MLB Grind Down: Friday, April 8th - Page Three
Chicago Cubs at Arizona – 9:40 PM ET
| Chicago Cubs | Arizona |
| | | |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 . 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 , 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| A.J. Griffin | | |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Eric Surkamp | | |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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, 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| | | |
| 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 |
| 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 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 |
| 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 , 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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
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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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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