We’ve got ourselves a suuuuuuuper weird six-game slate on Monday night. Despite a couple big name starters taking the mound this evening, not a single pitcher is priced at or above $9K. Not exactly a ringing endorsement for quality arms.
Still, you have to have to use someone. Actually, you have to use two. So let’s plug our noses and sort through the best pitching options for your lineups.
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1. Reid Detmers, Los Angeles Angels ($7,700)
How far we’ve come in a week’s time. The Angels demoted their former first-round pick back in early June following a particularly rough stretch of outings, yet there was a case to be made that Detmers was simply just getting really unlucky results. That case was only strengthened when the southpaw returned to Los Angeles’ rotation last Tuesday. Detmers pitched six innings against the Dodgers, striking out 10 and allowing only three hits. He’d finish with 26.5 FPTS.
Even with that fantastic outing, Detmers’ surface stats remain ugly. Across 13 starts and 69.0 innings, the 25-year-old owns a 5.87 ERA. However, Detmers also possesses a 3.67 xERA and a 3.91 SIERA. For fantasy purposes, it’s quite notable that the lefty has managed to rack up 10.43 strikeouts per nine. He’s absolutely dripping with upside, especially with a price tag below $8K.
This is a great matchup, too. The Twins have struggled to do much with the bats since losing both Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton to the IL. Specific to the last two weeks, Minnesota sits 28th in wRC+ (73) with the league’s fifth-highest strikeout rate (25.9%). I’d expect Detmers to flirt with double-digit strikeouts for the second game in a row.
2. Carlos Rodon, New York Yankees ($8,800)
While the Yankees certainly had higher hopes for Rodon when they signed him to a lucrative six-year deal, the left-hander has been pitching much better in 2024 than he was in 2023. In fact, since the All-Star break, Rodon has registered a 3.18 ERA and a 3.38 FIP with a 32.6% strikeout rate. In that same span, Rodon is also “only” surrendering 1.19 opponent home runs per nine. This is, without question, the best run of results he’s had in pinstripes.
On Monday, Rodon should continue his recent run of success, as he and New York welcome the reeling Royals to the Bronx. Kansas City has struggled to score runs the past two weeks, a stretch of time where even Bobby Witt Jr. ($6,600) is hitting just .226. The Royals’ 74 wRC+ across the last 14 days is the fifth-lowest mark in baseball. This is a lineup that desperately misses the services of Vinnie Pasquantino, who is set to miss the remainder of the regular season with a fractured thumb.
3. Brayan Bello, Boston Red Sox ($8,000)
On a slate lacking star power, I’ll shoot for some upside with the consistently inconsistent Bello.
Let’s recap the RHP’s last two outings, shall we? On August 28, Bello looked maybe as good as he’s even looked in a Red Sox uniform, throwing eight scoreless innings with nine strikeouts against the Blue Jays. Bello then followed that up with a five-inning clunker versus the Mets on September 2.
The point is this: Bello has electric stuff. Maybe the best pure stuff of anyone toeing the rubber on Monday. When he’s on, he has the capability of producing 38.2 FPTS, like he did against Toronto. It’s simply a matter of catching that lightning in a bottle. Bello’s pitched better in the second-half of the season than he did prior to the All-Star break, managing a 3.78 ERA and a 3.83 FIP in his past 52.1 innings. Conversely, the Orioles haven’t looked nearly as dangerous in recent weeks, mustering an underwhelming 98 wRC+ over the last 30 days. If Bello’s on, he can make an impact.
4. Joey Cantillo, Cleveland Guardians ($6,200)
Cantillo was removed from the Guardians’ rotation and effectively sent back to Triple-A after hemorrhaging seven earned runs to the Yankees on August 21. Tonight, he’ll be re-called and is expected to start against the White Sox. I know I’m not breaking news here, but Chicago isn’t quite New York when it comes to offensive firepower.
Over the last 30 days, the White Sox sit dead-last in baseball in ISO by a considerable margin (.082). They also rank 29th in wOBA (.271) and wRC+ (74). None of this should be surprising, as Chicago enters this evening’s action 33-111, still with a chance to set the MLB record for the most losses in a single season. Woof.
Cantillo has looked overmatched in his 18.2 innings in the big leagues, yet the White Sox are the closest thing to a Triple-A lineup getting MLB paychecks that the 24-year-old could possibly see. Cantillo also possesses some clear strikeout upside. In 38.1 innings with Columbus in 2024, the LHP has a 29.8% strikeout rate. In his 95.1 innings in Triple-A in 2023, Cantillo struck out 10.52 opponents per nine. I think we’d all happily take a five or six strikeout performance from an asset priced just above $6K.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $100K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st]
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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.
