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MLB Grind Down: Friday, April 8th - Page Three

Chicago Cubs at Arizona – 9:40 PM ET

Chicago Cubs Arizona
cubsmlb Jason Hammel arizonamlb Robbie Ray
RIGHT LEFT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
CHC -133 9.5
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.301 7 24.1% 7.7% SP vs. Left 0.309 2 22.7% 5.7%
SP vs. Right 0.309 16 24.4% 3.9% SP vs. Right 0.321 7 21.5% 10.2%
Batter Splits Batter Splits
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

Jason Hammel
jason-hammel-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$7,900 Salary:$8,000
FPPG:29.2 FPPG:0.0
Pitcher Rating:
Statistics SIERA K% BB% LD% GB% O-wOBA O-K%
2015 3.45 24.2% 5.6% 24.5% 38.3% 8 19

Hammel didn’t have the best postseason, but overall he had a very strong year for the Cubs. He finished with a 3.45 SIERA and a strikeout rate of 24.2%. He is no longer a young buck (33 years old), but he should have plenty left in the tank. There will be some spots to deploy Hammel, but this isn’t one of them. The Cubs and Diamondbacks put on a firework show last night and it looks like that could happen again tonight, as the total for the game is set at 9.5 runs.

Robbie Ray
robbie-ray-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$6,300 Salary:$7,600
FPPG:28.3 FPPG:0.0
Pitcher Rating:
Statistics SIERA K% BB% LD% GB% O-wOBA O-K%
2015 4.05 21.8% 9.0% 22.2% 43.3% 20 30

Ray added nearly two MPH to his fastball last season, which resulted in a much better swinging strike rate and a much higher strikeout rate. He finished the season with a 4.05 SIERA, while striking out 21.8% of the batters that he faced. He could be in for another decent season, especially if he can get his walk rate down. He should be avoided in his first start of 2016 though, as he runs into the buzz saw that is the Cubbies’ offense. Vegas agrees with me here, as Chicago has the second highest team total on the board.

Batter Grind Down

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs put on an offensive clinic last night in Chase Field. They will look to do it again tonight, as they take on Robbie Ray. Ray is a left-handed pitcher that has given up pretty equal splits to left and right-handed hitters in his career. With the highest team total on the board, we should load up on the Cubbies.

Elite Plays

Kris Bryant
kris-bryant-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$4,100 Salary:$4,700
Position:3B Position:3B
FPPG:7.5 FPPG:5.0
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 650 0.371 0.213 136 26 30.6% 11.8%
vs.LH Pitching 145 0.348 0.206 120 6 36.6% 13.1%
Dexter Fowler
dexter-fowler-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$3,100 Salary:$4,500
Position:OF Position:OF
FPPG:24.0 FPPG:19.0
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 690 0.333 0.161 110 17 22.3% 12.2%
vs.LH Pitching 154 0.376 0.141 139 4 20.1% 10.4%
Ben Zobrist
ben-zobrist-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$2,700 Salary:$4,200
Position:2B Position:2B/OF
FPPG:7.5 FPPG:7.0
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 535 0.349 0.173 123 13 10.5% 11.6%
vs.LH Pitching 171 0.398 0.188 156 3 10.5% 11.7%

Secondary Plays

Anthony Rizzo
anthony-rizzo-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$4,300 Salary:$4,900
Position:1B Position:1B
FPPG:18.0 FPPG:13.5
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 701 0.384 0.234 145 31 15.0% 11.1%
vs.LH Pitching 198 0.383 0.178 145 6 16.7% 11.1%
Jason Heyward
jason-heyward-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$3,600 Salary:$4,100
Position:OF Position:OF
FPPG:6.0 FPPG:4.5
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 610 0.346 0.146 121 13 14.8% 9.2%
vs.LH Pitching 181 0.316 0.093 100 2 22.1% 9.9%
Jorge Soler
jorge-soler-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$2,600 Salary:$4,000
Position:OF Position:OF
FPPG:6.0 FPPG:4.5
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 404 0.312 0.137 96 10 30.0% 7.9%
vs.LH Pitching 92 0.318 0.120 100 2 31.5% 16.3%

Arizona

The Diamondbacks draw an interesting matchup against Jason Hammel, who hasn’t flashed any form since the end of last season. Arizona is a sneaky team to target offensively, especially in GPPs. They are my favorite contrarian stack tonight.

