Gary Sanchez Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

Perhaps a surprising thing about Minnesota is that it is considered a positive run environment. However, with temperatures potentially below 60 degrees at game time tonight, that may not really be the case tonight. That said, it’s still virtually impossible to side with Jake Odorizzi tonight, especially in an elimination spot (though anyone expected to go through the order more than once is GPP viable on a four game slate). His overall numbers are fine this year (27.1 K%, 4.14 SIERA, 3.36 FIP, 4.23 DRA, 78.8 Z-Contact%, .296 xwOBA). Even his board high 7.8% Barrels/BBE is not too bad and he ended the season on quite the run, striking out 26 of his last 66 batters, but 44 of those batters were White Sox and Tigers. Here, he’s an extreme fly ball pitcher (35 GB%) with a career reverse split in a park that generally favors RH power, facing a lineup loaded with such. The good news for Twins fans is that he exhibited a more normal split this year (RHBs .255 wOBA, LHBs .324). Unfortunately, Statcast doesn’t agree (RHBs .309 xwOBA, RHBs .282). Again, that’s not a poor number, but this is the Yankees against whom he experienced his worst start of the season (9 ER, 2 HR, 4 IP) in July. They’re expected to send out six batters above a .200 ISO vs RHP this year and two of the three below that mark are DJ LeMahieu (119 wRC+ vs RHP) and Giancarlo Stanton (128 wRC+). What order the Yankees send those batters out in is a more complicated matter because virtually any order makes some sense, but LeMahieu and Aaron Judge (121 wRC+, .251 ISO) are virtual locks at the top of the order, while Edwin Encarnacion (121 wRC+, .266 ISO), Gary Sanchez (123 wRC+, .302 ISO) and Gleyber Torres (121 wRC+, .256 ISO) are additional premium bats against RHP.

Sean Manaea will be making his first start of the year this afternoon after dealing with a shoulder injury for the majority of 2019. Although he did look very good in 5 rehab starts in the minors (3.21 ERA / 2.97 xFIP over 28 innings pitched in AAA) you have to think Manaea will be shaking off some rust in his first start back. Facing a stacked Yankees lineup at Yankee Stadium is a tough spot to be shaking off rust. Despite dealing with injuries all year, the Yankees have continued to swing the bats well and have plenty of good options in their lineup for this matchup: Aaron Judge (.480 xwOBA vs. LHP this year), DJ LeMahieu (.430), Luke Voit (.394), Gleyber Torres (.355), Mike Tauchman (.346), Gary Sanchez (.329), Clint Frazier (.323) and Didi Gregorius (.302) are all in play here. Only Judge ($5.2k) and LeMahieu ($5.1k) are over $5k in the NYY lineup on Draftkings. Sanchez ($4.6k), Gregorius ($4.5k), Voit ($4.5k), Frazier ($4.3k) and Tauchman ($4.1k) all look like nice values. Yankees bats will also have the advantage of an extra hitter-friendly umpire in Stu Scheurwater. The Yanks currently have a healthy 5.79 implied line vs. Manaea and the A’s this afternoon.

Any effectiveness from Brett Anderson stems from the fact that he keeps the ball on the ground (53.1%) in a great park. This is a terrible spot for him though. In fact, it’s a major surprise to see the Yankees trailing five teams tonight at 5.87 implied runs. It’s certainly a park downgrade for Anderson, who has just a 12 K% with a 5.27 SIERA, 5.56 DRA, and .348 xwOBA with 40.6% of his contact above 95 mph. Over the last calendar year, RHBs own a .334 wOBA, but an xwOBA quite a bit higher (.362) with a dip in ground ball rate (49.2%). The Yankees are loaded with right-handed power, especially with Luke Voit (165 wRC+, .333 ISO vs LHP last calendar year) returning tonight. Heck, the Yankees have even turned DJ LeMahieu (185 wRC+, .290 ISO) into a power hitter. Along with Aaron Judge (197 wRC+, .344 ISO) catching fire (271 wRC+, 70.6 Hard% last seven days), this is a lineup that should be very problematic for Anderson in this spot. Gary Sanchez, Gleyber Torres and Giovanny Urshela all exceed a 100 wRC+ and .200 ISO against lefties over the last 12 months as well.

So far in 2019 Trent Thornton has posted a 5.55 ERA with a 5.11 xFIP, 4.99 SIERA, 11.9% K-BB, 41% FB rate, 1.57 HR/9 and a 10% SwStr. Per Statcast, he’s allowed a .337 xwOBA with a 7.7% barrel rate and 88 MPH aEV. Not completely terrible stats, but certainly no match for a Yankees lineup that was already firing on all cylinders (143 wRC+ over the past 14 days) and has now returned Gary Sanchez to the lineup. Gio Urshela (.395 xwOBA vs. RHP this year), Aaron Judge (.394), Gary Sanchez (.379), DJ Lemahieu (.363), Gleyber Torres (.340) and Brett Gardner (.321) are all great options in the Yankee lineup this afternoon. Urshela has been scorching hot over the past 2 weeks with a .568 xwOBA; Austin Romine (.450), DJ LeMahieu (.444) and Mike Tauchman (.396) have also swung the bat very well of late. Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres are both great values at a price of just $4.4k on Draftkings. Gary Sanchez and Brett Gardner are available under $5k on DK as well, while Austin Romine is just $3.9k. The Yankees currently have a 6.28 implied total; they could be chalky on this slate but are a good play in both cash and GPPS nonetheless.