MLB Grind Down: Sunday, April 1st
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The RotoGrinders MLB Grind Down will give you an in-depth analysis into the upcoming MLB schedule. This article will break down the numbers for every single game and give you analysis on which trends you can exploit. While matchups are a major factor in daily fantasy baseball, there are plenty of other factors to consider such as injuries, weather, and salaries.
The analysis should point you in the right direction, but it is still up to you to decipher the information and make your own selections. No sport has more variance than baseball. The best choice is not always the right choice but following the trends will win you money over time.
Note: As always, if you want to try a new DFS site, be sure to click through a RotoGrinders link and use our DraftKings promo code, FanDuel promo code, and FantasyDraft promo code to receive the best perks in the industry.
Stackability Rating System:
GREEN – A viable full stack in cash games and GPPs.
YELLOW – A viable mini-stack in cash games and full stack in GPPs.
ORANGE – A viable stack in large field GPPs.
RED – Not a recommended stack for cash games or GPPs.
Implied Run Totals
Minnesota at Baltimore – 1:05 PM ET
| Minnesota | Baltimore | ||||||||||||||
 | Jose Berrios |  | Kevin Gausman | ||||||||||||
| RIGHT | RIGHT | ||||||||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||||||||
| BAL-110 | 9.0 | ||||||||||||||
| Stats | wOBA | xwOBA | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | Stats | wOBA | xwOBA | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left (2016-17) | 0.341 | 0.346 | 32.5% | 11.9% | 20.2% | 36.2% | SP vs. Left (2016-17) | 0.350 | 0.332 | 30.3% | 11.8% | 21.6% | 40.5% | ||
| SP vs. Right (2016-17) | 0.269 | 0.260 | 24.0% | 4.3% | 24.6% | 41.4% | SP vs. Right (2016-17) | 0.344 | 0.337 | 33.6% | 6.4% | 22.2% | 44.2% | ||
Pitcher Grind Down
| Jose Berrios | |||||||||
 | FanDuel | DraftKings | FantasyDraft | ||||||
| Salary: | $7,700 | Salary: | $9,000 | Salary: | $17,800 | ||||
| Salary Rank: | 9 of 24 | Salary Rank: | 6 of 24 | Salary Rank: | 6 of 24 | ||||
| Stats | Starts | SIERA | ERA | K% | BB% | GB% | HC% | SC% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 25 | 4.29 | 3.89 | 22.6% | 7.8% | 39.0% | 27.9% | 20.4% | |
I have some bad news Grinders. Notorious will no longer be working for RotoGrinders.
Oh come on… you know what day it is! APRIL FOOLS!!!
Happy Easter Sunday everyone! We have 12 games today – the last four to take place will not be featured on any of the main slate contests so I’ll take that into consideration when doing analysis. I am certainly not Notorious, but I’ll do the best I can to get you all informed for making the best possible lineups. MLB DFS is a numbers driven game and as such, my analysis will have a strong lean towards what the numbers are telling me. Sure outliers will happen, but we’re looking for the situations that are more likely to take place.
We get things started off with the Twins visiting the Orioles with the home team a slight favorite and the game having a total of nine runs. Jose Berrios takes the mound for the Twins.
.341 wOBA vs L (.405 vs L on road) 1.29 HR/9 20.2% K 11.9% BB
.269 wOBA vs R (.290 vs R on road) .65 HR/9 24.6% K 4.3% BB
As you can see, he’s quite good against RH bats and struggles against LH bats. Those struggles are exacerbated on the road.
Quick Breakdown:
This is an interesting spot for Berrios with the Orioles only having three projected LH bats in their lineup. I like him more on FanDuel where he is the 9th highest priced SP as opposed to DraftKings where he is 6th. He’s a contrarian play on both sites for sure but Baltimore is a strikeout prone team so the upside is there. He’s a viable GPP option because of the strikeout upside he brings, but keep an eye on the Orioles lineup. If they roll out a couple more left-handed bats, then steer clear.
| Kevin Gausman | |||||||||
 | FanDuel | DraftKings | FantasyDraft | ||||||
| Salary: | $7,300 | Salary: | $6,900 | Salary: | $13,900 | ||||
| Salary Rank: | 11 of 24 | Salary Rank: | 14 of 24 | Salary Rank: | 13 of 24 | ||||
| Stats | Starts | SIERA | ERA | K% | BB% | GB% | HC% | SC% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 34 | 4.41 | 4.68 | 21.9% | 8.7% | 42.7% | 32.3% | 18.2% | |
Kevin Gausman had a tale of two seasons last year. His wOBA allowed in the first half of the season was .373. In the second half it was just .314. To further break it down, in the first half his numbers were as follows:
97 IP 128 H allowed 5.85 ERA 43 BB 83K 1.30 HR/9 18.4% K 9.6% BB
In the second half, they were massively improved:
89.2 IP 80 H allowed 3.41 ERA 28 BB 96K 1.51 HR/9 26.2% K 7.7% BB
That makes the following a bit misleading:
.350 wOBA vs L (.361 vs L at home)
1.41 HR/9 21.6% K 11.8% BB
.344 wOBA vs R (.326 vs R at home)
1.39 HR/9 22.2% K 6.4% BB
If we believe in the upward trend of the second half of last year (I do), then those numbers should improve. It’s worth noting that at home he gives up more home runs (1.69 per 9 IP), but he has a higher K rate (24.5% compared to just 19.3% on the road) and has huge strikeout numbers against RHB at home with a 26.8% K rate.
Quick Breakdown:
If only Gausman was not facing the Twins. They just don’t play that many right-handed bats as Dozier, Sano, and Buxton are the only three that hit from that side of the plate in their projected lineup. I want to lock Gausman in given his affordable price tag, but he’s nothing more than a GPP flyer because of the Twins lineup. Now if for some inexplicable reason the Twins decide to put in five plus RH bats in their lineup (they won’t), then lock and load. There will be times where Gausman will be a great play for the Orioles this season. This isn’t one of them.
