Baseball is so back! After an awesome Opening Day on Thursday, the scoreboard on Friday night is filled with seven matchups on the board. Let’s take a look at the 14 teams in action and pinpoint a few places that make sense for value plays for Friday night.
The MLB Network doubleheader features both of last year’s World Series teams as the Blue Jays start their season by hosting the A’s, while the Dodgers take on the D-backs for the second night in a row. Three of the seven games are series openers, which means that six teams are playing their first game of the season. With aces on the mound for those six teams and still near the top of the rotation across the board, it’s a star-studded night for pitchers, but don’t worry, plenty of value picks are still on the board! Let’s take a look.
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SP Mike Burrows, Houston Astros vs. Los Angeles Angels, $6,500
Burrows was solid for the Pirates last year, putting together a decent 3.94 ERA and 4.00 FIP with 97 strikeouts in 96 innings. In Triple-A, Burrows was even better a 2.51 ERA and 11.4 K/9 in 32 1/3 innings. The Pirates have a big group of high-upside young arms, so they traded Burrows to the Astros as part of a three-way trade this offseason.
The Astros made some tweaks to Burrows’ pitch grips and pitch mix and are hoping to get even more out of the 26-year-old righty, and they’ve had lots of success transforming pitchers they bring in via trade (even from the Pirates). Burrows looked great in spring training, throwing 12 2/3 scoreless innings before giving up three runs to the Mets and leaving after taking a comebacker off his leg. He had 17 strikeouts in his 18 innings and should be stretched out enough to have a normal-length start against the Angels.
The Angels got the 3-0 win on Opening Day, but last year they led the majors in K% and ranked last in batting average. Even though the Halos’ lineup is a little stronger this season, they’re still a favorable matchup for Burrows, who has a high strikeout ceiling and good potential as a value play this Friday.
3B/OF Willi Castro, Colorado Rockies at Miami Marlins, $3,000
The Rockies added Castro as part of their offseason overhaul with a new front office and (hopefully) a much better direction. Castro is a very versatile player who starts the season with 3B and OF eligibility but could move to multiple spots in the field throughout the season. He should hit near the top of the lineup and bring good potential with both power and speed upside. Castro had 11 homers and 10 stolen bases last year while splitting his 120 games between the Twins and Cubs before signing his two-year deal in Colorado. He had a big spring for the Rockies, going 13-for-25 (.520) with three doubles and a home run, while also stealing two bases in three attempts.
Castro and the Rockies will take on Sandy Alcantara ($7,500) on Friday in Miami, and Alcantara is trying to bounce back after a rough season. His ERA jumped to 5.36 with a 4.28 FIP. His results this spring were also a little shaky, so the Rockies bring good potential value on Friday’s slate. I even included a sleeper Rockies power option in my home run props of the day:
SS Kevin McGonigle, Detroit Tigers at San Diego Padres, $3,300
One of the most exciting parts of early-season action is checking out all the new arrivals and young prospects ready to make an immediate impact. They’re also typically a great source of value for DFS fantasy baseball until their salaries catch up to their production. McGongigle is one of the top prospects in baseball and looks ready to make a splash with the Tigers. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the No. 2 overall prospect in baseball, and I highlighted him as a breakout to watch going into spring training. The 21-year-old lefty didn’t disappoint, going 11-for-44 in his 20 spring training games and hitting two doubles, two homers, and a triple, while also stealing two bases.
He got the start on Opening Day and went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored. He and the Tigers will look to build on their win on Thursday as they face Michael King ($7,700), who is also looking to bounce back after a down year. King was knocked around in spring training and is one of the better matchups to target on Friday’s board. McGonigle’s salary will likely soar in the coming weeks, and he’s already the favorite to win the AL Rookie of the Year award on DraftKings Sportsbook.