Elite Plays

David Peralta
david-peralta-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$3,500 Salary:$3,600
Position:OF Position:OF
FPPG:10.0 FPPG:8.3
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 517 0.380 0.210 138 17 20.7% 8.5%
vs.RH Pitching 427 0.397 0.228 150 16 19.7% 8.9%

Secondary Plays

Paul Goldschmidt
paul-goldschmidt-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$4,900 Salary:$5,100
Position:1B Position:1B
FPPG:16.0 FPPG:12.0
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 695 0.418 0.249 164 33 21.7% 17.0%
vs.RH Pitching 551 0.408 0.247 157 25 21.2% 17.6%
Jean Segura
jean-segura-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$3,200 Salary:$3,600
Position:SS Position:SS
FPPG:19.0 FPPG:15.7
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 584 0.268 0.079 62 6 15.9% 2.2%
vs.RH Pitching 434 0.260 0.072 57 5 17.7% 2.5%
Welington Castillo
welington-castillo-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$2,600 Salary:$3,100
Position:C Position:C
FPPG:6.0 FPPG:5.0
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 378 0.321 0.216 99 19 24.3% 6.6%
vs.RH Pitching 275 0.317 0.212 96 13 21.8% 5.5%
Jacob Lamb
jake-lamb-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$2,400 Salary:$3,300
Position:3B Position:3B
FPPG:13.0 FPPG:9.7
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 390 0.312 0.123 92 6 24.9% 9.2%
vs.RH Pitching 339 0.322 0.131 99 5 23.0% 9.1%

Texas at LA Angels – 10:05 PM ET

Texas LA Angels
texasmlb A.J. Griffin laangelsmlb Matt Shoemaker
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
LAA -125 8.5
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left SP vs. Left 0.316 11 18.5% 7.4%
SP vs. Right SP vs. Right 0.337 13 22.4% 4.8%
Batter Splits Batter Splits
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

A.J. Griffin
a.j.-griffin-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$5,700 Salary:$8,200
FPPG:0.0 FPPG:0.0
Pitcher Rating:
Statistics SIERA K% BB% LD% GB% O-wOBA O-K%
2015 19 10

Griffin is making his first start in the majors since 2013. While he is getting the starting nod tonight, it wasn’t thanks to a strong spring. He really struggled in the Cactus League, making him an easy avoid in DFS. The Rangers are small underdogs tonight against the Angels in a game that features a run total of 8.5 runs. For now, just take a wait and see approach with Griffin. Don’t get lured in by the cheap salary on FanDuel.

Matt Shoemaker
matt-shoemaker-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$7,700 Salary:$6,200
FPPG:25.5 FPPG:0.0
Pitcher Rating:
Statistics SIERA K% BB% LD% GB% O-wOBA O-K%
2015 3.98 20.4% 6.2% 18.5% 39.2% 6 8

After a very promising 2014 season, Shoemaker had a disappointing year last season. His strikeout rate dipped, his walk rate ballooned, and he gave up home runs at a much higher clip. If I had to guess, I’d say that Shoemaker’s real ability is sandwiched somewhere in between the last two seasons. He is definitely worth monitoring moving forward, but there are enough pitching options that we don’t need to target him tonight. He draws a difficult matchup against the Rangers, who were ranked sixth in wOBA against right-handed pitching last season.

Batter Grind Down

Texas

The Rangers are small underdogs tonight against the Angels. They are facing Matt Shoemaker in the pitcher-friendly Angels Stadium. This isn’t a great matchup by any means, as the Rangers have the seventh lowest team total on the board.

Elite Plays

NONE

Secondary Plays

Prince Fielder
prince-fielder-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$3,500 Salary:$4,500
Position:1B Position:1B
FPPG:12.0 FPPG:9.0
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 693 0.360 0.158 124 23 12.7% 9.2%
vs.RH Pitching 411 0.392 0.164 146 14 9.0% 10.2%

LA Angels

The Angels draw a nice matchup against A.J. Griffin, who hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2013. The Angels often let us down in favorable spots, but that doesn’t mean that we should avoid them tonight. They aren’t the top offense to target, but they do have the ninth highest team total in the evening slate.