Batter Grind Down
Minnesota
Projected Lineup (Splits vs. RH Pitching)
| # | Player | Bats | wOBA | xwOBA | ISO | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | FD Pos. | FD Sal. | DK Pos. | DK Sal. | FDRFT Pos. | FDRFT Sal. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brian Dozier | RIGHT | 0.339 | 0.334 | 0.203 | 33.2% | 10.6% | 20.3% | 37.6% | 2B | $3,700 | 2B | $4,400 | 2B | $8,500 |
| 2 | Joe Mauer | LEFT | 0.354 | 0.399 | 0.127 | 40.8% | 12.0% | 13.5% | 49.8% | 1B | $2,300 | 1B | $3,400 | 1B | $6,500 |
| 3 | Miguel Sano | RIGHT | 0.346 | 0.344 | 0.223 | 45.5% | 10.6% | 37.3% | 39.6% | 3B | $3,500 | 3B | $4,300 | IF/OF | $8,200 |
| 4 | Eddie Rosario | LEFT | 0.377 | 0.365 | 0.268 | 34.1% | 7.4% | 17.5% | 38.0% | OF | $2,800 | OF | $3,700 | LF | $7,300 |
| 5 | Logan Morrison | LEFT | 0.374 | 0.366 | 0.298 | 40.4% | 13.6% | 25.2% | 33.1% | 1B | $2,400 | 1B | $4,100 | 1B | $9,100 |
| 6 | Max Kepler | LEFT | 0.350 | 0.335 | 0.212 | 36.0% | 9.3% | 17.2% | 41.0% | OF | $2,300 | OF | $3,300 | RF | $6,700 |
| 7 | Eduardo Escobar | SWITCH | 0.324 | 0.308 | 0.216 | 33.6% | 5.9% | 20.9% | 33.3% | SS | $2,200 | 3B | $3,600 | SS | $7,300 |
| 8 | Byron Buxton | RIGHT | 0.300 | 0.294 | 0.166 | 27.2% | 5.8% | 31.0% | 39.5% | OF | $3,200 | OF | $4,000 | CF | $7,200 |
| 9 | Jason Castro | LEFT | 0.313 | 0.329 | 0.146 | 34.9% | 12.5% | 29.0% | 40.2% | C | $2,000 | C | $3,200 | C | $6,500 |
Gausman gives up a lot of home runs at home as he gave up 18 in 95.2 innings pitched there last season. 10 of those were to LH batters so he’s especially vulnerable there. While I typically would avoid RH bats against Gausman, Miguel Sano is the one RH bat I want out of the Twins lineup. Pair him with the LH bats in the middle of the order for a viable stack. Eddie Rosario and Logan Morrison are both elite plays, especially on FanDuel where their prices are dirt cheap.Those two have wOBAs topping .370 to go along with ISOs topping .265. Max Kepler is also viable with a .350 wOBA and .212 ISO against RHP.
Elite Plays – Eddie Rosario, Logan Morrison
Secondary Plays – Miguel Sano, Max Kepler
Stackability – YELLOW
Baltimore
Projected Lineup (Splits vs. RH Pitching)
| # | Player | Bats | wOBA | xwOBA | ISO | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | FD Pos. | FD Sal. | DK Pos. | DK Sal. | FDRFT Pos. | FDRFT Sal. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Davis | LEFT | 0.329 | 0.348 | 0.250 | 45.1% | 12.5% | 36.1% | 37.7% | 1B | $2,700 | 1B | $3,600 | IF/OF | $7,600 |
| 2 | Manny Machado | RIGHT | 0.322 | 0.360 | 0.203 | 37.7% | 7.5% | 16.9% | 42.7% | SS | $4,000 | 3B/SS | $4,700 | 3B | $8,900 |
| 3 | Jonathan Schoop | RIGHT | 0.341 | 0.317 | 0.184 | 35.1% | 4.1% | 20.0% | 41.8% | 2B | $3,400 | 2B | $4,000 | 2B | $7,200 |
| 4 | Adam Jones | RIGHT | 0.340 | 0.323 | 0.188 | 30.2% | 3.4% | 17.5% | 45.1% | OF | $3,000 | OF | $4,300 | CF | $8,200 |
| 5 | Trey Mancini | RIGHT | 0.362 | 0.358 | 0.223 | 34.1% | 6.4% | 23.5% | 51.4% | OF | $2,600 | 1B/OF | $3,700 | IF/OF | $7,500 |
| 6 | Pedro Alvarez | LEFT | 0.282 | 0.300 | 0.034 | 31.6% | 6.5% | 32.3% | 57.9% | OF | $2,000 | 1B/3B | $2,900 | 1B | $5,700 |
| 7 | Colby Rasmus | LEFT | 0.375 | 0.328 | 0.291 | 44.4% | 6.0% | 32.5% | 32.4% | OF | $2,000 | OF | $2,900 | LF | $5,600 |
| 8 | Tim Beckham | RIGHT | 0.336 | 0.339 | 0.176 | 40.3% | 5.6% | 29.6% | 48.7% | 3B | $2,700 | 3B/SS | $3,500 | SS | $7,300 |
| 9 | Caleb Joseph | RIGHT | 0.287 | 0.267 | 0.135 | 25.0% | 3.5% | 26.5% | 48.2% | C | $2,500 | C | $2,800 | C | $5,800 |
Outside of Chris Davis, there’s not much to like in the Orioles lineup today despite the fifth highest run total of the slate. The reason is Berrios is good enough against the meat of the Orioles lineup that I think he’ll limit the damage he gives up. Davis is a elite play at his cheap price, likely leading off, with a .250 ISO facing a pitcher who has a .400+ wOBA to LH bats on the road. I wish Colby Rasmus were batting higher in the lineup, but he’ll be a secondary option for me if he’s batting 7th. If they move him up to the top five spots, that would make him an elite play as well. I’ll avoid the rest of the Orioles lineup and am even going to give them a RED stackability rating even if that might not be a popular opinion because that’s what the numbers are telling me to do. I like numbers.
