There are eight MLB games on the main slate for Saturday, with the first starting at 4:05 p.m. EST. 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.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $100K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st]
SP Landen Roupp, San Francisco Giants vs. Athletics, $6,800
There are reasons why Roupp is sub-$7k. He’s thrown fewer than 80 pitches in three starts, with two of those in his most recent contests. He’s finished with single-digit FPTS in three of the last four games. The Athletics have been good against right-handed pitching, posting the 10th-highest wOBA, fifth-lowest strikeout rate and ninth-best ISO.
But, but, but….
This start will be in Oracle Park, one of the more pitcher-friendly venues in the MLB. Statcast rates it 26th overall for offense and 28th for home runs. Roupp has started on the road in five of his last six games.
Roupp has been a little unlucky with a .345 BABIP. The 4.95 ERA is much higher than his 4.00 FIP. The strikeout rate is a respectable 23.6% while the K-BB% is 15.7%. Is that elite? No, but it puts him 42nd-best.
The recent trend is definitely not our friend, but the price with a little home cooking makes him a nice value. He does have a high of 30.2 FPTS, which he put up five starts ago.
1B Joc Pederson, Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros, $2,500
Pederson has started this season in dreadful fashion, slashing .127/.244/.218 with a .091 ISO! He’s going to get hot, though. I have no doubt about that. It’s a matter of when, not if.
The walk rate is a healthy 11.7% while the strikeout rate is only 18.8%. He’s been very unlucky with a .153 BABIP. The average exit velocity is fine at 91.1 mph while the launch angle is at 15.4 degrees. The chase rate is close to a career-low while the swinging strike rate is a career-low.
Now, he will face Ronel Blanco, who just struck out 11 in eight innings in his last start. That said, he did give up a home run in each of the prior five games.
1B/OF Kody Clemens, Minnesota Twins at Milwaukee Brewers, $3,000
Clemens is only slashing .167/.306/.433 in 36 plate appearances this season. Gross, but the BABIP is only .150; the walk rate is 11.1%; and the strikeout rate is only 22.2%. The ISO is a robust .267 as he’s clubbed two homers! While the ISO may be elevated, Clemens did post a .228 ISO in 120 plate appearances last season and has a career .180 ISO.
The main thing is that Clemens is playing almost every night, and all over the field at that. Over the last eight games, Clemens has been held scoreless for fantasy purposes in only one of those contests. He has games with 16 and 23 FPTS.
Saturday’s starter for Milwaukee is Tobias Myers. He’s only pitched 16.1 innings this season, allowing only one home run, but he’s allowed seven earned runs and walked 10 batters.
