On Saturday, Major League Baseball continues to get ready for next week’s All-Star break with a massive schedule of 16 games spread throughout the day. The final five games of the day are on the main DFS fantasy baseball slate on DraftKings, which starts at 7:15 p.m. ET. The second game of the Cubs-Cardinals doubleheader is one of the five matchups in play, and the other divisional matchup on the board is the Mariners-Angels matchup in Anaheim. There are two interleague games on the board as well from San Francisco and Arizona, and the other night game is a great matchup between the Padres and Braves, who are both in the race for the NL Wild Card.
With those 10 teams in the player pool, there are some strong plays to consider as you put together your team for Saturday night’s contests. Let’s take a look at some of the top studs and values.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $100K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st]
For up-to-the-minute news, analysis and lineups, download the DK Live app. You also can follow DK Network on Twitter @dknetwork.
PITCHER
Stud
Dylan Cease, San Diego Padres vs. Atlanta Braves ($10,200) – With each of my pitching picks today, I’m chasing strikeout upside. Cease has the fourth-highest K/9 in the MLB this season along with a 7-8 record, a 4.21 ERA and a 3.39 FIP. He allowed at least three runs in four of his last five starts, but there are still signs he can be strong play Saturday. His strikeouts can help compensate for any runs allowed, and he has at least eight strikeouts in three of his last four outings, including 10 strikeouts against Milwaukee a few weeks ago. He has also been much better at home at Petco Park than on the road. In each of his last seven home starts, he produced at least 17 DKFP. Last week against Arizona in his most recent start, he allowed three runs in seven innings but still had 22.2 DKFP since he had eight strikeouts. In his previous home start, he was even better, shutting down the Nationals and earning 36 DKFP in one of his best games of the year. He has that kind of ceiling even in a tough matchup against the Braves. Atlanta’s offense has plenty of power but has been depleted by injury and ranks in the middle of the pack in most stats over the last 30 days. They do rank in the top 10 in K% over that span, though, so Cease has a good strikeout ceiling Saturday night.
Value
Hayden Birdsong, San Francisco Giants vs. Minnesota Twins ($6,300) – From one end of the salary structure to the other, Birdsong is the cheapest starting pitcher on the board but comes with good strikeout upside. The 22-year-old made MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects coming into the season and ranked fourth in the Giants’ system. He totaled 149 strikeouts in 100 2⁄3 innings last season across multiple levels in the minors and went 5-2 with 75 strikeouts in 57 1⁄3 innings this year before being called up for his MLB debut on June 26. He has a 4.40 ERA, 5.26 FIP and 15 strikeouts in 14 1⁄3 innings in his three starts in the majors, but he has the potential for more strikeouts as he continues to grow and adjust to the majors. At barely over $6,000, he has the strikeout upside to return excellent value against the Twins, who rank in the top 10 in K% over the last 30 days. Building around Birdsong as your SP2 leaves plenty of salary to stack the top bats in your order as well.
INFIELD
Stud
Christian Walker, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Toronto Blue Jays ($5,200) – With the recent struggles of Jose Berrios ($8,300), especially on the road, the Dbacks are a lineup to definitely attack on Saturday night. Walker has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball lately. In his last 13 games, Walker has averaged 12.8 DKFP per contest by hitting .360 (18-for-50) with four doubles, five home runs and a .490 wOBA. The 33-year-old typically hits in the heart of the order and has already produced 22 homers and 66 RBI this season. His .367 wOBA would be a new career-high for a full season, and he brings great power upside on Saturday’s slate.
Stud
Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Angels ($4,700) – Raleigh is one of the best bats available behind the plate on any slate, and positional scarcity makes him even more valuable this Saturday night. The switch-hitting catcher is only hitting .218 on the season but has already smashed 20 homers for the third straight year. Raleigh has multiple hits in five of his last seven games and has gone 12-for-29 (.414) over that short stretch with five home runs and a double. His .592 wOBA over those games has raised his season-long stat to .320, which is enough to make him one of the best-hitting catchers in baseball. Filling your catcher spot with Raleigh keeps your ceiling high, especially in his matchup with Jose Soriano ($7,100), who has allowed seven runs in nine innings since returning from the IL.
