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Major League Baseball keeps rolling right along and Friday features a 12-game main slate starting at 7:05 p.m. ET.
This will be the first time all year that the Rockies are playing at home, which means Coors Field will be in play. Coors Field is historic for providing big offensive numbers but the batters playing there will also command big price tags.
Let’s break down some of the top stacking options for today’s slate.
It’s important to note that you should always keep an eye on the news and lineup notes from @DKLive in order to best prepare for each slate. In addition, feel free to get at me on Twitter with any questions — @MattLaMarca.
Set your DraftKings lineups here: MLB $400K Relay Throw [$100K to 1st]
1. New York Yankees
The top implied team total on the slate does not belong to a team playing at Coors, but rather the New York Yankees. The Yankees are currently implied for 6.2 runs vs. the Red Sox, who will be turning to right-hander Ryan Weber ($5,400) on the mound. Weber was not very effective in 2019, pitching to a 5.09 ERA and he’s posted a 14.73 ERA through his first 3 2⁄3 innings this season.
That definitely constitutes a good matchup for the Yankees, who don’t typically need one in order to do damage. The Bronx Bombers ranked third in wRC+ vs. right-handers last season and also have tremendous pop.
The Yankees are lead by Aaron Judge ($4,600), who hits right-handed pitching extremely well despite being a right-handed batter. He posted a .379 expected wOBA and a .251 ISO in righty-righty matchups last season, thanks in part to a hard hit rate of 50.9%.
This could also be a nice time to buy low on Gary Sanchez ($4,700). He has been absolutely dreadful to start the season, going 0-16 with a 62.5% strikeout rate, but he led the team with a .380 expected wOBA vs. right-handers last season. Sanchez is too talented to struggle like this forever and his ownership should be lower than usual.
Weber has been at his worst against left-handed batters in particular, which makes Mike Ford ($4,400) an interesting option if he’s in the lineup. He’s one of the few Yankees batters who actually hits left-handed and he posted a .351 expected wOBA last season.
Players to Consider
Gary Sanchez ($4,700)
Aaron Judge ($4,600)
Aaron Hicks ($4,400)
Mike Ford ($4,400)
Brett Gardner ($4,200)
DJ LeMahieu ($4,100)
2. Colorado Rockies
The Padres and Rockies are squaring off at Coors, and both teams are currently implied for 5.8 runs. Both teams are definitely viable, but I prefer the Rockies in this situation. Colorado is sending Jon Gray ($7,500) to the mound, who is one of the few pitchers in baseball that actually pitches well at Coors. He posted a 3.46 ERA in Colorado last season compared to a 4.22 ERA on the road.
The Padres will turn to right-hander Garrett Richards ($6,500), who has spent more time on the IL than the mound over the past four years. He’s logged just 147 1⁄3 innings over that time frame, which is less than pitchers typically log in a full season. With that in mind, it’s tough to get a feel for how he’ll perform in Coors.
One thing that’s for sure is that the Rockies hit the ball well at home last season, logging a .359 wOBA and .214 ISO vs. right-handed pitchers.
The Rockies’ two biggest bats are Nolan Arenado ($5,500) and Trevor Story ($5,700) and both players definitely hit left-handed pitching better than right-handed pitching. That said, they aren’t exactly slouches vs. right-handers: Both players posted a wOBA of at least .382 in those matchups last season.
Ryan McMahon ($4,600) is someone a little further down in the lineup who could provide some value. He’s definitely not cheap at $4,600, but that’s pretty affordable for Coors. He’ll be on the positive side of his splits vs. Richards, and he led the team with a hard hit rate of 44.4% vs. right-handers last season.
Players to Consider
Charlie Blackmon ($5,800)
Trevor Story ($5,700)
Nolan Arenado ($5,500)
David Dahl ($4,800)
Ryan McMahon ($4,600)
Daniel Murphy ($4,200)
3. Cincinnati Reds
Those first two teams have been pretty expensive, so let’s save some money here. The Reds were expected to be one of the better offensive teams in baseball this season and Cincy has lived up to the billing so far. The Reds have averaged 6.17 runs per game to begin the year, which ranks third in MLB behind the Cubs and Padres.
