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MLB Grind Down: Wednesday, April 4th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2018-04-05 01:45:07

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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

Washington at Atlanta – 12:10 PM ET

Washington Atlanta
washingtonmlb Max Scherzer atlantamlb Mike Foltynewicz
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
WAS-175 8.0
Stats wOBA xwOBA HC% BB% K% GB% Stats wOBA xwOBA HC% BB% K% GB%
SP vs. Left (2016-17) 0.299 0.286 26.8% 9.1% 26.2% 32.8% SP vs. Left (2016-17) 0.375 0.352 33.1% 9.9% 18.9% 31.9%
SP vs. Right (2016-17) 0.188 0.191 26.0% 4.7% 43.9% 41.9% SP vs. Right (2016-17) 0.311 0.306 23.5% 7.2% 22.3% 46.8%

Pitcher Grind Down

Max Scherzer
max-scherzer-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings FantasyDraft
Salary: $11,400 Salary: Salary: $24,800
Salary Rank: 1 of 26 Salary Rank: of 26 Salary Rank: 1 of 26
Stats Starts SIERA ERA K% BB% GB% HC% SC%
2017 31 2.98 2.51 34.4% 7.1% 36.5% 26.5% 19.5%

There are 13 games on the schedule tonight, but two of them aren’t included in the early or main slates. FanDuel and DraftKings both have a six-game early slate and a five-game main slate, which leaves the WAS/ATL and MIN/PIT games off the list. Scherzer had another outstanding season in 2017, posting a 2.98 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 34%. He doesn’t appear to be slowing down even at the ripe old age of 33. He’s not my favorite pitcher of the all-day slate, but he deserves consideration every time he takes the mound.

Quick Breakdown: Scherzer is viable in all formats, although there are a couple of pitchers I prefer over him in the all-day slate.

Mike Foltynewicz
michael-foltynewicz-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings FantasyDraft
Salary: $6,000 Salary: Salary: $13,100
Salary Rank: 23 of 26 Salary Rank: of 26 Salary Rank: 13 of 26
Stats Starts SIERA ERA K% BB% GB% HC% SC%
2017 28 4.57 4.79 20.7% 8.5% 39.4% 28.1% 15.8%

Foltynewicz (lightning bolt) struck out seven batters in five innings of work in his season debut against the Phillies. He’s always had good velocity, but hasn’t been able to turn it into an elite strikeout rate. His matchup against the Nationals is a difficult one. Washington has power on both sides of the plate and they tend to draw a lot of walks at the top of the lineup, which creates early scoring opportunities. There are better options in the all-day slate.

Quick Breakdown: Foltynewicz is an easy fade in all formats.

Batter Grind Down

Washington

The Nationals draw a mediocre matchup against Mike Foltynewicz, but it’s aided by the fact that he struggles against left-handed hitters and that this ballpark was basically built for left-handed power. In 2017, he allowed a .352 xwOBA to batters from the left side of the plate. Bryce Harper had another big game last night and is an elite play once again. Adam Eaton has been quiet, but is certainly viable if you want to burn one of your outfielder spots early.

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 Adam Eaton LEFT 0.435 0.353 0.207 31.0% 13.7% 15.7% 50.0% OF $3,900 CF $8,700
2 Anthony Rendon RIGHT 0.376 0.354 0.200 33.1% 13.1% 14.3% 34.9% 3B $3,800 3B $8,000
3 Bryce Harper LEFT 0.439 0.422 0.327 34.8% 16.2% 17.0% 37.7% OF $5,000 RF $9,900
4 Matt Adams LEFT 0.369 0.353 0.265 39.2% 7.1% 24.2% 36.3% 1B $2,800 1B $6,700
5 Trea Turner RIGHT 0.358 0.322 0.200 27.8% 6.8% 17.8% 51.5% SS $4,200 IF/OF $9,500
6 Michael Taylor RIGHT 0.330 0.288 0.217 34.5% 7.0% 32.3% 41.2% OF $2,800 CF $6,800
7 Wilmer Difo SWITCH 0.273 0.270 0.069 20.7% 6.9% 20.7% 53.4% 2B $2,600 2B $5,600
8 Pedro Severino RIGHT 0.160 0.157 0.045 14.3% 8.3% 33.3% 42.9% C $2,300 C $4,900
9 Max Scherzer RIGHT 0.187 0.200 0.000 16.7% 6.5% 16.1% 66.7% P $11,400 P $24,800

Elite Plays – Bryce Harper

Secondary Plays – Adam Eaton, Matt Adams

Stackability – YELLOW

Atlanta

The Braves draw one of the worst matchups of the slate. For the second time this season, we’ve called a Freddie Freeman home run here in the Grind Down. While it wouldn’t surprise me to see another solo shot from Freeman today, we shouldn’t go out of our way to target hitters against elite pitchers.

