Major League Baseball fires up another awesome Saturday schedule with 16 games spread throughout the day. All 30 teams are in action with the Royals and Guardians playing a doubleheader. Of the 16 games, 11 are on the main slate, which starts at 7:05 p.m. ET and includes the second game of that AL Central doubleheader. With 22 teams in the player pool, there are lots of options to consider for the top MLB DFS picks of the night.
For the most part, the weather looks cooperative with Saturday’s main slate. Chicago could be a trouble spot with some storms in the area and St. Louis also has some spotty showers in the forecast. If the Cardinals and Padres play, though, the weather should be very offense-friendly with the wind blowing out and hot, humid conditions. Keep an eye on the forecast as we approach first pitch and be sure to double-check the starting lineups as well before games begin to ensure that players are in the lineup as you planned.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]
Pitchers
Stud
Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins vs. Washington Nationals, $10,200:
Ryan has been very solid for the Twins this season and has been especially effective lately. He has “quietly” gone 10-4 with a 2.63 ERA and 3.13 FIP on the year. He has allowed three runs or fewer in eight straight starts, going 4-2 with a 2.23 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 48 1/3 innings.
Ryan earned 36.75 DraftKings fantasy points despite pitching at Coors Field in his first start after the All-Star break, picking up 11 strikeouts in seven innings while allowing one run on five hits. Ryan has earned at least 18 DraftKings fantasy points in five straight games while averaging 21.2 per contest.
Ryan has a solid matchup against the Nats, who have scored the third-fewest runs over the last two weeks. They’re averaging 3.2 runs per game while hitting .223 as a team with an 80 wRC+.
Value
Kumar Rocker, Texas Rangers vs. Atlanta Braves, $6,100:
Rangers rookie Kumar Rocker went off last week with 25.85 DraftKings points in 6 1/3 innings at home against the Tigers. He’s shown glimpses of his high ceiling despite an ugly 5.66 ERA this season, but his other stats are slightly better with a 4.66 FIP, 4.05 xFIP and 4.13 SIERA.
He was knocked around by the Angels just before the break, but other than that game, he has not allowed more than two runs in any of his last six starts. He finished with over 15 DraftKings fantasy points in four of those six outings.
He has been especially sharp at Globe Life Field, averaging 20.4 fantasy points per start in his five home outings. He has a 3-0 home record this season with a 1.84 ERA, a .187 batting average against, and 26 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings.
Rocker has good potential long-term as part of Texas’s starting rotation and the 25-year-old seems to be settling in. He still brings some risk, but facing the Braves should be a good spot since Atlanta has just a .232 road batting average and a .304 road wOBA.
Infield
Stud
Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Angels, $6,300:
Raleigh has just one home run since the All-Star break, but he’s in a good matchup against Tyler Anderson ($6,500) and has continued to be a fantasy weapon despite slowing down his homer pace a bit. Since the break, he’s 6-for-29 (.207) with a home run, a 57.1% hard-hit rate and a pair of stolen bases (no, really). He has averaged 7.4 fantasy points per game over that stretch.
Paying up for Raleigh at catcher is a unique strategy since it puts one of your biggest bats in one of the thinnest positions. He is only 2-for-13 against Anderson in his career, but one of those hits was a home run. Raleigh is hitting .321 with 16 of his 39 homers this year against lefties with a .485 wOBA in the split.
Stud
Jordan Westburg, Baltimore Orioles vs. Colorado Rockies, $4,500:
Westburg has been limited to 52 games this season and is hitting .256 with 11 homers and a .334 wOBA. He comes into Saturday night’s favorable matchup against Antonio Senzatela ($4,500) with a hot bat, though, and he has slotted into a premium position hitting second for the Orioles over the past several games.
He has hit safely in six of his last seven games, going 9-for-28 (.321) with two doubles and a home run. Even though he’s right-handed, most of his production has come against righties and Senzatela also has reverse splits that put Westburg in a good spot Saturday night.
Value
Royce Lewis, Minnesota Twins at Washington Nationals, $3,000:
Lewis is still available at a low salary since he has battled multiple injuries this season. Since returning from the IL on July 1, though, he has been much better. He’s hitting .295 with a .365 wOBA and 50.9% hard-hit rate.
Over his last five games, Lewis is 8-for-18 (.444) with three doubles, three home runs, six RBI and a 66.7% hard-hit rate. He averaged 16 fantasy points per game in those five contests, and he’ll try to stay hot against lefty Mitchell Parker ($6,400) and the Nats this Saturday night.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins vs. Washington Nationals, $6,000:
Buxton also gets that same matchup against Parker in what should be a good spot. Buxton has smashed lefties all season, hitting .328 with six homers and a .453 wOBA.
Buxton went into the break hot and is hitting .317 with four doubles, four homers, two stolen bases, and a .406 wOBA. He has a 60.9% hard-hit rate and 23.9% barrel rate during that stretch, so be on the lookout for a Buck Truck in D.C. tonight.
Stud
Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Angels, $5,000:
It’s the ceremonial second half of the season and as he has throughout his career, Rodriguez is heating up after the All-Star break. He has multiple hits in three straight games and six of his last 10. He’s 15-for-41 (.366) over that span with two doubles, five homers and five stolen bases, boosting him to 15.7 fantasy points per game.
Rodriguez is 6-for-14 against Anderson in his career with a home run and six RBI, and seven of his 17 homers this season have come against lefties. He’s been much better on the road than at home as well with 14 homers and a .378 road wOBA compared to just a .266 wOBA at home.
Anderson is only 2-6 with a 4.43 ERA this season, and the Mariners make a strong stack against the veteran lefty on Saturday night in Anaheim.
Value
Jordan Walker, St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Diego Padres, $4,100:
Walker has a very high ceiling as he continues to grow as an offensive option. He continues to be streaky, but he has looked much better since returning from a month-long absence with appendicitis. In his eight games since returning, he is 9-for-30 (.300) with four doubles, a .339 wOBA and a 57.1% hard-hit rate. He has an average exit velocity of 93.3 miles per hour in his 21 batted-ball events during that span.
He should be in a good hitting environment if the game takes place as scheduled in St. Louis, and he’ll be in a good matchup against Randy Vasquez ($5,300), who has also run hot-and-cold this season. Walker is a bargain play with a high upside on Saturday. He is seeing the ball well enough to give him a high ceiling on this slate.
