We’ve got quite the interesting 13-game featured MLB slate this evening on DraftKings. With so many teams set to take the field, you’d think that your stacking options would be plentiful, but that might not be the case. In fact, the top-end of the pitching pricing list reads like an All-Star Game ballot, with the likes of Jacob deGrom ($11,600), Gerrit Cole ($11,000), Clayton Kershaw ($10,600), Sonny Gray ($9,600) and Lance Lynn ($9,000) all toeing the rubber.
So, where can you turn for some offensive production? Here are my five favorite lineups to brewbuild around on Friday.
Set your DraftKings lineups here: MLB $300K Relay Throw [$100K to 1st, TO]
1. Houston Astros
Yusei Kikuchi’s ($5,500) underlying statistics are much improved from his rookie campaign, but that’s yet to translate too heavily in terms of raw production. To wit, the left-hander has seen his average fastball velocity increase (95.1 mph) and his opponent GB/FB ratio spike (3.83) in 2020; however, he’s still surrendered nine earned runs across 15.1 innings. Specific to tonight’s slate, this is also just a terrible matchup for a southpaw. Houston led all of baseball with a 131 wRC+ versus LHPs in 2019, a direct result of so many of their high-end bats historically thriving within the split. Add in a Mariners bullpen that owns an AL-worst 6.17 FIP, and you’re left with an enticing set of circumstances that are almost completely out of Kikuchi’s control.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Yusei Kikuchi (neck) has been scratched from the lineup for tonight’s game vs. the Astros.
Players to Consider
Alex Bregman ($5,700)
Jose Altuve ($5,300)
George Springer ($4,600)
Yuli Gurriel ($4,600)
Carlos Correa ($4,500)
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2. New York Yankees
This has the potential to get very ugly for Boston. Again. Through 19 games in 2020, the Red Sox have struggled to maintain any level of consistency in their pitching, so much so that the team currently possesses a 5.60 ERA - the fourth-worst mark in MLB. Heck, in Boston’s 17-8 loss on Thursday, they had to use two different position players on the mound, despite the fact the club’s 28-man roster consists of 15 pitchers. One of those 15 men, Colten Brewer ($5,000), is expected to throw a majority of the innings following an opener this evening. Of the 172 arms that have racked up at least 25 batted ball events this season, Brewer’s opponent barrel per BBE rate of 13.8% is the 11th-highest mark. So, maybe the Red Sox should already start figuring out which position player they’ll be turning to on Friday.
Players to Consider
Aaron Judge ($6,200)
DJ LeMahieu ($5,200)
Gio Urshela ($4,900)
Gleyber Torres ($4,900)
Gary Sanchez ($4,800)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Judge is not in the lineup for tonight’s game vs. the Red Sox and has been placed on the 10-day injured list.
3. Cleveland Indians
Few teams have struggled as much at the plate as Cleveland has so far in 2020, but the solution to those issues might come in the form of Ivan Nova ($6,300). Aside from his ability to maintain an above-average ground ball rate, everything about the veteran RHP is exactly what you’re looking for in a pitcher to stack against. Nova’s career 91.0% zone contact rate is the fourth-highest active mark in baseball, his strikeout rate through three outings this season is a paltry 11.4% and, most incriminating of all, his expected wOBA in that same span of time is a staggering .442. He’s also conceded 1.70 home runs per nine to LHBs dating back to the beginning of 2017. That seems like bad news against this lineup.
Players to Consider
Jose Ramirez ($5,600)
Francisco Lindor ($5,200)
Carlos Santana ($4,300)
Franmil Reyes ($4,200)
Cesar Hernandez ($4,100)
4. New York Mets
This should go without saying, but any team that’s been swept by the Orioles is clearly having its issues and that’s exactly where the Mets will find the Phillies on Friday. I guess it’s worth mentioning that all of Philadelphia’s statistics are smaller samples than most other teams after having to postpone series against both the Yankees and the Blue Jays, yet that doesn’t forgive the club’s bullpen for currently possessing a 10.13 ERA across 42.2 innings of work. It’s an embarrassing figure and one that only becomes more dubious when you realize that the Phillies had to use today’s expected starter - Vince Velasquez - in an emergency relief appearance on Thursday. That leaves rookie Spencer Howard ($4,000) to start this evening. I don’t exactly have high hopes.
Players to Consider
Pete Alonso ($4,900)J.D. Davis ($4,400)
Michael Conforto ($4,000)
Dominic Smith ($3,500)
Brandon Nimmo ($3,400)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Davis is not in the lineup for tonight’s game vs. the Phillies.
5. Texas Rangers
24-year-old Ryan Castellani ($4,600) will make his second career start this evening for the Rockies and while the RHP was able to survive his first outing, there’s a couple things to note about that performance. First and foremost, the game wasn’t at Coors Field, it was in Seattle against an underwhelming Mariners team. Second, though he didn’t technically surrender any runs, Castellani was hit hard, with the average exit velocity of the nine batted ball events he allowed checking in a 98.0 mph. To be frank, this just isn’t someone who has the profile or the experience to thrive in Colorado’s altitude; especially considering the control issues Castellani’s demonstrated in both Double-A and Triple-A. This game could snowball in a hurry.
Players to Consider
Joey Gallo ($5,400)
Todd Frazier ($5,000)
Shin-Soo Choo ($4,700)
Nick Solak ($4,700)
Elvis Andrus ($4,700)
Set your DraftKings lineups here: MLB $300K Relay Throw [$100K to 1st, TO]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is theglt13) 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.