There are six MLB games on the late slate for Saturday, with the first starting at 6:40 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.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $100K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st]
SP Andrew Abbott, Cincinnati Reds vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, $7,100
Abbott was just activated from the 15-day injured list due to a shoulder injury and will be making his season debut on Saturday. He will likely be low-owned as a result, especially since he currently still has IL next to his name.
Abbott isn’t the most enticing fantasy pitcher, as he only averages 92 mph on the fastball and had a strikeout rate of 19.5% last season. The K-BB% was only 10.6%. The HR/9 was 1.63 and the FIP was 5.04. I’m writing myself out of this recommendation.
Ok, the main reasons are the price and matchup. On the season, the Pirates are slashing a paltry .198/.289/.301 as a team with an ISO of .103, the third-lowest mark in MLB. Against left-handed pitching, the slash is .192/.259/.273 with a .081 ISO. Sure, the sample size is small since it’s early in the season, but the Pirates are not an intimidating offense. In addition, Oneil Cruz could be out again.
Abbot threw over 90 pitches in his most recent rehab start, so he shouldn’t be limited.
1B Rowdy Tellez, Seattle Mariners vs. Texas Rangers, $2,100
Tellez has been awful to start this season, as he’s slashing .050/.130/.050 with a 30.4% strikeout rate. The BABIP is a miniscule .071, though. It’s only a matter of time before he puts balls into the seats, and Saturday could be the day because as bad as Tellez has been, Kumar Rocker has arguably been worse!
Rocker does throw hard, averaging 95.9 mph on his fastball, but in eight innings this season, he’s allowed a 5.97 FIP and two home runs. He’s especially been rocked by lefties, and guess what? Tellez is a lefty in a platoony loony.
In his career, Tellez has a .212 ISO against right-handed pitching.
OF Zac Veen, Colorado Rockies at San Diego Padres, $2,200
In 13 plate appearances, Veen hasn’t done much, slashing .167/.231/.250. And this game is in San Diego while the opposing pitcher is a lefty. So, Veen will not be batting leadoff as he was against right-handed pitching, and will likely be placed in the nine hole instead.
There’s a lot to hate about Veen.
That said, the strikeout rate is only 15.4%, so it’s not like he’s getting overmatched, and the BABIP is only .200, so he’s encountered some bad luck. Speed also plays in any park, against any pitcher. Veen is in the 69th percentile with a respectable 27.6 ft/sec and he had two minor league seasons with at least 50 stolen bases.
The starter for the Padres is Kyle Hart. He’s a soft-tossing lefty who averages 91.2 mph on his fastball. So far this season, Hart has two starts but only lasted 5.2 innings. He’s walked five, struck out only four and allowed two home runs and seven earned runs.
