There are 10 MLB games on the main slate for Saturday, with the first starting at 1:05 p.m. ET. Here are three value picks for the slate. This article is written before the actual lineups come out, so keep track of updates throughout the day.
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3B Miguel Vargas, Chicago White Sox at Athletics, $2,400
I know, I know, the White Sox stink and Vargas has been bad as well. In 97 plate appearances this season, Vargas is slashing .163/.258/.256 with a .093 ISO. That said, the BABIP is only .210 and Vargas posted a .172 ISO two seasons ago. In addition, Vargas hit a home run last game and has been better against left-handed pitching.
Well….
Saturday’s starter for the Athletics is Jeffrey Springs, a lefty that has been subpar as well. In 22.1 innings, Springs has a 5.17 FIP, has walked 14 batters and served up four home runs.
C Bo Naylor, Cleveland Guardians vs. Boston Red Sox, $2,600
Naylor has had an interesting start to the season. He’s known as a power hitter that has difficulty putting bat to ball at times. Last season, the strikeout rate was 31.4%. Back in 2023, the ISO was .232. So far this season, Naylor is walking 12.9% of the time, striking out only 19.4% and posting an ISO of .135.
The projection systems have him down for a .170-ish ISO the rest of the way.
The journey back to normalcy could start on Saturday, as he will face Tanner Houck. Through 24.2 innings pitched this season, Houck has posted a 6.18 FIP with 11 walks and six home runs. The strikeout rate is a paltry 16.4%.
2B Colt Keith, Detroit Tigers vs. Baltimore Orioles, $3,000
Keith has had a brutal start to the season, slashing .188/.333/.219 with a .031 ISO. The walk rate is 17.9% while the strikeout rate is 23.1%. He’s been a little unlucky with a .261 BABIP, but the hard hit rate is way down at 30.4%, while the average exit velocity is a paltry 83.8 mph.
He’s going to heat up at some point. Last season, the average exit velocity was 87.9 mph and he slashed .260/.309/.380 with a .120 ISO. He’s no Aaron Judge, but he did hit 13 home runs and stole seven bases in 556 plate appearances.
Saturday offers a chance to get right, as Charlie Morton has been so, so bad to start the season. In 20.2 innings, Morton has posted a 6.45 FIP with 15 walks and five home runs allowed. He’s given up at least four earned runs in every start this season and just got blasted by the Reds for seven runs. Morton has allowed a home run in all but one start.