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 Ender Inciarte LEFT 0.332 0.287 0.114 24.1% 6.2% 13.6% 43.1% OF $3,200 CF $6,900
2 Ozzie Albies SWITCH 0.314 0.300 0.161 29.3% 7.0% 16.1% 39.9% 2B $2,900 2B $7,700
3 Freddie Freeman LEFT 0.422 0.424 0.290 39.0% 15.1% 16.4% 33.2% 1B $4,100 1B $8,900
4 Nick Markakis LEFT 0.328 0.341 0.108 35.3% 11.5% 16.3% 47.4% OF $2,800 RF $6,400
5 Preston Tucker LEFT 0.482 0.320 0.100 14.3% 0.0% 30.0% 28.6% OF $2,200 LF $4,800
6 Charlie Culberson RIGHT 0.352 0.316 0.000 20.0% 18.2% 27.3% 60.0% SS $2,000 SS $4,900
7 Ryan Flaherty LEFT 0.369 0.312 0.095 17.7% 8.5% 17.0% 57.6% 3B $2,600 2B $5,900
8 Carlos Perez RIGHT 0.187 0.197 0.167 33.3% 5.3% 31.6% 45.5% C $2,000 C $3,900
9 Mike Foltynewicz RIGHT 0.047 0.107 0.000 9.5% 0.0% 51.2% 46.2% P $6,000 P $13,100

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – None

Stackability – RED

Tampa Bay at NY Yankees – 1:05 PM ET

Tampa Bay NY Yankees
tampabaymlb Blake Snell nyyankeesmlb Luis Severino
LEFT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
NYY-230 8.0
Stats wOBA xwOBA HC% BB% K% GB% Stats wOBA xwOBA HC% BB% K% GB%
SP vs. Left (2016-17) 0.228 0.255 28.6% 10.7% 24.0% 44.9% SP vs. Left (2016-17) 0.287 0.297 32.7% 7.2% 29.0% 46.0%
SP vs. Right (2016-17) 0.320 0.310 33.5% 10.8% 21.4% 43.7% SP vs. Right (2016-17) 0.243 0.237 24.9% 5.9% 29.7% 54.5%

Pitcher Grind Down

Blake Snell
blake-snell-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings FantasyDraft
Salary: $6,300 Salary: $6,300 Salary:
Salary Rank: 21 of 26 Salary Rank: 17 of 26 Salary Rank:
Stats Starts SIERA ERA K% BB% GB% HC% SC%
2017 24 4.72 4.04 21.8% 10.8% 43.9% 33.2% 18.8%

Snell pitched well against the Red Sox in terms of run production, but he only struck out three batters in nearly six innings of work. Granted, it was against a low-strikeout lineup, but we need more strikeouts in DFS from our starting pitchers. Snell is an easy fade today against the Yankees, who will end up being one of the best offenses in baseball against left-handed pitching. The trio of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gary Sanchez makes targeting any lefty against the Yankees risky.

Quick Breakdown: Avoid Snell in all formats.

Luis Severino
luis-severino-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings FantasyDraft
Salary: $10,600 Salary: $11,300 Salary:
Salary Rank: 4 of 26 Salary Rank: 2 of 26 Salary Rank:
Stats Starts SIERA ERA K% BB% GB% HC% SC%
2017 31 3.25 2.98 29.4% 6.5% 50.6% 28.5% 19.4%

Severino picked up right where he left off last season. He pitched well in his first outing of the year, striking out seven batters in a win over the Blue Jays. We can go right back to the well today, as he squares off against the Rays at home. Tampa Bay has one of the worst offenses in baseball. Their projected lineup has an average xwOBA of .291 and an average strikeout rate of 19% against right-handed pitching.

Quick Breakdown: There are some solid pitching options in the early slate, but Severino is an elite play in all formats. I narrowly prefer him over Corey Kluber and Noah Syndergaard.

