, I’m not the biggest proponent of BvP, but sometimes even I’m numb to its allure. Alvarez owns Chris Bassitt ($8,000). Bassitt’s basically said as much in the past. In 18 career at-bats, the hulking slugger has five home runs and a 1.783 OPS off the veteran RHP. On top of that, Alvarez is on quite the roll at the moment, with a long ball in each of the first three games of this series. I think he gets a fourth on Thursday.
Stud
Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins vs. Detroit Tigers, $4,400 – Much like his aforementioned teammate, Buxton came alive in June. In 91 plate appearances in the month, Buxton slashed .286/.330/.548 with a 145 wRC+. He’s also managed four home runs in his last eight games. Maeda is conceding a staggering 2.49 opponent home runs per nine when pitching on the road this season. Buxton has more raw power than anyone in the Twins’ lineup. It all adds up.
Value
Masataka Yoshida, Boston Red Sox at Miami Marlins, $3,500 – The Red Sox have so, so many LHBs to throw at Tyler on Thursday and Yoshida should hit right in the middle of Boston’s order. The 30-year-old’s stock has certainly fallen from where it stood early on in 2023, yet Yoshida’s produced across his last 10 games, hitting .316 with a home run. Specific to his last three contests, Yoshida has seven hits. There’s some upside here.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $150K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st] (Early)
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
