DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Helper: Wednesday 7/17/19
Every day is unique for daily fantasy baseball, which is both a blessing and a challenge. Although we can’t simply plug and play our favorite studs day in and day out, each slate presents us with a chance for a new gem to vault us up the leaderboards.
Through the use of numberFire’s tools, we can better identify the players primed to succeed each day, making the process of filling out a lineup just that much easier. In addition to our custom optimal lineups, you can check out our batting and pitching heat maps, which show the pieces in the best spot to succeed on that slate. Put on the finishing touches with our games and lineups page to see who's hitting where and what the weather looks like, and you'll have yourself a snazzy looking team to put up some big point totals.
Which names stand out for today on the DraftKings main slate? Let’s check it out, starting with the pitchers.
Pitchers to Target
High-Priced Pitcher
Gerrit Cole ($12,500 on DraftKings): As the highest priced pitcher on the slate in a tough matchup, Gerrit Cole is in an interesting spot. He has an incredible 37.4 percent strikeout rate with a 2.86 SIERA. In addition, his 6.5 percent walk rate is very good. The opposing Los Angeles Angels have a league-low strikeout rate against right-handed pitching at 18.2 percent and their .337 wOBA in the same split is the seventh-best. While Mike Trout should be back in the Angels lineup, if he is not, it increases Cole's value.
Mike Clevinger ($9,900): Mike Clevinger has been on a roller coaster this season in his six starts, with three being above 33 DraftKings points and three being under 18. His numbers are absolutely dominant, though, with a slate-high and incredible 39.7 percent strikeout rate with a 3.10 SIERA. Now, there are still some concerns as he has a brutal 10.3 percent walk rate, but his 29.3 percent hard-hit rate is also great. He's got a solid matchup against a Detroit Tigers team that has a .284 wOBA against right-handed pitching, which is the worst in the Majors, and their 25.9 strikeout rate in the same split is the second-highest.
Value Pitcher
Trevor Richards ($7,300): The lower end of pitching tonight is not great, which makes a guy like Trevor Richards an intriguing play against the free-swinging San Diego Padres. In 2019, the Padres lead the Majors with a 26.1 percent strikeout rate against right-handed pitching. In addition, they have .308 wOBA which sits down at 22nd overall. Richards is far from an elite strikeout pitcher, with just a 20.8 percent strikeout rate this season, but this is the kind of matchup where he can pick up a couple extra with the Padres' strikeout tendencies.
Hitters to Target
High-Priced Hitters
Xander Bogaerts ($5,600): The price tag certainly is high, but Xander Bogaerts has crushed right-handed pitching this season. He has put up an incredible .404 wOBA and .248 ISO, and he takes on Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Aaron Sanchez. It has been a tough season for Sanchez, as he is sporting a horrific 5.62 SIERA. In addition, he's giving up a 38.1 percent hard-hit rate and a 23.5 percent line drive rate while putting up a staggering 12.7 percent walk rate. Note that this is one of several games with potential rain in the forecast, so be sure to check the weather before lock.
Juan Soto ($5,500): With very similar numbers to Bogaerts, Juan Soto has also crushed right-handed pitching. His .401 wOBA and .235 ISO are both fantastic, and while you want a little bit more power, there is no doubting what he has done this season. The Baltimore Orioles are throwing Aaron Brooks on the mound, who's likely to get into plenty of trouble. With a 37.7 percent hard-hit rate and a 40.5 percent fly-ball rate, his 18.8 percent home-run-to-fly-ball rate is terrible and among the worst on the slate.
Ketel Marte ($5,200): The power emergence of Ketel Marte has been quite surprising this season. He has put up a .380 wOBA and .233 ISO against right-handed pitching — numbers that are significantly better than his career .318 wOBA and .132 ISO in the split. The Texas Rangers will be rolling with Jesse Chavez tonight, and he's been okay this season. However, he is sporting a 39.3 percent hard-hit rate and 35.2 percent fly-ball rate, which has resulted in a not-so-great 15.7 percent home-run-to-fly-ball rate that could cause him some issues tonight.
Value Hitters
Trey Mancini ($4,000): While the innings have been limited to around 40 for Erick Fedde this season, they have been awful. He has a slate-worst 5.75 SIERA despite his fraudulent 3.79 ERA, which is almost certainly a result of his .260 BABIP. His strikeout rate is absurdly low at just 12.9 percent, which puts Trey Mancini in a great spot. His numbers against righties are solid with a .345 wOBA and a .214 ISO. They certainly don't jump off the page one way or another, but in this matchup, they should help him put up some solid numbers.
Didi Gregorius ($3,600): After missing a huge chunk of the season, Didi Gregorius just hasn't been able to get things going so far. He has just a .309 wOBA and .143 ISO against right-handed pitching that's much worse than his 2018 numbers. Last season, he was able to crush them for a .358 wOBA and a .256 ISO. Tonight against Yonny Chirinos may not be the best place to get off the ground, but at home in Yankee Stadium, he has a very favorable hitting environment.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($3,400): What can we say about Vladimir Guerrero? In the very, very early part of his career, he has struggled at the plate, and the patience we were in love with in Triple-A hasn't quite translated to the Majors yet. But you cannot fault the kid -- he's just 20 years old playing in the big leagues and opened some eyes when he completely crushed everything in the Home Run Derby. Tonight, he's going to take on Boston Red Sox left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, who has limited hard contact to just 28.9 percent, but a 34.6 percent fly-ball rate and 15.0 percent home-run-to-fly-ball rate should help Vladdy get a boost.
Ryan Sheppard is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Ryan Sheppard also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username donkshow_. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
