There are seven games on the late slate for Saturday, with the first starting at 7:05 p.m. ET. Here are three value picks for the slate. This article is written before the actual lineups come out, so keep track of updates throughout the day.
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C Bo Naylor, Cleveland Guardians at Los Angeles Angels, $2,200
I know, I know. Catchers, schmatchers, but Naylor is cheap, has power and the pitcher he is facing certainly has some issues.
Jack Kochanowicz does average around 96 mph on his fastball and he had a decent opening start, going six innings while allowing two earned runs on four hits while striking out four. That said, there are some serious issues with his game. In 65.1 innings last season, he posted a paltry 9.4% strikeout rate. The hard hit rate was 44.4% while the average exit velocity allowed was 90.3 mph with a max of 113.9 mph. In the six innings pitched this season, the exit velocity was 95.9 mph while the hard hit rate was 47.1%. He got extremely lucky with a .188 BABIP.
Naylor hasn’t gotten off to a good start, slashing .118/.167/.118 in 18 plate appearances. The strikeout rate is 38.9%, but he’s always had a high strikeout rate. It’s all about power for Naylor, and he posted a .232 ISO two seasons ago and a .150 ISO last season. If Naylor gets a hold of one, there’s a good chance it ends up in the right field seats for his first of the season.
OF Jarred Kelenic, Atlanta Braves vs. Miami Marlins, $2,400
Kelenic will likely bat eighth or ninth in the lineup, which takes some luster off this recommendation. In addition, he’s been ice cold to start the season, but there’s a good chance he warms up on Saturday.
That’s because Cal Quantrill is taking the mound again. In his first start of this new season, Quantrill got rocked for six earned runs on eight hits in four innings. Two of those hits were home runs. Quantrill hasn’t had a strikeout rate over 20% since 2020.
Kelenic is slashing .150/.150/.300 in 20 plate appearances to start the season, but Quantrill could be his elixir. In his career, Kelenic has a .186 ISO against right-handed pitching. It’s only a matter of time before Kelenic goes deep.
OF Sean Bouchard, Colorado Rockies vs. Athletics, $2,800
Bouchard has only accrued five plate appearances this season. That’s because he’s on the short side of the platoon. Well, there’s a lefty on the mound Saturday, so batter up!
In his career, the strikeout rate has always been high at around 30% against both handed pitching. The career slash against lefties is .253/.333/.480 with a more than respectable .227 ISO. Now he gets to face JP Sears IN Colorado.
Now, Sears was great in his opening start, going 6.2 innings, striking out seven and allowing two earned runs on five hits. That was against the Mariners in Seattle. Did I mention that this game is IN Colorado?
In 180.2 innings last season, Sears had a 4.71 FIP and allowed 28 home runs. The strikeout rate was only 18.1%. He averages around 93 mph on the fastball and the projection systems have him in the 1.45 to 1.55 range for HR/9.