Batter Grind Down

Tampa Bay

The Rays draw a difficult matchup against Luis Severino. In addition to his elite strikeout rate, he held both left and right-handed hitters under a .300 xwOBA last season. Even if this was a favorable matchup for Tampa Bay, is there anyone that we would feel great about targeting in this lineup?

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 0.346 0.332 0.184 27.3% 7.6% 12.2% 41.7% OF $2,300 OF $3,100 N/A N/A
2 Kevin Kiermaier LEFT 0.354 0.295 0.210 35.5% 8.6% 22.0% 42.9% OF $2,000 OF $3,100 N/A N/A
3 C.J. Cron RIGHT 0.309 0.327 0.161 34.0% 5.7% 24.8% 32.4% 1B $2,100 1B $2,900 N/A N/A
4 Brad Miller LEFT 0.293 0.322 0.127 37.5% 17.3% 27.0% 48.6% 2B $2,400 2B $2,900 N/A N/A
5 Wilson Ramos RIGHT 0.291 0.319 0.197 32.3% 3.7% 18.0% 50.8% C $2,000 C $2,800 N/A N/A
6 Joey Wendle LEFT 0.261 0.265 0.222 35.7% 5.0% 25.0% 42.9% 2B $2,200 2B $2,700 N/A N/A
7 Adeiny Hechavarria RIGHT 0.284 0.290 0.125 35.6% 3.0% 19.5% 50.0% SS $2,000 SS $2,400 N/A N/A
8 Mallex Smith LEFT 0.309 0.256 0.092 20.8% 9.5% 19.3% 50.0% OF $2,000 OF $2,900 N/A N/A
9 Daniel Robertson RIGHT 0.284 0.304 0.105 31.1% 10.7% 27.7% 51.0% 2B $2,000 2B/SS $2,700 LF $4,900

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – None

Stackability – RED

NY Yankees

This matchup doesn’t bode well for Blake Snell. He’s at his best when he attacks the strike zone early in the count. That’s tough to do against the Yankees, who have one of the best lineups in baseball. If Snell doesn’t have his best command, it will lead to a lot of walks and potentially a lot of runners on base. If we know anything about the Yankees, it’s that they can score runs with the long ball. The monster trio of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gary Sanchez are all elite plays. You can complete the stack with a couple of value bats in this lineup.

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 Brett Gardner LEFT 0.263 0.298 0.079 20.0% 8.7% 16.3% 49.6% OF $2,800 OF $4,100 N/A N/A
2 Aaron Judge RIGHT 0.401 0.457 0.270 47.0% 25.9% 31.0% 33.3% OF $4,100 OF $5,200 N/A N/A
3 Giancarlo Stanton RIGHT 0.487 0.476 0.457 43.4% 17.7% 14.6% 44.3% OF $4,700 OF $5,400 N/A N/A
4 Gary Sanchez RIGHT 0.363 0.380 0.261 37.8% 11.2% 23.2% 40.2% C $3,400 C $4,800 N/A N/A
5 Didi Gregorius LEFT 0.282 0.263 0.089 14.4% 4.4% 14.6% 34.7% SS $3,700 SS $4,500 N/A N/A
6 Brandon Drury RIGHT 0.314 0.316 0.162 30.7% 3.5% 24.6% 48.5% 3B $3,200 3B $3,600 N/A N/A
7 Tyler Austin RIGHT 0.399 0.488 0.375 50.0% 10.0% 30.0% 33.3% 1B $2,800 1B $3,400 N/A N/A
8 Austin Romine RIGHT 0.218 0.300 0.143 42.9% 8.2% 23.0% 42.9% C $2,000 C $2,500 N/A N/A
9 Ronald Torreyes RIGHT 0.322 0.229 0.041 15.2% 5.0% 12.5% 65.2% 2B $2,000 2B/SS $2,700 N/A N/A

Elite Plays – Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez

Secondary Plays – Brett Gardner, Didi Gregorius, Brandon Drury, Tyler Austin

Stackability – YELLOW / GREEN

Philadelphia at NY Mets – 1:10 PM ET

Philadelphia NY Mets
philadelphiamlb Aaron Nola nymetsmlb Noah Syndergaard
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
NYM-150 7.0
Stats wOBA xwOBA HC% BB% K% GB% Stats wOBA xwOBA HC% BB% K% GB%
SP vs. Left (2016-17) 0.318 0.293 32.3% 9.3% 22.8% 46.7% SP vs. Left (2016-17) 0.206 0.253 37.8% 3.2% 36.5% 40.5%
SP vs. Right (2016-17) 0.270 0.255 27.2% 5.0% 30.0% 52.8% SP vs. Right (2016-17) 0.286 0.263 24.5% 1.6% 18.0% 70.8%

