Home Run Derby - MLB DFS Community Contest: Tuesday, August 30th
Happy Tuesday, Grinders! The final slate of the MLB home run season is upon us with a leaderboard that is extremely tight for both monthly and seasonal prizes. I don’t think we could have asked for more. Kudos to the group of you who stuck with the article all season and are in a position to start the NFL season with solid RotoGrinders content.
While I am personally ineligible for any of the prizes, I am certainly going to be competing to the end. Similarly, people who stuck with Aaron Judge were rewarded for their patience this past Friday. Also, Luke Voit paid off those of us who took the cheap power hitter despite his new digs. The leaderboard saw just a speck of movement but as we have seen throughout the duration of this season, anything can happen on a full slate.
Reminder! Prizes were doubled for each month. Spread the word!
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 awarded 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 – 2 months of RotoGrinders MLB Premium
Second Place – RotoGrinders T-shirt and hat
Third Place – 2 weeks 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.
Tuesday, August 30th MLB DFS Slate Notes
DraftKings presents a 12-game slate for our final outing of the season. The Rockies travel to Atlanta to play the Braves. Four games will play in domes.
I am writing this piece the night before due to an early morning golf outing. Therefore, I am not privy to the weather for the slate. That said, here is the link to check in with Kevin Roth on the slate.
Similarly, I don’t have a quick list for HR/9 but here are a few of the names that we might consider targeting on tonight’s slate based on their HR/9 over the last 30 days:
Taijuan Walker, NYM, 1.8
Erick Fedde, WSN, 1.8
Jose Urena, COL, 2.3
George Kirby has not given up a home run in 30 days. Further, Lucas Giolito struggled with bombs early this season but features a 0.3 HR/9 over the same time frame. Perhaps the ground balls are back.
I want to wish everyone luck before I get into my picks. Mainly, best of luck to those who are still in contention for our array of prizes.
Tuesday, August 30th MLB Home Run Picks
Luxury Box – Aaron Judge – OF – $6,500
I mean, where did you think I was going? The night before and I need to lock a player in before anything comes out about our slate. Why question this?
I can tell you why I surely won’t worry about Aaron Judge. Mike Mayers, the Angels hurler, boasts (not really) a 2.3 HR/9 this season in his small sample of innings. Yeah, I know you aren’t worried much about Mayers. Neither am I.
Judge has been the feature piece of this article all season. Judge was part of my big SGP hit earlier this year and several of the home runs on my leaderboard. We roll with our MVP this season in Aaron Judge.
Promenade – Max Muncy – 2B/3B – $4,700
Speaking of some of my favorites, Max Muncy has spent plenty of time within the confines of this article. Muncy has not had a robust season with regard to power. That said, I am willing to bank on the potential Muncy brings with his FB% and Hard% and hope that for one night he exceeds expectations.
Taijuan Walker has been shelled a bit more recently and will have his hands full with the Dodgers’ lineup. Muncy and colleagues are in a prime position for a big night.
Bleacher Seats – Luke Voit – 1B – $3,400
Well, this is convenient. Luke Voit just paid us off with a home run and gets another matchup with a lefty at home. Jackpot!
I don’t mind going back to the powerhouse. I mean, look at the guy. Luke Voit looks like one of the opposing hitters in Ken Griffrey Jr. baseball from the SNES days… except, Luke isn’t a cartoon. His muscles are real and will be used to crush a baseball or two tonight.
Well, as mentioned above, best of luck to those in contention. I hope to land on top of our leaderboard when the dust settles. Come back to find out who wins after our final slate of the season.
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 Friday for a recap, leaderboard, and home run calls.
Player Image Credit: Imagn