Elite Plays – Chris Davis
Secondary Plays – Colby Rasmus
Stackability – RED
NY Yankees at Toronto – 1:07 PM ET
| NY Yankees | Toronto | ||||||||||||||
 | Sonny Gray |  | Marcus Stroman | ||||||||||||
| RIGHT | RIGHT | ||||||||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||||||||
| TOR-100 | 8.5 | ||||||||||||||
| Stats | wOBA | xwOBA | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | Stats | wOBA | xwOBA | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left (2016-17) | 0.281 | 0.300 | 26.3% | 9.0% | 22.4% | 52.7% | SP vs. Left (2016-17) | 0.289 | 0.314 | 30.7% | 8.7% | 18.3% | 65.8% | ||
| SP vs. Right (2016-17) | 0.297 | 0.313 | 29.4% | 7.9% | 22.7% | 53.0% | SP vs. Right (2016-17) | 0.329 | 0.313 | 32.0% | 6.3% | 20.9% | 58.9% | ||
Pitcher Grind Down
| Sonny Gray | |||||||||
 | FanDuel | DraftKings | FantasyDraft | ||||||
| Salary: | $8,200 | Salary: | $9,700 | Salary: | $18,800 | ||||
| Salary Rank: | 6 of 24 | Salary Rank: | 5 of 24 | Salary Rank: | 5 of 24 | ||||
| Stats | Starts | SIERA | ERA | K% | BB% | GB% | HC% | SC% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 27 | 4.08 | 3.55 | 22.6% | 8.4% | 52.8% | 28.0% | 16.8% | |
Sonny Gray is one of those pitchers that is good, but not great – especially when it comes to utilizing in DFS lineups.
.281 wOBA vs L .86 HR/9 22.4% K 9.0% BB
.297 wOBA vs R 1.22 HR/9 22.7% K 7.9% BB
He’s pretty much the same pitcher against both sides of the plate. A little vulnerable to the long ball, moreso against RH bats. He’s pitched relatively well in his career in Toronto with a 2.32 ERA in five career starts there including 31 K’s in 31 IP. (it’s worth noting though that he walked 15 and gave up 15 runs – 7 of those runs were unearned though which skews his ERA)
Quick Breakdown:
Gray is too expensive as the 6th highest priced SP on both DraftKings and FanDuel. He’ll probably put up a “safe” score for you, but he’s not going to give you the upside you need at his price point. He’s an avoid for me.
| Marcus Stroman | |||||||||
 | FanDuel | DraftKings | FantasyDraft | ||||||
| Salary: | $7,900 | Salary: | $8,600 | Salary: | $16,900 | ||||
| Salary Rank: | 7 of 24 | Salary Rank: | 7 of 24 | Salary Rank: | 7 of 24 | ||||
| Stats | Starts | SIERA | ERA | K% | BB% | GB% | HC% | SC% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 33 | 3.85 | 3.09 | 19.7% | 7.4% | 62.1% | 31.4% | 20.4% | |
Marcus Stroman is much like Sonny Gray, but with even less upside as he has doesn’t strike out many batters.
.289 wOBA vs L .39 HR/9 18.3% K 8.7% BB
.329 wOBA vs R (only .297 at home)1.42 HR/9 20.9% K 6.3% BB
He’s usually going to get the job done, but he’s rarely going to wow you. He has faced the Yankees more times than any other team in his career (13) and has done relatively well against them with a 3.19 ERA in 73 1/3 innings of work. He only struck out 52 batters though. It’s worth noting that he has fared very well against them in Toronto as he has only allowed 8 ER in 42 innings pitched.
Quick Breakdown:
Given his lack of strikeout ability and being the 7th highest priced player on both DraftKings and FanDuel, I have no interest in Stroman either. He’ll probably put up a line like 6 IP 2 ER 4 K. That’s not going to do much for you in DFS.
Batter Grind Down
NY Yankees
Projected Lineup (Splits vs. RH Pitching)
| # | Player | Bats | wOBA | xwOBA | ISO | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | FD Pos. | FD Sal. | DK Pos. | DK Sal. | FDRFT Pos. | FDRFT Sal. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brett Gardner | LEFT | 0.359 | 0.332 | 0.191 | 31.6% | 11.1% | 18.3% | 42.3% | OF | $3,000 | OF | $4,000 | LF | $7,200 |
| 2 | Aaron Judge | RIGHT | 0.440 | 0.432 | 0.364 | 45.1% | 16.6% | 30.6% | 35.2% | OF | $4,100 | OF | $5,000 | RF | $9,400 |
| 3 | Giancarlo Stanton | RIGHT | 0.391 | 0.378 | 0.326 | 37.8% | 10.6% | 26.1% | 44.4% | OF | $4,600 | OF | $5,200 | RF | $10,500 |
| 4 | Didi Gregorius | LEFT | 0.354 | 0.302 | 0.228 | 26.2% | 4.6% | 11.3% | 36.5% | SS | $3,600 | SS | $3,800 | SS | $7,700 |
| 5 | Gary Sanchez | RIGHT | 0.367 | 0.369 | 0.249 | 36.5% | 6.5% | 22.9% | 43.1% | C | $3,800 | C | $4,400 | C | $8,400 |
| 6 | Neil Walker | SWITCH | 0.366 | 0.358 | 0.199 | 34.3% | 12.5% | 16.5% | 37.1% | 2B | $2,800 | 2B | $3,500 | 2B | $6,400 |
| 7 | Tyler Austin | RIGHT | 0.193 | 0.210 | 0.074 | 33.3% | 6.9% | 41.4% | 33.3% | 1B | $2,000 | 1B | $2,700 | RF | $5,400 |
| 8 | Brandon Drury | RIGHT | 0.329 | 0.332 | 0.186 | 31.8% | 6.7% | 20.2% | 49.0% | 3B | $2,600 | 3B | $3,500 | IF/OF | $6,400 |
| 9 | Tyler Wade | LEFT | 0.220 | 0.240 | 0.085 | 21.2% | 7.8% | 27.5% | 48.5% | 2B | $2,200 | 2B | $3,200 | SS | $6,700 |
Stroman has dominated the Yankees when facing them in Toronto. While he is vulnerable to giving up RH power, I’m not going to go out of my way to roster Yankees bats against him in Toronto (it’d be different if it was in Yankee Stadium). Given the prices for the two bats that I have the most interest in – Judge and Stanton – it’s a nearly full fade for me although getting those two at low ownership does make for a nice contrarian play. That’s not easy for me to say, because I’m a lifelong Yankees fan. The one bat I do have interest in due to being elite at his position is Gary Sanchez. He’s affordably priced on both sites and is a secondary option.
