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Saturday features a seven-game main slate starting at 7:07 p.m. ET. There are plenty of good offenses to choose from, so let’s break down some of the top stacking options on 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 $300K Saturday Slugger [$50K to 1st]
1. Colorado Rockies
The Rockies are playing at home in Coors Field, which always makes Colorado an appealing target. The Rockies currently lead all teams with an implied team total of 6.5 runs. No one else on the slate even comes very close — every other team has an implied team total of 5.7 or lower.
The Rockies are taking on Rangers right-hander Kyle Gibson ($7,900), who is a pretty mediocre pitcher. He pitched to a 4.84 ERA over 160 innings in 2019 and he hasn’t been much better to start 2020. He’s posted a 4.84 FIP and a 1.76 HR/9 through his first three starts. He struggled in particular vs. left-handed batters last season, allowing them to post an expected wOBA of .349.
Charlie Blackmon ($6,100) stands out as the premier left-handed bat for the Rockies. He’s gotten off to a phenomenal start this season, posting a .447 batting average, and he posted a .391 wOBA vs. right-handed pitchers in 2019.
Trevor Story ($6,200) and Nolan Arenado ($5,800) are not left-handed but they still have plenty of potential in this matchup. Both guys have displayed plenty of power vs. right-handers in the past.
Finally, don’t ignore some of the cheaper left-handers at the bottom of the lineup. They should garner lower ownership than their higher-priced counterparts and having the splits advantage vs. Gibson is definitely appealing.
Players to Consider
Trevor Story ($6,200)
Charlie Blackmon ($6,100)
Nolan Arenado ($5,800)David Dahl ($4,900)
Daniel Murphy ($4,600)
Raimel Tapia ($4,400)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Dahl is not in the lineup for tonight’s game vs. the Rangers.
2. Texas Rangers
The Rangers are opposing the Rockies at Coors Field, which obviously puts Texas in play. The Rangers are currently implied for 5.1 runs, which means they should check in at much lower ownership than the Rockies.
Texas is in an interesting spot vs. right-hander German Marquez ($8,300). He’s gotten off to a great start this season, posting a 2.08 ERA through his first four starts, but only one of those starts have come at Coors Field. He was significantly worse at Coors in 2019, pitching to a 6.26 ERA. He’s definitely not invincible despite his early success this season.
Another benefit to the Rangers’ bats is that they’re pretty affordable for a team at Coors Field. That starts with Shin-Soo Choo ($4,300) who is extremely cheap for a leadoff hitter at Coors. Choo has also been at his best vs. right-handed pitchers, posting a .390 expected wOBA in those matchups last season. He also posted an average exit velocity of 97.1 miles per hour and a hard-hit rate of 48.1% vs. right-handers, so he can do some serious damage given the altitude in Colorado.
Of course, Joey Gallo ($5,300) is the reigning Statcast king. His numbers against right-handers last year are disgustingly good, including a 53.5% hard-hit rate, 101.5 mile per hour exit velocity and a 44.2% fly-ball rate. The bottom line: If he squares one up at Coors, it’s probably going over the fence.
Players to Consider
Joey Gallo ($5,300)
Rougned Odor ($4,600)
Nick Solak ($4,500)
Shin-Soo Choo ($4,300)
Isiah Kiner-Falefa ($3,900)
Willie Calhoun ($3,800)
3. New York Yankees
The Yankees are currently playing without Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, who are two of the best hitters in baseball. That said, the Bronx Bombers still have an incredibly talented lineup.
The Yankees are taking on Red Sox right-hander Nathan Eovaldi ($6,500), who is technically considered Boston’s “ace.” Still, his numbers are not very intimidating. He allowed left-handed batters to post a .397 wOBA against him last season and right-handers weren’t that far behind at .348.
The Yankees’ lineup isn’t loaded with left-handed bats but New York has a couple of quality options. Mike Ford ($3,800) is pretty affordable and he posted a .351 expected wOBA vs. right-handers last season. He’s definitely in play if he’s in the lineup.
Amongst the right-handed batters, Gary Sanchez ($4,700) stands out as one of the best. He’s the rare right-handed batter who actually fares best against right-handed pitchers and he posted a .380 expected wOBA and .302 ISO in those matchups last year. His Statcast data is also strong: a 96 mile per hour average exit velocity and a 45.6% fly-ball rate.
Players to Consider
DJ LeMahieu ($5,200)
Gio Urshela ($4,900)
Gleyber Torres ($4,800)
Gary Sanchez ($4,700)
Luke Voit ($4,500)
Mike Ford ($3,800)
4. Houston Astros
The Astros have made a lot of people very happy this season. Lots of fans wanted to see Houston struggle following the team’s cheating scandal and so far they have obliged. The Astros have posted a record of 9-10 and the team’s offense ranks just 15th in wOBA. That’s a far cry from the Astros’ mark of first in 2019 and sixth in 2018.
That said, the Astros are hard to ignore today vs. the Mariners. Houston is currently implied for 5.7 runs and the team has an appealing matchup vs. left-hander Nick Margevicius ($5,500). He pitched to a 6.79 ERA over 57 innings in 2019 and he’s posted a 5.00 FIP through his first 8 1⁄3 innings in 2020.
The Astros’ offense also should get a nice shot in the arm with Yordan Alvarez ($4,300) rejoining the lineup. He hit a HR in his first at bat of the season and the Astros responded with 11 runs in that contest. Alvarez is on the wrong side of his splits as a left-handed batter but Margevicius had an abysmal .477 wOBA vs. left-handed batters last year.
Of course, all the usual right-handed batters are in play for the Astros as well. Alex Bregman ($5,500), Jose Altuve ($4,900), George Springer ($4,600) and Carlos Correa ($4,400) all posted an expected wOBA of at least .389 vs. southpaws last season.
Players to Consider
Alex Bregman ($5,500)
Jose Altuve ($4,900)
George Springer ($4,600)
Yuli Gurriel ($4,600)
Carlos Correa ($4,400)
Yordan Alvarez ($4,300)
5. San Diego Padres
The Padres should be a pretty contrarian target today but there’s a lot to like about them vs. left-hander Alex Young ($7,100). San Diego’s lineup is loaded with right-handed batters and Young had a lot of struggles vs. right-handed batters last season. He allowed them to post a hard-hit rate of 44.1%, so it’s not all that surprising that they posted an ISO of .200.
Fernando Tatis Jr. ($5,600) took the baseball world by storm as a rookie last year and he absolutely destroyed southpaws. He posted a .516 wOBA and .306 ISO, resulting in a wRC+ of 223. That wasn’t over a huge sample size but Tatis has followed up that performance with an average of 12.6 DKFP per game in 2020.
That said, Tatis is far from the only guy in the Padres’ lineup who crushes left-handers. Manny Machado ($4,600), Tommy Pham ($4,000), Jurickson Profar ($3,800) and Wil Myers ($3,700) each posted an expected wOBA of at least .358 last season.
Players to Consider
Fernando Tatis Jr. ($5,600)
Manny Machado ($4,600)
Tommy Pham ($4,000)
Jurickson Profar ($3,800)
Wil Myers ($3,700)Edward Olivares ($2,900)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Olivares is not in the lineup for tonight’s game vs. the Diamondbacks.
Set your DraftKings lineups here: MLB $300K Saturday Slugger [$50K 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.