Elite Plays

Mike Trout
mike-trout-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$4,800 Salary:$5,200
Position:OF Position:OF
FPPG:0.0 FPPG:0.0
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 682 0.415 0.290 172 41 23.2% 13.5%
vs.RH Pitching 507 0.408 0.292 168 31 23.9% 12.2%

Secondary Plays

Kole Calhoun
kole-calhoun-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$3,000 Salary:$4,000
Position:OF Position:OF
FPPG:1.5 FPPG:1.5
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 686 0.317 0.167 105 26 23.9% 6.6%
vs.RH Pitching 462 0.329 0.174 113 18 22.9% 6.1%

Oakland at Seattle – 10:10 PM ET

Oakland Seattle
oaklandmlb Eric Surkamp seattlemlb Taijuan Walker
LEFT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
SEA -170 8.0
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.795 2 0.0% 0.0% SP vs. Left 0.310 12 23.3% 6.0%
SP vs. Right 0.272 0 44.4% 11.1% SP vs. Right 0.312 13 21.0% 5.3%
Batter Splits Batter Splits
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

Eric Surkamp
eric-surkamp-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$4,800 Salary:$6,000
FPPG:10.0 FPPG:0.0
Pitcher Rating:
Statistics SIERA K% BB% LD% GB% O-wOBA O-K%
2015 3.00 25.0% 6.3% 37.5% 37.5% 13 20

Surkamp has bounced around the league over the last few seasons. In his seven career major league starts, he has a 6.47 ERA with a strikeout rate of only 13.9%. He opens the 2015 as a major underdog against the Mariners in Seattle. There are better pitching options on the board tonight. Surkamp should be avoided in all league formats.

Taijuan Walker
taijuan-walker-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$7,600 Salary:$9,300
FPPG:29.4 FPPG:0.0
Pitcher Rating:
Statistics SIERA K% BB% LD% GB% O-wOBA O-K%
2015 3.69 22.2% 5.7% 22.4% 38.6% 21 4

Walker has always been a top prospect, but up until last season, he hadn’t lived up to the hype. He flashed what he is capable of in 2015, posting a 3.69 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 22.2%. He has always had a great fastball, he just hasn’t had the command to go along with it. While he managed to lower his walk rate last season, he gave up way to many home runs – 25 in 29 starts. Look for him to improve on that this season. Walker make a nice GPP play right out of the gate, especially on FanDuel where he is priced at only $7,600.

Batter Grind Down

Oakland

As mentioned above, Taijuan Walker biggest issue last season was keeping the ball in the park. While that makes the A’s interesting GPP targets tonight, this isn’t a great ballpark for home runs.

Elite Plays

NONE

Secondary Plays

Josh Reddick
josh-reddick-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$3,000 Salary:$3,700
Position:OF Position:OF
FPPG:2.3 FPPG:2.7
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 582 0.338 0.177 117 20 11.2% 8.4%
vs.RH Pitching 433 0.356 0.189 129 16 10.4% 8.3%
Khris Davis
khris-davis-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$2,900 Salary:$3,400
Position:OF Position:OF
FPPG:3.8 FPPG:4.0
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 440 0.353 0.258 121 27 27.7% 10.0%
vs.RH Pitching 322 0.367 0.271 130 21 27.3% 9.6%

Seattle

The Mariners draw a favorable matchup against Eric Surkamp, who doesn’t have a ton of major league experience. The Mariners have a sneaky high team total. All of the right-handed hitters in this lineup are in play against the southpaw.

Elite Plays

Nelson Cruz
nelson-cruz-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$4,300 Salary:$4,700
Position:OF Position:OF
FPPG:14.0 FPPG:10.7
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 655 0.396 0.264 158 44 25.0% 9.0%
vs.LH Pitching 191 0.459 0.315 202 14 21.5% 12.0%

Secondary Plays

Ketel Marte
ketel-marte-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$2,500 Salary:$3,600
Position:SS Position:SS
FPPG:4.0 FPPG:3.7
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 247 0.330 0.119 112 2 17.4% 9.7%
vs.LH Pitching 112 0.316 0.139 103 1 17.9% 8.9%
Franklin Gutierrez
franklin-gutierrez-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$2,300 Salary:$3,100
Position:OF Position:OF
FPPG:3.0 FPPG:2.0
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 189 0.410 0.327 167 15 28.6% 7.4%
vs.LH Pitching 112 0.411 0.298 168 8 25.0% 6.3%

LA Dodgers at San Francisco – 10:15 PM ET

LA Dodgers San Francisco
ladodgersmlb Ross Stripling sanfranciscomlb Matt Cain
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
SF -118 8.0
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left SP vs. Left 0.404 6 10.8% 7.7%
SP vs. Right SP vs. Right 0.357 6 19.2% 7.1%
Batter Splits Batter Splits
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

Ross Stripling
ross-stripling-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$6,100 Salary:$5,400
FPPG:0.0 FPPG:0.0
Pitcher Rating:
Statistics SIERA K% BB% LD% GB% O-wOBA O-K%
2015 6 6

Stripling isn’t going to be a long-term starter for the Dodgers, but he will hold down the fort until Hyun-Jin Ryu or Mike Bolsinger are able to return from injury. Stripling will be making his major league debut tonight against the Giants. In 13 starts at Double-A last season, he had a 3.88 ERA with a strikeout rate of 20.2%. Given the unknown about Stripling and the fact that he is facing a tough San Francisco offense, he should be avoided in all league formats tonight.

