MLB Playoff Preview: Plays for the Die-Hards
By: Haskele
If you’re hanging on to every shred of hope for the MLB season then this article is perfect for you. As efficiently as possible we will detail some general splits and figures that can help you succeed in the waning days of daily fantasy baseball action. We’ll list some guys notorious for crushing in the postseason(hitters and pitchers), as well as some generalities to look out for. Instead of giving you the stone-cold daily plays we will instead be giving you the facts and letting you make the decisions from there.
Playoff Positives: Guys Who Dominate October
- Ichiro Suzuki – He has only 43 plate appearances in the post-season but he’s 2nd all-time in batting average in those experiences with a .421 batting average. As I’m watching right now Suzuki is already 1-3 with a 2B in the Game 1 against Baltimore.
- David Freese – Similar to Suzuki, the sample size of plate appearances in the playoffs is small. 74 at-bats, most of which in last season’s magical playoff run, but he hit .385 which is good enough for 9th all-time by players with a minimum 40 plate appearances.
- Derek Jeter – Arguably the most clutch player of the past 20 years, Jeter has made a name for himself as a five-tool playoff stud. His lifetime average is .307 in the playoffs. His days of postseason power may be done though, as he hasn’t gone yard in his last couple of seasons in the playoffs. By the way he’s done this a few times, racking up the most games played in playoff history.
- Carlos Beltran – He ranks in the top-10 for career OBP in the postseason with a minimum 40 plate appearances. He’s hitting .360 as well in his 3 postseason runs including the ridiculous 8 HR postseason he had in 2004 with the Stros.
- Andy Pettitte – The winningest career pitcher in postseason history, Pettitte has come back just in time for the Yanks. He is set to start Game 2 of the first round and boasts a career 3.83 ERA in 42 playoff starts. He’s also first in career playoff innings pitched.
- Matt Cain – Only 4 career playoff starts leading up to this season but his ERA was 1.03 in 26 and a third innings pitched with 17 Ks. Gaudy numbers and it will be fun to see if he can keep it up as the Giants are a threat to advance deep.
Notes from the Weekly Cheat Sheet
Our twitter admin Bowens1984 developed an awesome cheat sheet for our daily research console. It shows players with a .950 or higher OPS and .350 or higher BA in certain situations such as at home, vs. right handed and left handed pitching. Here are the guys still playing right now with the situation applicable to them listed(minimum 50 ABs to qualify).
- Baltimore Orioles
-None - Cincinnati Reds
-Jay Bruce: HOME
-Joey Votto: HOME and vs. RHP
-Ryan Ludwick: vs. LHP - Detroit Tigers
-Miguel Cabrera: HOME and vs. RHP
-Prince Fielder: HOME and vs. RHP
-Gerald Laird: vs. RHP - NY Yankees
-Robinson Cano: vs. RHP
-Derek Jeter: vs. LHP - Oakland Athletics
-Johnny Gomes: vs. LHP - St. Louis Cardinals
-Jon Jay: HOME
-Matt Holliday: vs. LHP
-Allen Craig: HOME and vs. LHP
-Yadier Molina: vs. LHP - San Francisco
-Buster Posey: vs. LHP - Washington
-Tyler Moore: vs. RHP
-Jayson Werth: vs. LHP
Aces vs. Opponents
Here I’ll list split stats of the aces for each team and how they fare lifetime against any other teams in the postseason from their league.
Note: Included Mat Latos as Reds ace due to Cueto leaving his last start with an injury
| Opp. | Starts | W | L | CG | Shutouts | IP | HR | BB | K | ERA | WHIP | BAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. CIN | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 68.2 | 7 | 20 | 58 | 3.54 | 1.33 | 0.263 |
| vs. STL | 8 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 47.1 | 6 | 17 | 38 | 4.94 | 1.42 | 0.272 |
| vs. WAS | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 82.1 | 7 | 22 | 71 | 3.17 | 1.13 | 0.238 |
| Opp. | GS | W | L | CG | SHO | IP | HR | BB | K | ERA | WHIP | BAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. CIN | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 25 | 0.95 | 0.84 | 0.159 |
| vs. STL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0.89 | 0.172 |
| vs. SF | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 30.1 | 4 | 11 | 27 | 3.26 | 1.42 | 0.269 |
| Opp. | GS | W | L | CG | SHO | IP | HR | BB | K | ERA | WHIP | BAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. BAL | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 6 | 24 | 71 | 2.85 | 1.08 | 0.21 |
| vs. NYY | 13 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 77 | 10 | 32 | 76 | 3.74 | 1.49 | 0.272 |
| vs. OAK | 13 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 87 | 6 | 29 | 82 | 2.38 | 1.13 | 0.214 |
| Opp. | GS | W | L | CG | SHO | IP | HR | BB | K | ERA | WHIP | BAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. BAL | 25 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 176 | 14 | 45 | 131 | 3.12 | 1.14 | 0.238 |
| vs. DET | 35 | 18 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 223.2 | 28 | 63 | 185 | 4.43 | 1.28 | 0.26 |
| vs. OAK | 25 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 160 | 17 | 61 | 132 | 4.56 | 1.36 | 0.259 |
| Opp. | GS | W | L | CG | SHO | IP | HR | BB | K | ERA | WHIP | BAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. NYY | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 6 | 12 | 21 | 5.82 | 1.53 | 0.294 |
| vs. OAK | 20 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 122 | 10 | 38 | 71 | 3.39 | 1.3 | 0.261 |
| vs. DET | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 49.2 | 6 | 15 | 36 | 5.26 | 1.43 | 0.29 |
| Opp. | GS | W | L | CG | SHO | IP | HR | BB | K | ERA | WHIP | BAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. BAL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 6 | 1.42 | 0.313 |
| vs. DET | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 3.18 | 1.76 | 0.261 |
| vs. NYY | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 1.13 | 0.75 | 0.2 |
| Opp. | GS | W | L | CG | SHO | IP | HR | BB | K | ERA | WHIP | BAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. STL | 7 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 4 | 13 | 29 | 9 | 1.82 | 0.345 |
| vs. SF | 11 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 74 | 4 | 12 | 55 | 2.19 | 0.89 | 0.201 |
| vs. WAS | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 34.2 | 4 | 17 | 32 | 2.34 | 1.24 | 0.211 |
| Opp. | GS | W | L | CG | SHO | IP | HR | BB | K | ERA | WHIP | BAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. CIN | 11 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 64.2 | 2 | 15 | 43 | 3.34 | 1.22 | 0.262 |
| vs. SF | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 33.1 | 1 | 3 | 19 | 3.78 | 1.29 | 0.303 |
| vs. WAS | 12 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 72.1 | 10 | 12 | 46 | 5.23 | 1.26 | 0.274 |
We hope you enjoyed the daily plays column all season long and we look forward to bringing it back for next MLB season. For now you can read our NFL daily plays and upcoming NBA/NHL daily plays column, pending an NHL season of course!