Pitcher Grind Down

Aaron Nola
aaron-nola-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings FantasyDraft
Salary: $8,500 Salary: $8,500 Salary: $18,000
Salary Rank: 7 of 26 Salary Rank: 9 of 26 Salary Rank: 7 of 26
Stats Starts SIERA ERA K% BB% GB% HC% SC%
2017 27 3.60 3.54 26.6% 7.1% 49.8% 29.7% 21.6%

Nola was one of my favorite pitchers to target last season. He had elite numbers, yet he wasn’t priced like an ace or owned like an ace. I really hope that trend continues in 2018 because he was a sharp play all year in 2017. He checks into today’s game as an underdog against the road, which should help keep his ownership down. I don’t mind a matchup against the Mets, especially in this ballpark. Last season, Nola finished with a 3.60 SIERA and a strikeout rate of 27%. He keeps the ball on the ground and he limits hard contact.

Quick Breakdown: Nola is an elite SP1 in tournaments and an elite SP2 in cash games.

Noah Syndergaard
noah-syndergaard-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings FantasyDraft
Salary: $10,800 Salary: $11,600 Salary: $22,900
Salary Rank: 3 of 26 Salary Rank: 1 of 26 Salary Rank: 2 of 26
Stats Starts SIERA ERA K% BB% GB% HC% SC%
2017 7 2.74 2.97 27.4% 2.4% 57.6% 30.2% 16.3%

Syndergaard is also an excellent option in the early slate. He has as much raw skill as any pitcher in baseball, he just needs to stay healthy to prove it. Even through an injury-plagued 2017 season where he only made seven starts, he posted a 2.74 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 27%. He rarely walks batters and has an elite ground ball rate to boot. The only knock on him so far has been in inability to hold runners on base, but that’s not a concern if you don’t let anyone on in the first place. He should have no problem with a Phillies’ lineup that is loaded with strikeout potential.

Quick Breakdown: Syndergaard is an elite play in all formats, but I have him ranked just behind Luis Severino as my favorite pitcher on the board.

Batter Grind Down

Philadelphia

The Phillies are an easy fade in all formats. They are playing on the road in a pitcher-friendly ballpark and they are facing one of the best pitchers in baseball. In addition to his elite strikeout and ground ball rates, Noah Syndergaard held both left and right-handed hitters under a .265 xwOBA last season.

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 Cesar Hernandez SWITCH 0.348 0.303 0.113 20.5% 10.9% 21.1% 50.2% 2B $2,800 2B $3,600 2B $7,300
2 Carlos Santana SWITCH 0.359 0.387 0.219 36.6% 13.3% 17.1% 32.9% 1B $3,500 1B $4,100 1B $8,200
3 Nick Williams LEFT 0.348 0.328 0.200 37.4% 5.9% 28.1% 45.8% OF $2,000 OF $3,200 LF $6,000
4 Rhys Hoskins RIGHT 0.438 0.390 0.345 42.3% 13.9% 21.7% 27.9% OF $3,800 OF $4,300 1B $9,200
5 Aaron Altherr RIGHT 0.355 0.319 0.226 35.6% 6.6% 28.8% 41.0% OF $2,500 OF $3,200 LF $6,800
6 Maikel Franco RIGHT 0.296 0.307 0.178 29.7% 6.4% 15.6% 43.7% 3B $2,300 3B $3,000 3B $5,900
7 Andrew Knapp SWITCH 0.330 0.318 0.114 37.9% 16.0% 27.8% 57.9% C $2,000 C $2,600 C $4,600
8 J.P. Crawford LEFT 0.318 0.293 0.089 14.0% 15.9% 20.3% 32.6% SS $2,000 SS $3,100 SS $6,500
9 Aaron Nola RIGHT 0.127 0.133 0.000 0.0% 10.2% 51.0% 82.4% P $8,500 P $8,500 P $18,000

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – None

Stackability – RED

NY Mets

The Mets have a decent lineup against right-handed pitching. Four of their first six batters can hit from the left side and the first seven batters all have a .325+ xwOBA against righties. The issue is obviously their matchup against Aaron Nola. In 2017, he held both left and right-handed hitters under a .295 xwOBA and he had a 22%+ strikeout rate against both. I don’t mind Jay Bruce as a one-off in tournaments, but most of my exposure to this game will come from the two starting pitchers.

