We’ve got a five-game slate for Thursday’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 $150K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]
PITCHER
Stud
Christian Scott, New York Mets vs. St. Louis Cardinals ($8,300) — Scott averages 95.6 mph on his fastball and is posting a 26.3% strikeout rate. The ERA is 2.50, but the FIP is 3.10. Higher, but still not bad. He’s only allowed one home run in 36 innings, while the average exit velocity is 87.1 mph with a 3.3% barrel rate. The one bugaboo is the 11.5% walk rate, so that’s a concern. St. Louis is 22nd in strikeouts and 21st in walk rate, but also 21st in ISO. The wOBA and wRC+ are middle-of-the-pack. Scott has put up double-digit FPTS in six of the last seven games, with two over 20 FPTS.
Value
Ryan Feltner, Colorado Rockies vs. Chicago Cubs ($6,000) — Rockies pitcher at home equals bad, right? Well, Feltner has actually been better at home than on the road, with a 4.30 FIP at Coors Field compared to 6.25 on the road. The strikeout rate is lower at home, but so is the walk rate. He’s also allowing fewer home runs in Denver. Feltner’s last four outings have been at home, and he’s produced 17.1, 19.1, 4.7, and 15.2 FPTS. That 15.2 performance was against the vaunted Dodgers lineup. Now, he’s yet to throw 90 pitches in any game, but he did go six innings in back-to-back contests while throwing 81 and 63 pitches. He’s cheap, could score double-digit FPTS at low ownership, and could provide leverage against Cubs stacks.
INFIELD
Stud
Hunter Goodman, Colorado Rockies vs. Chicago Cubs ($5,500) — Goodman has 18 home runs, 41 runs, 33 RBIs, and five stolen bases in 257 plate appearances. The strikeout rate is high at 33.1%, but the ISO is .283. Hunter owns a 131 wRC+ and a .301 ISO against right-handed pitching. Edward Cabrera is allowing an average exit velocity of 91.6 mph with a barrel rate of 12.9%. Against lefties, the K-BB% is only 6.9% while the FIP is a swollen 4.62.
Value
Josh Bell, Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers ($2,900) — Bell has struggled with a .139 ISO and seven home runs in 259 plate appearances. He has gone yard in back-to-back games, though. Against right-handed pitching, the ISO is .162 compared to .096 against lefties. Keider Montero has a 4.91 FIP and 7.9% K-BB% against southpaws.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Jake McCarthy, Colorado Rockies vs. Chicago Cubs ($4,500) — Yup, we’re stacking against the Cubs’ pitching staff. McCarthy has four home runs, 22 runs, 27 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases in 193 plate appearances. He’s been batting leadoff since May 27th, a span of 12 games. Over that stretch, the ISO is .213 with a slash of .298/.346/.511. It has been fueled by a .387 BABIP, though. But batting leadoff, in Coors Field, against a righty that has some struggles with lefties? Sign me up.
Value
MJ Melendez, New York Mets vs. St. Louis Cardinals ($2,600) — Melendez is batting .196 with a 33% strikeout rate in 109 plate appearances. The average exit velocity is 93.5 mph, though, with a launch angle of 24.3 degrees and a barrel rate of 12.1%. The bat speed is 74.2 mph, which has helped him mash four home runs. Hunter Dobbins is allowing a 91 mph average exit velocity and 15.6% barrel rate. Against lefties, the K-BB% is 3.7%. Melendez has put up double-digit FPTS in two of the last four games, a very cheap source of power.