Value
Geraldo Perdomo, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Toronto Blue Jays ($3,200) – Perdomo is already into his third full season in the MLB so it’s easy to forget he’s still only 24 with plenty of room to grow. He has taken the next step at the plate this season, improving from his .246 batting average last season to .287 so far this year. He has yet to hit a home run this year, so his .305 wOBA isn’t all that impressive, but as a cheap play at barely over $3,000, he brings good contact-based upside against Berrios on Saturday night. He has hit safely in 10 of his last 13 games, going 15-for-47 (.319) with three doubles, a triple and a stolen base. He also has six hard-hit balls in his last three games, per Statcast, so he’s not just living on weak contact either.
Value
Leo Jimenez, Toronto Blue Jays at Arizona Diamondbacks ($2,000) – Jimenez is an elite bargain at the minimum salary. The 23-year-old from Panama was ranked as the No. 5 prospect in Toronto’s system coming into the season by MLB Pipeline, and he hit .271 with seven homers, three stolen bases and a .391 wOBA in his 57 games in Buffalo before being called up for his MLB debut last week. He has played five games for the Jays and gone 6-for-17 (.353) with a double, two walks, three runs scored and a .389 wOBA. He has averaged 6.4 DKFP per game in his five games with multiple at-bats and has reached double-digit DKFP twice. At just $2,000, he doesn’t have to do a ton to be an outstanding play on a per-dollar basis.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Angels ($5,200) – Rodriguez picked up three hits in each of the first two games in this series against the Angels, producing 13 and 22 DKFP. He also had four hits and 31 DKFP at the start of the M’s current road trip in San Diego, giving him a .625 batting average (10-for-16) and a .743 wOBA in his last four games. Rodriguez has shined at the All-Star game in the past and is surging into this year’s break as well. He has a pair of stolen bases in his last 11 games, showing he still has good speed upside even though his power potential is also starting to return after a slow start. He gets that good matchup against Soriano on Saturday and should be able to keep rolling in Anaheim.
Stud
Heliot Ramos, San Francisco Giants vs. Minnesota Twins ($4,600) – Not all prospects thrive right away in the MLB, and Ramos is a great example of a player who struggled in his first go-round but has looked much better in his second shot at the majors. After hitting just .179 last season, he is hitting an impressive .304 this season with 14 homers and a .388 wOBA. He has settled into the second or third spot in the order on most nights and has become a key run producer in the Giants lineup. In his last 12 games, Ramos went 19-for-49 (.388) with four homers and a .470 wOBA. That kind of production under $5,000? Sign me up!
Value
George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays at Arizona Diamondbacks ($3,900) – After hitting only .188 with a .256 wOBA through his first 71 games this season, Springer has turned it around in his last 17 games, hitting a red-hot .386 (22-for-57) with five doubles, five homers, a .515 wOBA, 12 runs scored and 19 RBI. He produced 13 DKFP with two hits in the series opener and has posted over 12 DraftKings points in four of his last six contests. Using him as an outfield play under $4,000 at the top of Toronto’s lineup is a good strategy since there should be plenty of runs racked up at Chase Field.
Value
Jonatan Clase, Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Angels ($2,900) – I’ve been a big believer in Clase when he’s gotten his chances with the Mariners this season. He hasn’t translated his full skill set to the MLB yet but comes loaded with potential upside. In his 17 games this season with Seattle, he’s hitting just .184 with a double and a stolen base, but in Triple-A, he hit .274 with 10 homers, a .375 wOBA and an impressive 26 stolen bases in 59 games. Last year in Single-A and Double-A, Clase swiped 79 bases and hit 20 homers in 129 games, so he has the raw skills to produce in a variety of ways when he is at his best. He stole his third base of the season on Friday night as a pinch runner and went 1-for-4 in his only start since his latest call-up. If he’s back in the lineup Saturday night, I love his ceiling at this salary.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $100K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st]
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
