We’ve got an eight-game slate for Monday’s MLB action.
Let’s find some studs and values for your MLB DFS lineups on DraftKings. This article was written before lineups were announced.
Make your DraftKings MLB DFS picks here: MLB $200K Extra Inning [$50K to 1st]
PITCHER
Stud
Cristopher Sanchez, Philadelphia Phillies at Toronto Blue Jays ($11,500) — I usually hate picking on the Blue Jays because they are one of the best teams at not striking out. That said, Sanchez has just been so good lately and, while Toronto doesn’t strikeout often, the Blue Jays are towards the bottom in both wOBA and wRC+. Sanchez has a 1.79 FIP through 86.1 innings. The K-BB% is 24.6% while he’s allowed only three home runs. Over the last seven games, he’s put up at least 20 FPTS in all with five over 30 and a high of 51.6 FPTS.
Value
Walker Buehler, San Diego Padres vs. Cincinnati Reds ($7,200) — There was a time when Buehler was one of the more dominating pitchers in MLB. That seems like a lifetime ago. Now, Buehler is pumping out a K-BB% of 11.9%. The ERA is 4.53 but the FIP is much lower at 3.5. Over the last seven starts, he’s put up double-digit FPTS in five but hasn’t hit the 20 FPTS in any. He did pitch at least five innings six times. The matchup is a good one, as Cincinnati is second in strikeouts and 23rd in wRC+ while this game is in San Diego.
INFIELD
Stud
Casey Schmitt, San Francisco Giants vs. Washington Nationals ($4,400) — Schmitt is having an excellent season, slashing .288/.320/.549 with a 19.5% strikeout rate and .261 ISO. The walk rate is only 2.9%, though, but the BABIP is .299, so the production hasn’t been the result of luck. He has 15 home runs, 31 runs, 38 RBI and five stolen bases in 241 plate appearances. The launch angle is 21.8 degrees while the barrel rate is 13.7%. Against right-handed pitching, the ISO is .283 while the wRC+ is 128. Miles Mikolas has a 5.91 FIP and 8.2% K-BB%. He’s allowed 14 home runs in 56.1 innings. Against righties, the FIP is 6.06 while the K-BB% is 9.3%. Seven of the 14 home runs have come off the bat of a righty.
Value
Bryce Eldridge, San Francisco Giants vs. Washington Nationals ($2,800) — Yeah, we’re picking on Mikolas and the Nationals pitching staff. Against lefties, Mikolas has a 7.3% K-BB% and 5.77 FIP. The Nationals bullpen has the fifth-highest FIP. Eldridge has always been known to have tremendous power but hit tool risk. The strikeout rate was often over 30% in the minors. And he started off slowly in the majors, but he’s really settled in lately. Through 90 plate appearances, the walk rate is 11.1%, the strikeout rate is 24.4% and the ISO is .165. Since the 29th of May, he’s racked up a hit in nine straight, the strikeout rate is 21.6% and the ISO is .250. Now, the .469 batting average is fueled by a .583 BABIP, so he’s been getting lucky, but Eldridge is also locked in. He has four double-digit FPTS games over the last 13 contests with a high of 33 FPTS.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels ($6,100) — Alvarez has 22 home runs, 45 runs, 48 RBI and a stolen base in 284 plate appearances. The slash is .316/.430/.654 with a 15.1% walk rate, 17.3% strikeout rate and .338 ISO. The average exit velocity is 94.8 mph, barrel rate is 18.7% and the bat speed is 76 mph. L. O. L. Now he gets to tee off on Grayson Rodriguez and the Angels bullpen. Rodriguez is allowing an average exit velocity of 91.3 mph, a launch angle of 18.3 degrees and a barrel rate of 10.3%. Against lefties, the FIP is 7 while the K-BB% is only 5.9%. Three of the four home runs allowed have come off the bat of a lefty. The Angels bullpen has the third-highest FIP.
Value
LaMonte Wade Jr., Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels ($2,300) — Yup, we’re stacking against Angels pitching. Wade has only been with the Astros for three games but he put up 28 FPTS two games ago. He’s cheap with already proven upside.