Elite Plays – None
Secondary Plays – Gary Sanchez
Stackability – RED
Toronto
Projected Lineup (Splits vs. RH Pitching)
| # | Player | Bats | wOBA | xwOBA | ISO | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | FD Pos. | FD Sal. | DK Pos. | DK Sal. | FDRFT Pos. | FDRFT Sal. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Devon Travis | RIGHT | 0.282 | 0.315 | 0.156 | 32.8% | 1.9% | 19.1% | 37.1% | 2B | $2,400 | 2B | $3,300 | 2B | $6,400 |
| 2 | Josh Donaldson | RIGHT | 0.389 | 0.392 | 0.261 | 34.7% | 15.4% | 22.7% | 41.9% | 3B | $3,600 | 3B | $4,200 | 3B | $8,400 |
| 3 | Justin Smoak | SWITCH | 0.359 | 0.371 | 0.266 | 40.4% | 11.1% | 22.3% | 33.9% | 1B | $3,000 | 1B | $3,500 | 1B | $6,700 |
| 4 | Curtis Granderson | LEFT | 0.343 | 0.343 | 0.255 | 35.0% | 14.6% | 22.4% | 31.2% | OF | $2,100 | OF | $3,000 | CF | $5,700 |
| 5 | Yangervis Solarte | SWITCH | 0.335 | 0.316 | 0.192 | 32.0% | 7.3% | 12.4% | 39.1% | 2B | $2,500 | 2B/SS | $2,700 | 2B | $5,400 |
| 6 | Randal Grichuk | RIGHT | 0.327 | 0.326 | 0.248 | 40.1% | 5.4% | 31.0% | 37.3% | OF | $2,500 | OF | $3,200 | LF | $6,800 |
| 7 | Russell Martin | RIGHT | 0.339 | 0.347 | 0.178 | 29.3% | 13.3% | 21.4% | 51.9% | C | $2,000 | C | $3,100 | C | $5,600 |
| 8 | Kevin Pillar | RIGHT | 0.272 | 0.300 | 0.124 | 26.1% | 4.8% | 15.3% | 44.5% | OF | $2,400 | OF | $2,900 | CF | $5,800 |
| 9 | Aledmys Diaz | RIGHT | 0.297 | 0.303 | 0.152 | 24.0% | 2.9% | 13.4% | 46.9% | SS | $2,200 | SS | $3,000 | SS | $5,700 |
It’s not often that I’ll have little interest in a Yankees-Jays game but the Toronto lineup isn’t what it used to be and Sonny Gray typically isn’t going to allow massive games to happen against him. I like this side more then I do the Yankees side, however, and can see some appeal to doing a stack comprised utilizing the middle of their lineup. Josh Donaldson is battling a “dead arm” that limits his ability in the field, but I don’t think it’s necessarily a hindrance at the plate. Him, Justin Smoak, and Curtis Granderson are the three bats that have the most appeal to me. Granderson is dirt cheap for what it’s worth, making him an excellent one-off value option.
Elite Plays – None
Secondary Plays – Josh Donaldson, Justin Smoak, Curtis Granderson
Stackability – ORANGE
Boston at Tampa Bay – 1:10 PM ET
| Boston | Tampa Bay | ||||||||||||||
 | Hector Velazquez |  | Jake Faria | ||||||||||||
| RIGHT | ** | ||||||||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||||||||
| TB -102 | 8.0 | ||||||||||||||
| Stats | wOBA | xwOBA | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | Stats | wOBA | xwOBA | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left (2016-17) | 0.387 | 0.398 | 30.4% | 13.9% | 22.2% | 30.4% | SP vs. Left (2016-17) | 0.265 | 22.4% | 17.4% | 19.8% | 51.3% | |||
| SP vs. Right (2016-17) | 0.253 | 0.266 | 29.8% | 3.3% | 18.3% | 48.9% | SP vs. Right (2016-17) | 0.310 | 35.4% | 4.2% | 25.4% | 32.1% | |||
Pitcher Grind Down
| Hector Velazquez | |||||||||
 | FanDuel | DraftKings | FantasyDraft | ||||||
| Salary: | $5,500 | Salary: | $6,400 | Salary: | $13,000 | ||||
| Salary Rank: | 23 of 24 | Salary Rank: | 16 of 24 | Salary Rank: | 15 of 24 | ||||
| Stats | Starts | SIERA | ERA | K% | BB% | GB% | HC% | SC% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 3 | 4.32 | 2.92 | 19.8% | 7.3% | 42.9% | 30.0% | 11.4% | |
Hector Velazquez only threw 24 2/3 innings last season. He’s primarily spent his career in AAA leagues in Mexico. He did have his best season there last year with a 2.47 ERA, 8.22 K/9, 1.10 BB/9, and .55 HR/9 but his career numbers in the minors are much worse and as you’ll see he wasn’t all that impressive in his limited time last season in the bigs.
.387 wOBA vs L (.463 on Road) 2.35 HR/9 22.2% K 13.9% BB
.253 wOBA vs R (.326 on Road) 1.06 HR/9 18.3% K 3.3% BB
Quick Breakdown:
This one is easy. I don’t care how cheap he is. If he had a 25%+ K rate then maybe, but it’s only hovering around the 20% mark. Vegas has Tampa as one of the lowest projected team totals of the day, but I think that’s more a function of how bad their lineup is then how good they think Velazquez is. He doesn’t have the upside and probably won’t make it past the fifth inning without an outlier performance.
| Jake Faria | |||||||||
 | FanDuel | DraftKings | FantasyDraft | ||||||
| Salary: | $6,400 | Salary: | $7,500 | Salary: | $14,500 | ||||
| Salary Rank: | 15 of 24 | Salary Rank: | 12 of 24 | Salary Rank: | 12 of 24 | ||||
| Stats | Starts | SIERA | ERA | K% | BB% | GB% | HC% | SC% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 14 | 4.26 | 3.43 | 23.5% | 8.7% | 38.3% | 31.2% | 19.8% | |
Jacob Faria showed promising potential last season although he struggled a little towards the end of the season.