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 Brandon Nimmo LEFT 0.384 0.390 0.188 38.4% 16.4% 24.0% 43.4% OF $2,900 OF $3,300 LF $6,600
2 Yoenis Cespedes RIGHT 0.377 0.350 0.227 40.5% 7.9% 17.8% 36.5% OF $3,500 OF $4,600 LF $9,400
3 Jay Bruce LEFT 0.366 0.380 0.270 43.1% 10.3% 21.2% 32.4% OF $3,100 OF $4,000 RF $7,200
4 Todd Frazier RIGHT 0.326 0.340 0.173 30.2% 14.6% 21.7% 37.9% 3B $2,800 3B $3,800 3B $7,300
5 Asdrubal Cabrera SWITCH 0.314 0.329 0.167 36.6% 10.0% 16.3% 41.0% 2B $2,600 2B $3,300 SS $6,700
6 Adrian Gonzalez LEFT 0.301 0.327 0.136 36.0% 7.1% 16.1% 34.8% 1B $2,300 1B $3,200 1B $6,800
7 Kevin Plawecki RIGHT 0.361 0.362 0.195 35.8% 11.2% 12.4% 50.7% C $2,600 C $2,900 C $5,600
8 Noah Syndergaard RIGHT 0.295 0.286 0.000 60.0% 21.4% 42.9% 50.0% P $10,800 P $11,600 P $22,900
9 Amed Rosario RIGHT 0.266 0.230 0.119 22.8% 2.1% 30.7% 51.1% SS $2,600 SS $3,100 SS $5,800

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Jay Bruce (GPP)

Stackability – RED

Baltimore at Houston – 2:10 PM ET

Baltimore Houston
baltimoremlb Dylan Bundy houstonmlb Dallas Keuchel
RIGHT LEFT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
HOU-200 8.5
Stats wOBA xwOBA HC% BB% K% GB% Stats wOBA xwOBA HC% BB% K% GB%
SP vs. Left (2016-17) 0.328 0.335 39.9% 7.8% 16.8% 30.3% SP vs. Left (2016-17) 0.192 0.219 18.9% 4.3% 30.8% 72.9%
SP vs. Right (2016-17) 0.290 0.292 32.9% 6.9% 26.3% 35.4% SP vs. Right (2016-17) 0.293 0.299 26.0% 9.0% 19.1% 65.6%

Pitcher Grind Down

Dylan Bundy
dylan-bundy-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings FantasyDraft
Salary: $7,700 Salary: $6,700 Salary: $13,700
Salary Rank: 13 of 26 Salary Rank: 15 of 26 Salary Rank: 9 of 26
Stats Starts SIERA ERA K% BB% GB% HC% SC%
2017 28 4.45 4.24 21.8% 7.3% 32.8% 36.5% 17.6%

Bundy pitched well in his season opener, striking out seven batters in seven innings of work against the Twins. He’s going to be a boom or bust pitching option all season. While the strikeout rate is high, so are his fly ball and hard contact rates. That’s typically not a recipe for success against the Astros. In fact, I’m not sure that there is a recipe for success against this offense. Bundy is a massive underdog on the road, which makes him an easy fade.

Quick Breakdown: Avoid Bundy in all formats.

Dallas Keuchel
dallas-keuchel-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings FantasyDraft
Salary: $8,800 Salary: $10,500 Salary: $22,900
Salary Rank: 6 of 26 Salary Rank: 4 of 26 Salary Rank: 2 of 26
Stats Starts SIERA ERA K% BB% GB% HC% SC%
2017 23 3.61 2.90 21.4% 8.1% 66.8% 24.7% 25.4%

Keuchel was a fade for me in his season opener because he was overpriced and pitching on the road. He has more fantasy appeal this time around, as he draws a better strikeout matchup and is pitching at home. Keuchel is elite when it comes to his ground ball, hard contact, and soft contact rates. His strikeout rate is mediocre, but we’ve seen him flash plenty of upside throughout his career. This is a good spot to hop on board, as the projected lineup for the Orioles has an average strikeout rate of 22% against left-handed pitching.

