This Friday the 13th, Major League Baseball has a scary good schedule on tap. The main slate features 11 games and begins at 7:05 p.m. ET. With just over two weeks left in the season, each team has about 15 games left, and there are still plenty of personal milestones and team goals up for grabs as the season winds down, in addition to the race for the playoffs.
Friday’s slate contains some juicy matchups, including the Dodgers visiting the Braves in a potential playoff preview. Four divisional matchups include the Red Sox and Yankees meeting in the Bronx, and Coors Field is also in play as the Cubs visit the Rockies.
With 22 teams in the player pool, plenty of strong options are available across a variety of price points and positions. If you need to save some salary at a spot on your squad, check out my top three options highlighted in this post. Each player has a great ceiling, especially in relation to their very affordable salary.
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SP Brady Basso, Oakland Athletics at Chicago White Sox, $4,000
Almost any starting pitcher available at the minimum salary is worth at least considering since a $4,000 price tag allows much higher spending on big-time bats. Basso isn’t just a punt play, though, since he gets a great matchup and is coming off a strong first start in the MLB last week.
In his first MLB start, Basso earned 23.1 fantasy points last Saturday. He spun six shutout innings against the Tigers with six strikeouts, allowing just three hits and a walk.
Before being called up, Basso made 18 starts this year in 22 games in Double-A and Triple-A. He compiled a 4.55 ERA and 4.79 FIP, totaling 109 strikeouts in 93 innings with a strong 27.5% K%.
His strikeout upside at this salary would probably be enough to make him a good play in almost any matchup, but the fact that he’s facing the White Sox makes him an even stronger consideration. The White Sox are threatening most of the all-time records for the worst team in MLB history.
They have scored more than 100 runs fewer than any other team in the majors this season, and have the worst wOBA and wRC+ in the MLB. Over the last month, they have averaged an MLB-low 2.6 runs per game with a brutal .072 ISO and .258 wOBA. Basso couldn’t be better positioned to deliver outstanding value at his minimum salary.
OF Jordyn Adams, Los Angeles Angels vs. Houston Astros, $2,500
Many of the cheapest batter values come from the Angels, giving many of their young players a chance to play as they wind down another rough season. Adams has been one of the more successful young players to step in over the last week, and he’ll most likely get the start on Friday against lefty Yusei Kikuchi ($9,200) since he’s competing for playing time with lefty Mickey Moniak ($3,300).
Since being called up, the 24-year-old Adams has gone 3-for-10 (.300) with a home run, two RBI and a 50% hard-hit rate, per Statcast. At Triple-A this season, Adams had 10 home runs and 28 stolen bases in 123 games, hitting .261 with a .325 wOBA. He brings enough power and speed potential to be a solid option at only $2,500 since he has multiple ways to hit his ceiling and has had success this week.
SS Jacob Wilson, Oakland Athletics vs. Chicago White Sox, $2,500
Wilson was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and was ranked as the team’s No. 1 prospect by MLB Pipeline, which also included him in the top 25 prospects in all of baseball. Even though he’s only 22, the A’s have given him plenty of playing time after he climbed through multiple levels of the minor leagues.
He has even been hitting leadoff against lefties like Garrett Crochet ($6,900), who has been much less effective as the White Sox try to limit his innings down the stretch.
In his 15 MLB games, Wilson is 12-for-47 (.255) with two doubles and a triple. He has hit safely in five straight games with a plate appearance, going 8-for-24 (.333). Across three levels of the minors this year, he hit a scalding .433 with seven homers and a .504 wOBA.
He is one of baseball’s best pure hitters and contact prospects, which gives him a high floor in the long term. Even though he doesn’t bring a ton of power or elite speed at this point in his career, he’s a great value at only $2,500 if he’s hitting leadoff for the A’s in a matchup in which he should be able to get on base and the team should score plenty of runs.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $150K Hidden Ball Trick [$50K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