.265 wOBA vs L (.237 at home) .62 HR/9 19.8% K 17.4% BB
.310 wOBA vs R (.281 at home) 1.40 HR/9 25.4% K 4.2% BB
He’s much better at home then he is on the road, and gets that advantage today. He’s shown a bit of a reverse splits tendency thus far in his MLB career but he does have a promising K rate against RH bats.
Quick Breakdown:
It’s never fun targeting a SP facing the Red Sox as they have a very efficient lineup that doesn’t strike out. Only one player (J.D. Martinez) has a K rate higher than 24%. That said at the 15th highest priced pitcher on FanDuel and the 12th highest priced on DraftKings and facing a projected lineup that includes six RH bats, there’s enough upside for me to like Faria as a GPP option today.
Batter Grind Down
Boston
Projected Lineup (Splits vs. LH Pitching)
| # | Player | Bats | wOBA | xwOBA | ISO | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | FD Pos. | FD Sal. | DK Pos. | DK Sal. | FDRFT Pos. | FDRFT Sal. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mookie Betts | RIGHT | 0.327 | 0.359 | 0.190 | 36.1% | 9.6% | 11.9% | 39.7% | OF | $3,900 | OF | $4,700 | RF | $9,000 |
| 2 | Andrew Benintendi | LEFT | 0.344 | 0.349 | 0.178 | 36.6% | 9.9% | 16.9% | 37.7% | OF | $2,800 | OF | $4,100 | LF | $8,200 |
| 3 | Hanley Ramirez | RIGHT | 0.329 | 0.353 | 0.182 | 34.8% | 7.9% | 20.5% | 41.7% | 1B | $2,800 | 1B | $3,400 | 1B | $6,600 |
| 4 | J.D. Martinez | RIGHT | 0.402 | 0.397 | 0.351 | 47.1% | 9.8% | 26.9% | 42.1% | OF | $4,000 | OF | $4,400 | RF | $8,200 |
| 5 | Xander Bogaerts | RIGHT | 0.318 | 0.316 | 0.134 | 31.8% | 8.3% | 18.9% | 47.7% | SS | $3,700 | SS | $4,100 | SS | $8,500 |
| 6 | Rafael Devers | LEFT | 0.309 | 0.336 | 0.198 | 34.1% | 6.0% | 21.9% | 48.5% | 3B | $3,100 | 3B | $3,900 | 3B | $7,500 |
| 7 | Eduardo Nunez | RIGHT | 0.350 | 0.312 | 0.152 | 26.2% | 3.1% | 11.4% | 53.2% | 2B | $2,900 | 2B/SS | $3,700 | 3B | $7,700 |
| 8 | Jackie Bradley Jr. | LEFT | 0.305 | 0.310 | 0.167 | 35.2% | 8.6% | 23.8% | 44.2% | OF | $2,200 | OF | $3,300 | CF | $6,700 |
| 9 | Christian Vazquez | RIGHT | 0.318 | 0.292 | 0.104 | 26.5% | 5.2% | 19.4% | 47.0% | C | $2,100 | C | $2,800 | C | $5,400 |
If this game were in Boston, I’d have much more interest in the Red Sox bats. As it is, Tropicana is one of the worst environments for hitters on today’s slate and Faria is a more than adequate pitcher. J.D. Martinez is always interesting with his .351 ISO against RHP and giving up long balls to RHP is where Faria has struggled most. Other then that, the only other bats I have moderate interest in are Mookie Betts and Eduardo Nunez. If I were going to stack the Red Sox (which is viable given Faria is essentially not a proven commodity), I’d be inclined to add Hanley Ramirez and Andrew Benintendi into the mix.
Elite Plays – J.D. Martinez
Secondary Plays – Mookie Betts
Stackability – ORANGE
Tampa Bay
Projected Lineup (Splits vs. RH Pitching)
| # | Player | Bats | wOBA | xwOBA | ISO | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | FD Pos. | FD Sal. | DK Pos. | DK Sal. | FDRFT Pos. | FDRFT Sal. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denard Span | LEFT | 0.343 | 0.333 | 0.182 | 27.4% | 7.3% | 12.2% | 41.7% | OF | $2,400 | OF | $3,100 | CF | $5,900 |
| 2 | Matt Duffy | RIGHT | 3B | $2,300 | 3B | $3,200 | 3B | $6,700 | |||||||
| 3 | Kevin Kiermaier | LEFT | 0.358 | 0.304 | 0.213 | 35.5% | 8.4% | 22.1% | 43.0% | OF | $2,200 | OF | $3,300 | CF | $6,600 |
| 4 | Carlos Gomez | RIGHT | 0.362 | 0.352 | 0.236 | 41.9% | 8.3% | 29.0% | 38.7% | OF | $2,400 | OF | $3,200 | CF | $6,600 |
| 5 | Brad Miller | LEFT | 0.294 | 0.316 | 0.129 | 37.7% | 17.2% | 26.8% | 48.9% | 2B | $2,100 | 2B | $2,900 | 2B | $5,700 |
| 6 | Wilson Ramos | RIGHT | 0.295 | 0.297 | 0.200 | 32.5% | 3.8% | 17.6% | 50.4% | C | $2,000 | C | $2,700 | C | $5,500 |
| 7 | C.J. Cron | RIGHT | 0.311 | 0.311 | 0.162 | 34.2% | 5.7% | 24.6% | 32.6% | 1B | $2,100 | 1B | $2,900 | 1B | $5,900 |
| 8 | Adeiny Hechavarria | RIGHT | 0.288 | 0.296 | 0.129 | 35.5% | 3.1% | 19.3% | 50.3% | SS | $2,100 | SS | $2,600 | SS | $4,500 |
| 9 | Joey Wendle | LEFT | 0.382 | 0.361 | 0.308 | 40.0% | 7.1% | 21.4% | 50.0% | 2B | $2,000 | 2B | $2,800 | 2B | $5,500 |
While it’s a very small sample size, Velazquez was absolutely obliterated by LH bats last season to the tune of a .387 wOBA (even worse on the road at .463) with a 2.35 HR/9 rate. Needless to say, we are going to want to look hard at the LH bats in Tampa that have pop. The unfortunate part is there are only two that are projected that are viable. Denard Span as the likely leadoff hitter and Kevin Kiermaier somewhere in the middle of the lineup. Both are cheap around the industry with Kiermaier the better of the two options with a .358 wOBA and .213 ISO against RHP. I’d love to make a full on Rays stack as one of the top stacks of the day but the RH bats just lack what I need to do so. That said, you can put together a stack with the two LH bats, Carlos Gomez, and Matt Duffy and pretty much afford any other players you want so it’s certainly a worthwhile option. I think the Rays easily surpass their projected 4.02 run total.