Quick Breakdown: Keuchel is an elite play in all formats, although I prefer Luis Severino and Noah Syndergaard if we take price out of the equation.

Batter Grind Down

Baltimore

There are a lot of bad matchups in the early slate, which really narrows down our hitter player pool. The Orioles are yet another offense that I will have little or no exposure to. In addition to his elite ground ball and hard contact rates, Dallas Keuchel held both left and right-handed hitters under a .300 xwOBA last season. Jonathan Schoop is the one batter that I don’t mind as a one-off. After being a reverse-splits hitter for his entire career, he posted a .378 xwOBA and a .293 ISO against southpaws last season.

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 Chris Davis LEFT 0.271 0.306 0.116 32.9% 9.6% 39.8% 34.1% 1B $2,200 1B $3,100 IF/OF $7,200
2 Manny Machado RIGHT 0.345 0.370 0.244 45.0% 6.5% 16.0% 40.3% SS $3,600 3B/SS $4,100 3B $9,400
3 Jonathan Schoop RIGHT 0.397 0.378 0.293 39.6% 8.4% 24.1% 42.3% 2B $2,600 2B $3,300 2B $6,300
4 Adam Jones RIGHT 0.317 0.321 0.158 33.3% 6.9% 18.8% 44.0% OF $2,700 OF $3,700 CF $7,200
5 Trey Mancini RIGHT 0.312 0.314 0.126 33.9% 3.6% 25.1% 50.0% OF $2,500 1B/OF $3,300 IF/OF $6,600
6 Danny Valencia RIGHT 0.349 0.354 0.190 39.4% 13.9% 20.5% 45.5% 1B $2,200 3B $3,000 3B $5,900
7 Tim Beckham RIGHT 0.337 0.331 0.196 36.5% 7.9% 27.6% 48.4% 3B $2,200 3B/SS $3,100 SS $5,800
8 Craig Gentry RIGHT 0.330 0.315 0.183 31.8% 7.6% 25.8% 46.2% OF $2,000 OF $2,300 LF $5,000
9 Caleb Joseph RIGHT 0.351 0.354 0.254 40.9% 4.5% 28.4% 38.6% C $2,100 C $2,800 C $5,700

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Jonathan Schoop (GPP)

Stackability – RED

Houston

This may sound like hyperbole, but if you stacked the Astros every singe game this season, it’s hard to imagine it not being a profitable venture. Their offense is absolutely loaded. They have power, they hit for average, they draw walks, and they put the ball in play. Dylan Bundy could end up having a nice season for the Orioles, but he’s an easy fade in this spot. The Astros have a massive implied run total and should have no problem putting runs up on the board once again. As far as the splits go, slightly favor the lefties in this lineup.

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 George Springer RIGHT 0.363 0.354 0.235 37.2% 8.5% 19.7% 50.5% OF $4,200 OF $5,000 RF $9,900
2 Alex Bregman RIGHT 0.328 0.330 0.171 33.9% 8.3% 16.1% 41.0% 3B $3,300 3B $4,400 3B $8,500
3 Jose Altuve RIGHT 0.407 0.361 0.197 29.4% 8.7% 12.4% 46.2% 2B $4,500 2B $5,100 2B $9,900
4 Josh Reddick LEFT 0.362 0.332 0.188 33.0% 8.4% 12.2% 33.5% OF $2,800 OF $3,600 RF $6,400
5 Marwin Gonzalez SWITCH 0.394 0.337 0.227 34.8% 10.5% 19.3% 43.8% 1B $2,800 1B/OF $3,800 IF/OF $7,500
6 Evan Gattis RIGHT 0.329 0.318 0.186 33.2% 5.8% 16.2% 34.8% C $3,200 C $3,700 C $7,400
7 Brian McCann LEFT 0.322 0.330 0.195 33.8% 9.2% 15.4% 38.3% C $3,000 C $3,600 C $7,400
8 J.D. Davis RIGHT 0.264 0.234 0.143 23.3% 6.5% 28.3% 63.3% 3B $2,000 1B $2,900 3B $5,800
9 Derek Fisher LEFT 0.287 0.315 0.160 45.3% 9.6% 32.6% 49.3% OF $2,600 OF $3,000 RF $5,400

Elite Plays – George Springer, Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, Josh Reddick, Marwin Gonzalez

Secondary Plays – Evan Gattis, Brian McCann

Stackability – GREEN


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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