I can’t believe that we’re just two weeks away from November, but here we are. There’s a cool crisp in the air and, after this week’s action on the diamond, it looks like we’re setting up for a dream matchup in the World Series.
Will the Yankees and Dodgers continue to pull away in their respective series? Let’s dive in and break down what could be in the final non-Showdown slate of the 2024 MLB season.
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PITCHER
Stud
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets, $8,000 – The fear with Yamamoto in this spot, at least based on what we saw in the NLDS, is volume. Yamamoto didn’t throw more than 65 pitches in either of his outings against the Padres, though when you dig a little deeper, there’s rational reasons for each quick hook. In Game 1, Yamamoto simply wasn’t pitching well. In Game 5, it was a do-or-die situation and Dave Roberts decided it would be best not to send his starter back out for a third trip through the order. That’s not the case on Thursday. Los Angeles has some breathing room in this series and it should lean on Yamamoto with the bullpen having covered 14.0 innings in the team’s last two contests. The RHP is on an extra day of rest and he’s on the heels of tossing five scoreless frames. Let’s also not forget that Yamamoto posted a 28.5% strikeout rate and a 2.61 FIP during the regular season. He’s pretty good.
INFIELD
Stud
Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians vs. New York Yankees, $6,000 – Ramirez is simply one of this best hitters in baseball, so it’s not like you really need me to sit here and defend his viability on a two-game slate. However, while some might point out that Ramirez has been at his best against LHPs in 2024 — and Clarke Schmidt ($7,800) is right-handed — there’s another split you should be taking note of. Ramirez was a force at home throughout the regular season, slashing .301/.339/.576 with a 155 wRC+. If the Guardians are going to have a chance to make the World Series, Ramirez is going to have to get red-hot.
Stud
Gleyber Torres, New York Yankees at Cleveland Guardians, $4,100 – In general, this is just a pretty nice price point for the leadoff man of a team with one of the highest implied totals on the slate. It’s also quite clear that Torres has been at his best this season when in an opposite-hand matchup. In Game 3, he’ll draw the left-handed Matthew Boyd ($7,300), who admittedly looked phenomenal in his two appearances during the ALDS. In 169 plate appearances against LHPs, Torres managed an .811 OPS and a 132 wRC+.
Value
Tommy Edman, Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets, $3,700 – For as good as Jose Quintana ($7,700) has looked the past six weeks, this is a tough matchup for the veteran. No team posted a higher wRC+ against LHPs than the Dodgers in 2024, with Los Angeles compiling a mark of 121 within the split. The switch-hitting Edman was certainly a part of that success, as the infielder slashed .412/.417/.822 in his 36 plate appearances as a right-handed hitter. This small sample aligns with Edman’s career numbers, too, with the 29-year-old in possession of a 124 wRC+ versus southpaws.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees at Cleveland Guardians, $6,200 – Look, there’s not a lot of categories that Judge didn’t lead the league in this season, but it’s worth pointing out how amazing the All-Star was against left-handed pitching. In 184 plate appearances within the split, Judge registered a .424 ISO and a 236 wRC+. His .482 expected wOBA versus southpaws was also the highest qualified mark among all hitters. On Tuesday, Judge finally hit his first home run of the postseason. He broke the seal and we all know how quickly the MVP frontrunner can get on a hot streak.
Value
Andy Pages, Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets, $2,800 – Pages got the start in center when the Dodgers were facing the left-handed Sean Manaea in Game 2. I can only assume he’ll get another chance this evening in a matchup with Quintana. In his 107 plate appearances within the split during the regular season, Pages slashed .357/.396/.520 with a 157 wRC+. He’s a candidate to get pinch-hit for later in the contest, but you can’t ask for much more from an asset priced below $3K.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $80K Relay Throw [$20K 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.
