On Monday night, Major League Baseball has an awesome seven-game slate, which gets underway just before 7:00 p.m. ET. Five of the seven games are divisional contests with a couple of unusual interleague matchups mixed in to add some spice. A few great hitting environments are on the board in addition to some big arms to consider. If you’re spending up on superstars, you may also need to balance your roster with a few MLB DFS value picks. To help you as you search through the bargain bin for just the right option, check out my three MLB DFS Value Picks in this post, who bring big upside at a small salary.
- SP Griffin Jax, Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Yankees, $7,500: Jax has produced 18+ FPTS in four straight starts and in three of his last four home starts. He has a high strikeout ceiling and should be fired up to help the Rays start the series strong against the Yankees.
- 1B/3B Blaze Jordan, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Milwaukee Brewers, $2,900: After posting impressive numbers in Triple-A, Jordan has gone 15-for-61 (.246) with three doubles, a triple and a home run in his 18 games with the Cardinals, averaging 6.2 FPTS per game.
- OF A.J. Ewing, New York Mets at Atlanta Braves, $3,500: Ewing has three homers in his last 12 games, averaging 9.1 FPTS per game by hitting .282 (11-for-39) with a .390 wOBA, 51.2% hard-hit rate and 15.2% barrel rate.
Let’s dive in and take a closer look at these options that come with low salaries but high ceilings this Monday.
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Top MLB DFS Value Plays
SP Griffin Jax, Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Yankees, $7,500
Jax is in a tough matchup as the Rays host the Yankees, but he has been effective enough since moving to the rotation to still bring a very high ceiling in what should be a good pitching matchup against Cam Schlittler ($11,000). Jax started the year in the bullpen for the Rays but has successfully transitioned to the starting rotation. He has made 12 starts this year and has a 2.65 ERA as a starter with a 1.16 WHIP and a 23.5% K%.
Jax has pitched at least five innings in each of his last five starts and has 26 strikeouts in 26 innings while allowing only five earned runs. He had 18+ FPTS in four straight outings, with a high point of 24.4 FPTS in his last start against the Royals, when he picked up his third win of the season. Jax has the strikeout potential to deliver an excellent return at this affordable salary. While the Yankees are still a tough matchup, without Aaron Judge (ribs), Giancarlo Stanton (calf) and possibly Jazz Chisholm (toe), they are less of a must-avoid matchup.
1B/3B Blaze Jordan, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Milwaukee Brewers, $2,900
Cardinals rookie Blaze Jordan brings plenty of power potential as the Cardinals open the week with a home matchup against lefty Shane Drohan and the Brewers. Jordan and Drohan were teammates in the Red Sox farm system before each was traded over the last year. Jordan went to St. Louis in exchange for Steven Matz, and Drohan went to Milwaukee as part of the Caleb Durbin deal.
Both have had successful parts of their rookie years and are good value plays on Monday, but Jordan sets up well as an option at either corner infield spot for under $3,000. Jordan has gone 15-for-61 (.246) with three doubles, a triple and a home run in his 18 games with the Cardinals, averaging 6.2 FPTS per game. He had three hits and three runs scored on Friday before sitting out the last two games against the Cubs. If he gets back into the lineup, he has shown enough exciting upside to be worth a look. He hit .313 with 11 homers and a .403 wOBA at Triple-A before his promotion.
OF A.J. Ewing, New York Mets at Atlanta Braves, $3,500
Another rookie who makes sense as one of Monday’s MLB DFS value picks is Mets’ outfielder A.J. Ewing, who has bounced around in the batting order, even hitting leadoff last Friday. He has played excellent defense in centerfield and hit .282 over his last 12 games, going 11-for-39 with a double, three homers and a stolen base to help him average 9.1 FPTS per contest.
The 21-year-old lefty is still adjusting to the majors but showed both power and speed potential in his 18 games in Double-A and 12 games in Triple-A before his promotion. In those 30 games, he had 17 stolen bases and a .428 wOBA. If he continues to hit in a premium spot for the Mets, he has the potential to be a great value at $3,500.
