MLB

5 Daily Fantasy Baseball Players to Avoid on 4/18/17

Kenyatta Storin  —  @KenyattaStorin Apr 18th, 2017
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Mike Leake, SP, St. Louis Cardinals

FanDuel Price: $7,900

Through two starts, Mike Leake has a 0.60 ERA with a 24.5% strikeout rate, and the Pittsburgh Pirates have an unimposing 3.77 implied team total against him. On a slate when the elite pitching options are so expensive, you might wonder if he's a viable value option.

Leake is a decent enough real-life pitcher, but don't believe in the hot start! Last season, he had a 3.92 SIERA and 16.5% strikeout rate, which is more in line with his true skills.

This year, he hasn't shown any noticeable change in velocity or pitch usage to trust that he'll continue to rack up the strikeouts. His swinging-strike rate is a middling 6.1%, which is actually lower than last year (7.2%). Moving forward, expect the punchouts to regress to what he did in 2016.

Leake doesn't walk many guys and keeps the ball on the ground, so it's possible he keeps the Pirates in check. But without the strikeouts, Leake simply isn't a viable DFS pitcher on a full slate, making him a hard pass.


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