Don’t Give Up On Them
Cardinals’ corner infielder Matt Carpenter is building a career year in 2018! But he struggled mightily at the beginning of the season and had you written him off you would have missed out on most of it.
Carpenter batted .155 in April with a .266 wOBA. As late as May 15, he was still batting .140 with a .558 OPS. But then he “found it” and all of a sudden was unstoppable, though you probably hadn’t noticed yet. He produced a .404 wOBA in May, but on May 31st he was still batting just .229 and likely didn’t make it into your fantasy lineup, although he was still frequently priced below his current value.
In June, Carpenter posted another good month (.434 wOBA). He kept going and by now you were hearing a lot about him. In July, he homered in six consecutive games and racked up a .490 wOBA. Carpenter has a .501 wOBA since the All-Star break and he’s a frequent resident of fantasy lineups … if you can afford him in your budget.
He’s not the only one.
I used to laugh when I saw Kole Calhoun’s numbers. He was batting .162 with three home runs and 15 RBI after 63 games (June 30). I don’t laugh any more. In July, Calhoun turned into a valuable fantasy option, hitting 10 home runs, knocking in 25 runs and scoring 20 times (.462 wOBA). Hey, Mike Trout “only” managed a .420 wOBA in July.
The moral of this story is you can find fantasy value in unexpected places.
The Padres’ Christian Villanueva is another good example, batting just .230 this season. But against LHP, he’s a valuable DFS asset, batting .343 and producing a .476 wOBA.
Below you will find a couple of charts with guys you probably wouldn’t think of right away that can help you against the right mound opponent.
Often you can get these guys for below market value. OK, not Bryce Harper, he’s almost always overpriced, or at best, fair market value against RHP, but many of the others can be had for bargains.
The second chart explains why the Dodgers are the best in the NL and second in baseball (behind Boston) with a .336 wOBA against RHP.
Sports Info Solutions has been at the forefront of in-depth analysis of baseball statistics for nearly two decades. The unequivocal amount of data along with their advanced analytics has made SIS a trusted brand in baseball. SIS works with 25 MLB teams to deliver resources that are used in decision-making both on and off the field. SIS Model 3 uses an expansive amount of data, combining metrics ranging from player age and career performance to game temperature and park factors, which has translated to a proven ROI and helped raised the game of DFS players at all skill levels.
- Author: Steve Schwarz
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