The Reds are in a nice spot today vs. Tigers right-hander Spencer Turnbull ($8,100), who is not someone you need to fear in DFS. He was excellent in his first start of the year vs. the Reds, but he pitched to a 4.61 ERA in 2019.
Joey Votto ($4,100) may not be the same dominant force that he used to be but he’s still very capable against right-handed pitchers. He posted a .368 expected wOBA when facing a traditional pitcher in 2019 and his hard hit rate of 43.1% ranked third on the team.
Jesse Winker ($3,300) has moved down in the order over his past three games, and he occupied the No. 6 spot in his last game. That’s definitely not ideal, but it doesn’t kill his value at just $3,300. It actually might give him more RBI opportunities, and Winker led the team with a 127 wRC+ vs. right-handers in 2019.
Shogo Akiyama ($2,500) should also be a nice source of savings. He’s priced at just $2,500 and is currently expected to occupy the leadoff spot in the lineup. This is just his first league in the MLB, but he batted over .300 in each of his past three seasons in Japan.
Players to Consider
Joey Votto ($4,100)
Eugenio Suarez ($4,000)
Nick Castellanos ($4,000
Mike Moustakas ($3,600)
Jesse Winker ($3,300)
Shogo Akiyama ($2,500)
4.Chicago Cubs
The left-handed batters for the Cubs are in one of the best spots of the day. They’re taking on Trevor Williams, who was absolutely dreadful vs. left-handed batters last season. He surrendered a .397 wOBA in that situation and he limited left-handed batters to soft contact on just 12.3% of balls in play.
Some of the Cubs’ biggest names bat right-handed – Kris Bryant ($4,700), Javier Baez ($4,200), Willson Contreras ($4,200) – but Chicago still has plenty of left-handed hitters that we can target.
It starts with Anthony Rizzo ($4,600), who continues to crush right-handed pitching. He posted a 150 wRC+ and .399 expected wOBA vs. traditional pitchers last season, both of which were the top marks on the team.
Kyle Schwarber ($4,400) is another lefty bat who fares well against right-handers and he is known for his tremendous power. He posted a .300 ISO when facing a right-hander last season and 32 of his 38 HRs came against righties as well.
Finally, don’t sleep on Ian Happ ($3,500) in the No. 9 spot. He should garner very little attention, but he absolutely tears the cover off the ball vs. right-handers. He posted a .321 ISO vs. right-handers last season, which was the top mark on the team.
Players to Consider
Kris Bryant ($4,700)
Anthony Rizzo ($4,600)
Kyle Schwarber ($4,400)
Ian Happ ($3,500)
Jason Heyward ($3,100)
Victor Caratini ($3,100)
5. Houston Astros
The Astros could be a bit overlooked today. Houston is one of the most expensive teams on the slate – which is not surprising since the Astros absolutely rake – and most people who are stacking an expensive roster will likely target Coors Field.
That said, there’s no reason why Houston’s bats can’t tee off on Angels right-hander Matt Andriese ($5,800). The Astros were the top offense in baseball last season in terms of wRC+ and wOBA vs. right-handed pitchers.
The Astros’ “big three” of Jose Altuve ($5,100), George Springer ($5,000) and Alex Bregman ($4,500) are all definitely in play but Michael Brantley ($2,800) stands out as the top option. I have no idea why he is priced at $2,800 in this matchup, but I’m going to take advantage. Andriese was at his worst vs. left-handed batters last season and Brantley ranked third on the team with a .373 expected wOBA and 146 wRC+ vs. right-handers last year.
Players to Consider
Jose Altuve ($5,100)
George Springer ($5,000)
Alex Bregman ($4,500)
Carlos Correa ($3,900)
Yuli Gurriel ($3,100)
Michael Brantley ($2,800)
Set your DraftKings lineups here: MLB $400K Relay Throw [$100K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is mlamarca) 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 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.