Matt Cain
matt-cain-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$5,900 Salary:$7,200
FPPG:16.3 FPPG:0.0
Pitcher Rating:
Statistics SIERA K% BB% LD% GB% O-wOBA O-K%
2015 4.78 15.1% 7.4% 23.9% 35.8% 8 17

Cain was once one of the best pitchers in baseball. Those days are far behind him now though, as he finished the 2015 season with a 4.78 SIERA and a strikeout rate of only 15.1%. We’ve been waiting to see if he can rebound for years now and it’s probably safe to assume that he is never going to be that elite pitcher again. With a difficult matchup against the Dodgers, he should be avoided in all league formats tonight.

Batter Grind Down

LA Dodgers

The Dodgers draw a fairly favorable matchup against Matt Cain, but they are facing him in a pitcher-friendly ballpark. So far this season, the Dodgers have played well in difficult matchups, so don’t overlook them tonight against Cain.

Elite Plays

Adrian Gonzalez
adrian-gonzalez-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$3,400 Salary:$4,100
Position:1B Position:1B
FPPG:16.0 FPPG:12.0
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 643 0.354 0.205 129 28 16.6% 9.6%
vs.RH Pitching 464 0.360 0.230 133 24 17.2% 11.0%

Secondary Plays

Corey Seager
corey-seager-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$3,600 Salary:$3,900
Position:SS Position:3B/SS
FPPG:11.0 FPPG:9.0
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 113 0.421 0.224 175 4 16.8% 12.4%
vs.RH Pitching 66 0.437 0.259 186 2 16.7% 10.6%
Chase Utley
chase-utley-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$2,600 Salary:$3,500
Position:2B Position:2B
FPPG:12.0 FPPG:9.7
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 423 0.274 0.131 71 8 15.1% 7.6%
vs.RH Pitching 308 0.282 0.145 76 7 14.0% 7.5%

San Francisco

Ross Stripling is making his first career major league start. The Giants’ offense could be in for a big night, especially if they can get him in the stretch in the first couple of innings. The Giants have the tenth highest team total on the board.

Elite Plays

Buster Posey
buster-posey-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$3,900 Salary:$4,500
Position:C Position:1B/C
FPPG:11.0 FPPG:8.3
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 623 0.363 0.153 138 19 8.3% 9.0%
vs.RH Pitching 475 0.362 0.143 138 14 9.1% 9.9%

Secondary Plays

Denard Span
denard-span-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$3,600 Salary:$4,200
Position:OF Position:OF
FPPG:15.0 FPPG:11.7
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 275 0.348 0.130 120 5 9.5% 9.1%
vs.RH Pitching 206 0.381 0.151 142 4 8.3% 9.2%
Brandon Belt
brandon-belt-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$3,200 Salary:$4,200
Position:1B Position:1B
FPPG:12.0 FPPG:9.3
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 556 0.359 0.197 135 18 26.4% 10.1%
vs.RH Pitching 411 0.362 0.198 137 13 25.8% 10.2%
Joe Panik
joe-panik-300x200 FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$2,800 Salary:$3,800
Position:2B Position:2B
FPPG:10.0 FPPG:8.0
Statistics PA wOBA ISO wRC+ HR K% BB%
Overall (2015) 432 0.363 0.144 138 8 9.7% 8.8%
vs.RH Pitching 332 0.369 0.155 142 7 10.2% 8.1%


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About the Author

Notorious
Derek Farnsworth (Notorious)

Derek Farnsworth (aka Notorious) is a lead RotoGrinders Expert and one of the most recognizable names and faces in all of DFS. Before joining the RotoGrinders team, Derek received a Master’s Degree from the University of Utah. When he’s not busy providing content, he’s dominating the DFS industry as evidenced by his consistent top rankings in several sports and multiple Live Final appearances. Noto provides expert NBA, NFL, MLB, and PGA analysis for RotoGrinders Premium members on a daily basis and has also been nominated for five different Fantasy Sports Writer’s Association (FSWA) awards. Follow Noto on X – @RG_Notorious