Elite Plays – Kevin Kiermaier
Secondary Plays – Denard Span
Stackability – YELLOW
Chicago Cubs at Miami – 1:10 PM ET
| Chicago Cubs | Miami | ||||||||||||||
 | Jose Quintana |  | Dillon Peters | ||||||||||||
| LEFT | LEFT | ||||||||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||||||||
| CHC-185 | 8.0 | ||||||||||||||
| Stats | wOBA | xwOBA | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | Stats | wOBA | xwOBA | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left (2016-17) | 0.252 | 0.245 | 26.1% | 3.1% | 27.0% | 46.4% | SP vs. Left (2016-17) | 0.454 | 0.341 | 8.7% | 15.6% | 9.4% | 78.3% | ||
| SP vs. Right (2016-17) | 0.314 | 0.319 | 34.4% | 8.9% | 26.0% | 44.3% | SP vs. Right (2016-17) | 0.307 | 0.334 | 25.0% | 13.1% | 22.4% | 58.2% | ||
Pitcher Grind Down
| Jose Quintana | |||||||||
 | FanDuel | DraftKings | FantasyDraft | ||||||
| Salary: | $8,800 | Salary: | $11,700 | Salary: | $22,900 | ||||
| Salary Rank: | 1 of 24 | Salary Rank: | 1 of 24 | Salary Rank: | 1 of 24 | ||||
| Stats | Starts | SIERA | ERA | K% | BB% | GB% | HC% | SC% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 32 | 3.80 | 4.15 | 26.2% | 7.7% | 44.8% | 32.6% | 18.2% | |
Jose Quintana and the Cubs are the largest favorites of the day and he gets to pitch in the pitcher friendly confines of Marlins Park. Quintana improved over the 2nd half of last season with a .284 wOBA allowed after having a .315 wOBA in the 1st half.
.252 wOBA vs L (.216 on road) .22 HR/9 27.0% K 3.1% BB
.314 wOBA vs R (.291 on road) 1.35 HR/9 26.0% K 8.9% BB
Quintana is already an improved pitcher on the road and now he gets to face a woeful Marlins lineup in a park that doesn’t benefit hitters. He has top-notch strikeout upside against both sides of the player and is flat out dominant against lefties. He is a little vulnerable to RH power, but not enough so that we’re scared of using him.
Quick Breakdown:
Quintana should be your first option for cash games. He’ll likely be highly owned, and is the most expensive SP on both sites so there is merit to not using him in GPPs, especially if you want to get some of the pricier bats and stacks into your lineup. There’s more merit to that option on DraftKings where his price is a bit exorbitant at $11.7K.
| Dillon Peters | |||||||||
 | FanDuel | DraftKings | FantasyDraft | ||||||
| Salary: | $6,700 | Salary: | $4,900 | Salary: | $9,100 | ||||
| Salary Rank: | 13 of 24 | Salary Rank: | 22 of 24 | Salary Rank: | 21 of 24 | ||||
| Stats | Starts | SIERA | ERA | K% | BB% | GB% | HC% | SC% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 6 | 4.89 | 5.17 | 19.4% | 13.7% | 63.3% | 20.9% | 22.0% | |
Dillon Peters is a 25 year old southpaw who threw just over 30 innings at the major league level. From the scouting reports I read, he doesn’t have big time strikeout ability (89-92 MPH fastball), but does have a good curveball that is somewhat inconsistent.
.454 wOBA vs L 0 HR/9 9.4% K 15.6% BB
.307 wOBA vs R 1.04 HR/9 22.4% K 13.1% BB
While the sample size is small, it is worth noting that Peters was much better at home (.304 wOBA allowed) then on the road (.411 wOBA allowed).
Quick Breakdown:
this means no
Batter Grind Down
Chicago Cubs
Projected Lineup (Splits vs. LH Pitching)
| # | Player | Bats | wOBA | xwOBA | ISO | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | FD Pos. | FD Sal. | DK Pos. | DK Sal. | FDRFT Pos. | FDRFT Sal. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albert Almora | RIGHT | 0.386 | 0.363 | 0.144 | 28.4% | 10.4% | 13.6% | 46.2% | OF | $2,100 | OF | $3,200 | CF | $6,700 |
| 2 | Kris Bryant | RIGHT | 0.405 | 0.429 | 0.218 | 35.6% | 19.7% | 15.3% | 37.6% | 3B | $4,600 | 3B | $5,400 | IF/OF | $10,800 |
| 3 | Anthony Rizzo | LEFT | 0.373 | 0.378 | 0.247 | 34.1% | 10.1% | 14.0% | 43.5% | 1B | $4,500 | 1B | $5,300 | 1B | $10,100 |
| 4 | Willson Contreras | RIGHT | 0.386 | 0.409 | 0.243 | 34.1% | 15.0% | 18.0% | 52.9% | C | $3,400 | C | $4,500 | IF/OF | $9,000 |
| 5 | Kyle Schwarber | LEFT | 0.290 | 0.285 | 0.171 | 27.1% | 16.3% | 34.7% | 36.2% | OF | $3,700 | OF | $4,600 | IF/OF | $8,900 |
| 6 | Addison Russell | RIGHT | 0.346 | 0.364 | 0.184 | 30.7% | 12.7% | 24.5% | 43.5% | SS | $3,300 | SS | $4,200 | SS | $8,400 |
| 7 | Ben Zobrist | SWITCH | 0.242 | 0.285 | 0.113 | 29.4% | 9.9% | 14.0% | 52.8% | 2B | $2,300 | 2B/OF | $3,400 | IF/OF | $6,900 |
| 8 | Javier Baez | RIGHT | 0.378 | 0.345 | 0.266 | 39.6% | 6.0% | 25.6% | 44.0% | 2B | $3,200 | 2B | $4,200 | 2B | $8,300 |
| 9 | Jose Quintana | LEFT | 0.175 | 0.149 | 0.000 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 50.0% | 50.0% | P | $8,800 | P | $11,700 | P | $22,900 |
Despite facing the inexperienced and ineffective Peters, the Cubs only have the 7th highest run total of the slate. That’s more because of where they are playing then who they are playing and while I wouldn’t go crazy on exposure to Cubs bats, there are definitely bats and stacks we will want to target. While Peters does have an astronomical wOBA allowed to LH bats, he is a southpaw and did not allow a home run so I will strike that wOBA up more to short-term variance. I am more interested in the power RH bats of the Cubs and that leads me to three players. Albert Almora doesn’t have a lot of pop with a .144 ISO, but if he’s leading off for $2,100 on FanDuel and $3,200 on DraftKings, I am more than interested. I’d follow that up with Kris Bryant and Willson Contreras and if I’m going to stack the team, you’d be remiss to not include Anthony Rizzo who hits lefties very well. The one problem with stacking this team is their price. If you do so, you’re going to have to find value elsewhere.
