We’ve got a puny four-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 $100K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st]
PITCHER
Stud
Michael Wacha, Kansas City Royals vs. Minnesota Twins ($8,500) — The pitching on this slate is, uh, uninspiring. Ranger Suarez is the best pitcher, but the White Sox have been very good against left-handed pitching, while Suarez has only thrown 64 and 65 pitches in the two starts since returning from injury. So, Wacha it is. A ringing endorsement! The K-BB% is only 13% while the FIP is 3.93. He’s only allowed 13 home runs in 138.1 innings, though, with a barrel rate of 6.4%. Minnesota is 12th in ISO and wOBA while being 10th in wRC+, so the matchup isn’t great, but it’s a small slate. Wacha has put up double-digit FPTS in six of the last seven outings with three of those over 20 FPTS.
Value
Martin Perez, Atlanta Braves vs. Miami Marlins ($7,600) — Perez is the definition of meh, as the K-BB% is only 9% while the fastball averages 90 mph. That said, the wily veteran knows how to pitch, posting a 3.24 ERA through 97.1 innings. He has been a little lucky with a .236 BABIP and 79.5% strand rate. As a result, the FIP is much higher at 4.29. The barrel rate is only 6% and the launch angle is 7.7 degrees. The margin of error is slim with Perez, and he often confounds batters. He’s put up at least 20 FPTS four times this season, which includes a 30-burger last outing. Just know that he’s also finished with single-digit FPTS eight times, with one game in the negatives.
INFIELD
Stud
Jac Caglianone, Kansas City Royals vs. Minnesota Twins ($4,500) — Caglianone has an average exit velocity of 92.9 mph with a barrel rate of 14.4%. The bat speed is a whopping 77.4 mph, which is in the 98th percentile. Against right-handed pitching, the wRC+ is 120 with a .214 ISO. 13 of the 18 home runs have come off a righty. Now he gets to face Bailey Ober, who is allowing a 5.7 FIP and 6.6% K-BB% to lefties. 11 of the 14 home runs allowed have come off the bat of a lefty.
Value
Nick Sogard, Boston Red Sox vs. Chicago White Sox ($3,000) — Sogard has accrued 65 plate appearances this season. He has zero home runs and zero stolen bases. The ISO is .093, his average exit velocity is 82.2 mph and the barrel rate is 0%. I usually eschew this archetype for fantasy, but it’s a small slate and Sogard is relatively cheap. He’s batted leadoff the last two games for a red-hot Red Sox team. The allure of Sogard is the 15.4% walk rate and 16.9% strikeout rate. He’s drawn a walk in four straight and has put up 14, 2, 2, 11 and 8 FPTS over the last five contests.
OUTFIELD
Stud
John Rave, Kansas City Royals vs. Minnesota Twins ($3,600) — Rave has only seen 38 plate apperances, but he has two home runs, six runs, two RBI and a stolen base. The slash is .294/.351/.647 with a .353 ISO! The launch angle is 14.2 degrees with an obscene 22.2% barrel rate. The bat speed is a healthy 75.6 mph. Against right-handed pitching, the wRC+ is 190 with a .385 ISO. As mentioned in the Caglianone section, Ober has struggled against lefties this season.
Value
Mike Yastrzemski, Atlanta Braves vs. Miami Marlins ($2,700) — Yastrzemski is on a little heater, putting up 16, 12 and 16 FPTS in three of the last four games. He hit two home runs over that span. On the season, the average exit velocity is 90.4 mph with a launch angle of 16.9 degrees. Against right-handed pitching, the ISO is .170 with a 99 wRC+. All eight home runs have come off a righty. Janson Junk is allowing a .318/.367/.490 slash against lefties with six home runs.
