Home Run Derby - MLB DFS Community Contest: Friday, May 27th
Happy Friday, Grinders! The Tuesday baseball slate brought an unprecedented surge of power in 2022. Balls were flying everywhere to the tune of 39 home runs. Joc Pederson hit three home runs with several other hitters clearing the bases twice. For a man who writes a fun article about home runs… more of this please! Let’s see how the leaderboard stacks up after the big night.
So, consequently, many of us weren’t on the guys who went crazy. The Yankees have been all the rage lately and most of us aren’t targeting Gleyber Torres (2 HR) or Anthony Rizzo against a lefty. Yordan was very popular (I hope I didn’t sway you) and he was unable to connect. The Diamondbacks went nuclear… I was lucky enough to grab a Pavin Smith home run. As such, I remain atop the leaderboard with two slates left — tonight’s and next Tuesday. Will I hold the lead? Fret not, I will not take any prizes. I am here for the bragging rights! Who is going to catch me?
Batter up!
Rules, Tiers, and Prizes
Here are the cliff notes from the introductory rules and guidelines set forth in our opening article. If you want a bit more clarification, here is the first article with a more developed explanation for the contest.
In short, pick three players in the comments for tonight’s DraftKings Main MLB slate. You may pick one player from each of the tiers below.
Luxury Box – $5,000 and above
Promenade – $3,500 – $4,900
Bleachers – Below $3,500
You will collect home runs for every home run your batters hit that night. Selections must be made prior to lock time in the comments section. At the end of each month, prizes will be award to the community members with the most home runs. At the end of the season, additional prizes will be awarded to those members who put together the best totals for the entire season (ending in August).
The following prizes will be awarded to players based on their home run total for the month (April, May, June, July, August)
First Place – One month of RotoGrinders MLB Premium
Second Place – RotoGrinders T-shirt
Third Place – One week of SAO Premium
The following prizes will be awarded to players based on their home run total for the entire baseball season (April – August)
First Place – One month of RotoGrinders Combo Premium
Second Place – RotoGrinders Swag Pack
Third Place – One month of SAO Premium
If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments or send me a message on Twitter.
Friday, May 27th MLB DFS Slate Notes
We have 13 games on tonight’s slate. Coors Field is not on the slate. The Yankees are in Tropicana Field. There are three domes.
Weather may be a concern, tonight. Please check back with that link before locking in your picks and locking in your lineup.
The Dodgers are in a great spot tonight against Madison Bumgarner in Arizona. I like the righties very much but am not opposed to any lefties given the chance this game goes off the rails.
I am not in love home runs in Tropicana Field but does that really matter for the Yankees?
The Red Sox host the Orioles in a game filled with sneaky power potential. With the wind blowing out at nearly 16 MPH over the Green Monster will fly balls truly fly? This feels like a great game to hunt for a few players.
The Angels host the Blue Jays with two guys I’ve never heard of on the mound. They cannot be as bad as I think though with an eight-run implied total. Could we see fireworks out of the potent lineups?
Friday, May 27th MLB Home Run Picks
Luxury Box – Mookie Betts – OF – $6,100
We feature plenty of options tonight in the upper tier. Admittedly, I am not very enthusiastic about the lot. Yordan has been up and down my lineups and picks lately. The Yankees are in Tropicana Field. Coors Field isn’t on the slate. The Phillies are in Citi Field with weather concerns. Yikes!
When all else fails, how about a leadoff hitter on the road against a crappy pitcher? Mookie Betts is on a bit of a tear lately with multiple home runs over the weeks. He plays in a dome tonight against Madison Bumgarner. A dome isn’t necessarily a good thing anymore especially with the deadened baseballs. That said, at least I know the weather is stable all game.
Hitting leadoff, we have potential for five AB with Mookie tonight. Five seems like a certainty if the Dodgers continue their recent tear. I am not sure we consider Mookie Betts a power-hitter anymore. That said, his fly balls against lefties over the last two seasons are still north of 40% and his ISO is still north of .200. He still boasts the extra-base pop in a lineup that might turn over repeatedly.
We already attacked MadBum this year and will continue to do so. Here’s hoping Mookie takes advantage of five AB and keeps us atop the leaderboard, tonight.
Promenade – Kyle Tucker – OF – $4,700
Tucker draws a relatively favorable matchup tonight in a tier that I am not too fond of. We lose the Yankees in Tropicana Field and I don’t see so many hitting environments ripe for the picking in this range.
Tucker gets the platoon advantage and will likely see at least 4 AB on the road tonight. I can’t fathom a world where Chris Flexen shuts the Astros down. Run to your sportsbook to bet the under after I typed those words.
Tucker is north of 40% fly balls against left-handed pitching. We’ve already witnessed what happens when the Astros and Tucker hit a power surge. He is absolutely a two-HR possibility on every slate.
I am not super thrilled with this pick but such is life when the hitting environments calm down a bit.
Bleacher Seats – Ryan Mountcastle – 1B – $2,700
This range is ridiculous, tonight. I find it very challenging to find a source of power in this range.
Mountcastle has just enough pop in a relatively decent hitting environment to get the job done. The Green Monster is tall but not imposing for home runs. The wind is blowing out to left field at a strong clip. This feels good enough for me.
I am curious to see where you all turn in this range. I have been very lucky lately. Hopefully, it continues tonight.
Thanks so very much for reading. Give me a follow on Twitter for sports betting banter, golf tidbits, and professional wrestling reactions. We will see you again on Tuesday for a recap, leaderboard, and home run calls.
Player Image Credit: Imagn