Elite Plays – Albert Almora, Kris Bryant
Secondary Plays – Willson Contreras
Stackability – GREEN
Miami
Projected Lineup (Splits vs. LH Pitching)
| # | Player | Bats | wOBA | xwOBA | ISO | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | FD Pos. | FD Sal. | DK Pos. | DK Sal. | FDRFT Pos. | FDRFT Sal. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Brinson | RIGHT | 0.384 | 0.494 | 0.400 | 40.0% | 16.7% | 27.8% | 50.0% | OF | $2,400 | OF | $3,200 | CF | $6,800 |
| 2 | Derek Dietrich | LEFT | 0.362 | 0.369 | 0.107 | 21.1% | 6.9% | 20.7% | 43.9% | OF | $2,600 | 2B/OF | $3,400 | 3B | $6,300 |
| 3 | Starlin Castro | RIGHT | 0.358 | 0.323 | 0.142 | 31.3% | 7.8% | 20.0% | 50.6% | 2B | $3,200 | 2B | $4,300 | 2B | $8,500 |
| 4 | Justin Bour | LEFT | 0.342 | 0.295 | 0.230 | 25.4% | 10.2% | 29.6% | 55.9% | 1B | $2,600 | 1B | $3,200 | 1B | $6,300 |
| 5 | Brian Anderson | RIGHT | 0.240 | 0.346 | 0.034 | 26.3% | 3.3% | 33.3% | 36.8% | 3B | $2,400 | 3B | $2,800 | 3B | $5,900 |
| 6 | Scott Van Slyke | RIGHT | 0.234 | 0.304 | 0.138 | 50.0% | 14.7% | 32.4% | 33.3% | OF | $2,000 | 1B/OF | $2,100 | IF/OF | $4,200 |
| 7 | Miguel Rojas | RIGHT | 0.306 | 0.325 | 0.122 | 23.9% | 9.5% | 9.5% | 37.9% | SS | $2,400 | 2B/SS | $2,900 | 2B | $5,800 |
| 8 | Chad Wallach | RIGHT | 0.000 | 0.292 | 0.000 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 50.0% | 0.0% | C | $2,000 | C | $2,200 | C | $3,900 |
| 9 | Dillon Peters | LEFT | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% | P | $6,700 | P | $4,900 | P | $9,100 |
Lewis Brinson as a one-off at the top of the order is the only bat I have interest in facing Jose Quintana. And that’s mainly because of his price and the fact that his ownership will be low. He has also hit lefties very well over his short major league career.
Elite Plays – None
Secondary Plays – Lewis Brinson
Stackability – RED
Pittsburgh at Detroit – 1:10 PM ET
| Pittsburgh | Detroit | ||||||||||||||
 | Trevor Williams |  | Michael Fulmer | ||||||||||||
| RIGHT | RIGHT | ||||||||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||||||||
| DET-110 | 8.5 | ||||||||||||||
| Stats | wOBA | xwOBA | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | Stats | wOBA | xwOBA | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left (2016-17) | 0.322 | 0.293 | 23.6% | 7.1% | 16.9% | 47.6% | SP vs. Left (2016-17) | 0.292 | 0.310 | 35.0% | 5.7% | 18.1% | 44.6% | ||
| SP vs. Right (2016-17) | 0.297 | 0.331 | 34.4% | 9.0% | 19.5% | 48.4% | SP vs. Right (2016-17) | 0.268 | 0.301 | 25.6% | 6.1% | 15.8% | 53.1% | ||
Pitcher Grind Down
| Trevor Williams | |||||||||
 | FanDuel | DraftKings | FantasyDraft | ||||||
| Salary: | $5,800 | Salary: | $5,200 | Salary: | $10,500 | ||||
| Salary Rank: | 19 of 24 | Salary Rank: | 21 of 24 | Salary Rank: | 19 of 24 | ||||
| Stats | Starts | SIERA | ERA | K% | BB% | GB% | HC% | SC% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 25 | 4.63 | 4.07 | 18.2% | 8.1% | 48.0% | 28.9% | 21.8% | |
Trevor Williams to put it simply is meh. He’s like a worse version of the previously mentioned Marcus Stroman and Sonny Gray.
.322 wOBA vs L .64 HR/9 16.9% K 7.1% BB
.297 wOBA vs R (.354 on road) 1.01 HR/9 19.5% K 9.0% BB
We do see that he is significantly worse against RH bats on the road, so that’s something to consider when looking at opposing bats.
Quick Breakdown:
With a K rate that doesn’t top 20% on the road, there’s no reason to roster Williams in any format.
| Michael Fulmer | |||||||||
 | FanDuel | DraftKings | FantasyDraft | ||||||
| Salary: | $8,400 | Salary: | $7,800 | Salary: | $15,300 | ||||
| Salary Rank: | 4 of 24 | Salary Rank: | 10 of 24 | Salary Rank: | 10 of 24 | ||||
| Stats | Starts | SIERA | ERA | K% | BB% | GB% | HC% | SC% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 25 | 4.48 | 3.83 | 16.9% | 5.9% | 49.2% | 30.0% | 18.1% | |
Speaking of meh. Michael Fulmer looks good on the surface when you look at his wOBA allowed numbers with both sides of the plate coming in at under .300.
