Devin Mesoraco Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections
All Mets bats below $4K against Anibal Sanchez and tired Atlanta bullpen
The Mets have just a 4.22 implied run line in Atlanta tonight and the question to ask is...why? Anibal Sanchez makes his first start back from the DL (hamstring). Batters from either side have a hard hit rate above 33% with a ground ball rate below 40% against him since last season and these two teams played a double-header on Monday that didn't end until after 1am. Bullpens were exhausted. Brandon Nimmo (158 wRC+, .244 ISO vs RHP last calendar year) and Michael Conforto (148 wRC+, .229 ISO) lead a lineup without a batter above $4K on either site. They are joined by Devin Mesoraco (108 wRC+, .260 ISO) and Jose Bautista (60 wRC+, .141 ISO) with all four at or above a 150 wRC+ and 38+ Hard% over the last week. If players are looking at higher priced pitching tonight, this is a lineup with upside that gets you there.
Devin Mesoraco scratched from Cincinnati Reds lineup Tuesday
Mesoraco has been scratched from the Cincinnati Reds original confirmed lineup and will not start in Tuesday’s matchup against the New York Mets due to a trade agreement that will send Mesoraco to New York and Matt Harvey to Cincinnati in the swap . He'll be replaced in the lineup by Tucker Barnhart, who will handle the catching duties and slot directly into Mesoraco's vacated seventh spot in the order, which keeps the remainder of the Mets lineup intact as they face off against left-hander Jason Vargas on the road this evening.
Bad Issues to Have
I'm not entirely sure which Reds catcher will get the nod behind home plate on Friday night but both have similar price tags and should be presented with some run producing opportunities as the Reds host southpaw Wei-Yin Chen. Chen only allowed one run (solo shot) his first start of the season but had a lot of hard contact against him and was unable to generate swings and misses. Chen has historically had issues with the long ball (1.27 HR/9, 11.6% HR/FB) which is a bad issue to have when pitching at GAB.
Getting Some Right-Handed Bats at Affordable Prices
The Reds are not a good baseball team, but their offense has shown some flashes of a breakout in recent games. They also draw a favorable matchup here against Wade Miley, who will be making his first regular season start for the Brewers. He's always a pitcher who we can stack against because of his high walk rate, and his 2017 numbers were pretty terrible all around. On a night that is thin for offense, I'll happily target some of the Reds RHBs, and you could add Joey Votto as part of a GPP stack as well.
Devin Mesoraco (neck stiffness) scratched Tuesday; Tucker Barnhart replaces
Mesoraco has been scratched from the Cincinnati Reds original confirmed lineup and will not play in Tuesday's matchup against the Atlanta Braves due to neck stiffness. He'll be replaced in the lineup by Tucker Barnhart, who will play catcher and slot directly into Mesoraco's sixth spot in the order, which means that the remainder of the Reds lineup will stay intact as they face off against right-hander Brandon McCarthy this evening.
Joey Votto has a 168 wRC+ vs LHP
Jorge de la Rosa isn't terrible, but retains a high HR/FB even outside Colorado (12.9 HR/FB Away since last season) and faces a solidly right handed lineup in a power hitter's park. The Reds have an early 26.1 HR/FB vs LHP in 119 PAs. That number won't hold, but it's an early sign of how well they're seeing the ball against southpaws. One of the two LHBs in the lineup is actually the team's most productive bat against LHP. Joey Votto has a 168 wRC+, .194 ISO vs lefties since last season. Cozart (133 wRC+) and Suarez (155 wRC+) have both hit LHP well in small samples since last season as well. Surprisingly, there are no other pronounced above average hitters against lefties in this lineup, though you'd expect Mesoraco to get there when he gets some opportunities under his belt after missing last season. That leaves us without a lot drawing us to either side in this matchup, though a small stack atop the Cincinnati lineup could be interesting.
Liriano a top pitching play against Reds on Friday
Francisco Liriano struck out 10, but also issues five free passes in his first start on Sunday. It was typical Liriano as there is always risk of a blowup, but great upside. This is why he's the 2nd highest priced pitcher on the board tonight and not the first. The risk is likely to out-weigh the reward tonight against a weak Cincinnati lineup. Joey Votto is the rare LHB who excels vs LHP (178 wRC+) last year, but Liriano eats up lefties (.264 wOBA career) and the Reds offer very little resistance outside of Mesoraco from the RH side. There is some risk to this game weather wise from Kevin's early forecast and the wind is blowing out hard to center, which adds additional risk, but Liriano is generally not someone to pick on tonight.
Brandon Phillips scratched, Mesoraco bats 4th
The Cincinnati Reds have scratched Brandon Phillips. Mesoraco will move up from to the cleanup spot and DeJesus will bat 7th. With the questionable weather forecast, this is not a game with a lot of appeal to start with.
Reds provide some value options in plus match up
Jeremy Hellickson is getting the nod for the Phillies today facing the Reds in hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark in a game that features one of the higher totals of the day. There are some appealing options on the Reds, led by Joey Votto who is the priciest of the bunch. There is a ton of value to be had in the Reds lineup, however, as Zack Cosart leads off at a super friendly price tag and is followed in the batting order by Eugenio Suarez who is also very affordable. In fact, outside of Votto everyone in the top six of the lineup is cheap and in a good spot including Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips. Devin Mesoraco is batting sixth coming off of an injury-plagued season, but he's healthy at this point and still possesses considerable power upside from a catcher in his price range.