.292 wOBA vs L (.263 at home) .61 HR/9 18.1% K 5.7% BB
.269 wOBA vs R (.259 at home) .80 HR/9 15.8% K 6.1% BB
While Fulmer might be a good real life pitcher in terms of how he does for his team and winning ball games, he isn’t one for DFS as he doesn’t strike batters out nearly often enough (as exhibited by his paltry K rate).
Quick Breakdown:
Fullmer is better at home, but it’s not enough to warrant utilizing him in a DFS roster, especially on FanDuel where he is the 4th most expensive pitcher on the slate.
Batter Grind Down
Pittsburgh
Projected Lineup (Splits vs. RH Pitching)
| # | Player | Bats | wOBA | xwOBA | ISO | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | FD Pos. | FD Sal. | DK Pos. | DK Sal. | FDRFT Pos. | FDRFT Sal. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josh Harrison | RIGHT | 0.322 | 0.323 | 0.150 | 32.9% | 4.3% | 16.7% | 34.5% | 2B | $3,100 | 2B | $3,800 | 2B | $8,100 |
| 2 | Jordy Mercer | RIGHT | 0.308 | 0.317 | 0.150 | 27.9% | 9.2% | 15.6% | 48.3% | SS | $2,600 | SS | $3,100 | SS | $5,800 |
| 3 | Gregory Polanco | LEFT | 0.309 | 0.311 | 0.160 | 27.9% | 7.0% | 12.1% | 39.8% | OF | $2,600 | OF | $4,600 | RF | $9,300 |
| 4 | Josh Bell | SWITCH | 0.343 | 0.340 | 0.211 | 32.5% | 11.5% | 19.8% | 51.7% | 1B | $3,000 | 1B | $4,400 | IF/OF | $8,200 |
| 5 | Starling Marte | RIGHT | 0.350 | 0.328 | 0.128 | 25.8% | 6.2% | 18.1% | 48.4% | OF | $3,600 | OF | $4,800 | CF | $9,400 |
| 6 | Corey Dickerson | LEFT | 0.339 | 0.338 | 0.220 | 34.9% | 6.3% | 23.5% | 39.2% | OF | $2,700 | OF | $3,900 | LF | $7,800 |
| 7 | David Freese | RIGHT | 0.314 | 0.323 | 0.107 | 31.3% | 10.2% | 23.8% | 56.7% | 3B | $2,400 | 1B/3B | $3,000 | 3B | $5,800 |
| 8 | Elias Diaz | RIGHT | 0.245 | 0.280 | 0.085 | 23.9% | 6.5% | 19.6% | 51.3% | C | $2,000 | C | $2,400 | C | $4,600 |
| 9 | Adam Frazier | LEFT | 0.325 | 0.332 | 0.140 | 29.1% | 8.4% | 11.8% | 47.1% | OF | $2,200 | 2B/OF | $3,600 | IF/OF | $7,300 |
While I don’t like Michael Fulmer from a DFS perspective, I certainly do not want to be targeting him with opposing bats. Especially when he is pitching at home. This is a full fade for me.
Elite Plays – None
Secondary Plays – None
Stackability – RED
Detroit
Projected Lineup (Splits vs. RH Pitching)
| # | Player | Bats | wOBA | xwOBA | ISO | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | FD Pos. | FD Sal. | DK Pos. | DK Sal. | FDRFT Pos. | FDRFT Sal. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leonys Martin | LEFT | 0.195 | 0.238 | 0.075 | 25.0% | 5.3% | 27.2% | 42.3% | OF | $2,500 | OF | $3,400 | CF | $6,700 |
| 2 | Jeimer Candelario | SWITCH | 0.331 | 0.328 | 0.135 | 27.5% | 10.3% | 20.5% | 46.3% | 3B | $2,900 | 3B | $3,800 | 3B | $7,600 |
| 3 | Miguel Cabrera | RIGHT | 0.290 | 0.343 | 0.144 | 41.6% | 8.7% | 20.2% | 40.6% | 1B | $3,800 | 1B | $4,300 | 1B | $8,000 |
| 4 | Nick Castellanos | RIGHT | 0.328 | 0.349 | 0.193 | 42.7% | 6.2% | 22.9% | 35.5% | OF | $3,800 | OF | $4,100 | 3B | $8,400 |
| 5 | Victor Martinez | SWITCH | 0.311 | 0.333 | 0.134 | 43.0% | 8.7% | 14.7% | 38.4% | C | $2,600 | 1B | $3,500 | 1B | $6,900 |
| 6 | James McCann | RIGHT | 0.284 | 0.302 | 0.121 | 38.0% | 5.8% | 26.5% | 38.2% | C | $2,200 | C | $3,500 | C | $6,500 |
| 7 | Mikie Mahtook | RIGHT | 0.336 | 0.331 | 0.161 | 35.6% | 6.7% | 21.7% | 48.9% | OF | $2,100 | OF | $3,200 | CF | $6,500 |
| 8 | Jose Iglesias | RIGHT | 0.284 | 0.291 | 0.120 | 28.7% | 4.4% | 14.7% | 52.3% | SS | $2,600 | SS | $3,100 | SS | $5,500 |
| 9 | Dixon Machado | RIGHT | 0.304 | 0.258 | 0.084 | 32.6% | 4.8% | 19.0% | 59.6% | 2B | $2,200 | 2B/SS | $3,200 | SS | $6,800 |
As I mentioned previously, Williams has struggled on the road to RH bats and does give up over 1 HR/9 to that side of the plate, so I’ll have some moderate interest in RH pop from the Tigers. The first name I always think of when I say that is Miguel Cabrera, but he’s coming off a disappointing 2017 season that saw him post a .290 wOBA and .144 ISO to RHP. I think he makes for a nice contrarian option though as part of a under-owned and probably overlooked Tigers stack. There are no truly elite plays in the Tigers lineup, but more than likely there will be one or two who have a big day. The most likely candidates are Nick Castellanos, Victor Martinez, or Mikie Mahtook.