Shane McClanahan Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

An eight game Wednesday night slate includes three $10K pitches and another pair exceeding $9K on both sites, but also a handful of spot starter types, who may not be usable at all, which has the potential to bunch up ownership a bit. Despite 26.8 K-BB%, 51.8 GB%, 87.3 mph EV, 6.3% Barrels/BBE and 31% 95+ mph EV with 17 Quality Starts in his last 21 outings, Shane McClanahan appears to be playing second (or even third) fiddle to Justin Verlander’s fountain of youth and Dylan Cease’s ability to keep a lot of his runs from being earned in the American League this year. All he’s done is dominate fairly consistently and for at least seven innings in more than one-third of his starts. His 2.29 ERA is within one-third of a run of all non-FIP estimators. In the most negative run environment on the board, the most expensive pitcher on it has one of the best matchups against the Angels (81 wRC+, 24.3 K% vs LHP). He is the top projected pitcher on the board by a pretty wide margin and also a top five projected value (top three on DraftKings). However, this also means you’re very likely to see McClanahan in a ton of lineups. For potential McClanahan pivots and/or complements, including a potentially sneaky high priced GPP play, check out Wednesday’s PlateIQ Live Blog.

With 14 games on the Friday night docket, six pitchers reach the $10K price point (just one on DraftKings) with no other pitchers in the $9K+ range on both sites. Shane McClanahan has hit a small rough patch. He allowed just two runs over six innings to Baltimore last time, but had allowed nine runs over his previous 10.2 innings and has struck out just 11 of his last 77 batters. That said, he’s failed to complete six innings just once over his last 16 starts and still owns a 27.1 K-BB% (77.0 Z-Contact%) with an optimal contact profile (50.6 GB%, 87.3 mph EV, 6.3% Barrels/BBE, 30.2% 95+ mph EV). His worst estimator is a 2.64 FIP. But sure, Verlander’s running away with the Cy Young award because Wins and ERA. In the protected negative run environment of the Trop, McClanahan has a surprisingly difficult matchup (Royals 103 wRC+, 19.0 K% vs LHP). The most expensive pitcher on either site is still good enough to register to the top projection of the night and is even a top two projected value on either site. For much more detail on tonight’s highest priced arms, which includes the top McClanahan pivot, check out Friday’s PlateIQ Live Blog.

A sizeable 13 game Tuesday night slate features two pitchers reaching the $10K price point on both sites with one more on FanDuel alone and then another four at $9K on higher on both sites. And there are some surprises in this group. Shane McClanahan has registered 16 straight Quality Starts, has a 31.1 K-BB% and generated half his contact on the ground (50.6%) with just an 87 mph EV (30.3% 95+ mph EV). He’s nearly solved pitching without a single estimator reaching two and a half. Against a predominantly right-handed lineup, McClanahan should feature his changeup (24.4%, -2.3 RV/100), as the Orioles are second worst offense in baseball against that pitch (-0.67 wCH/C), but are the best offense in the league (1.04 wCB/C) against his other elite platoon busting pitch, the curveball (25.2%, -2.4 RV/100). The O’s also have a 91 wRC+, while being tied for the highest strikeout rate split on the board (25.3%) vs LHP this year. This is a great spot for a great pitcher in a pretty decent park with only a hitter friendly umpire working against him tonight. McClanahan is the most expensive pitcher on either site, reaching $11.6K on FanDuel ($1.3K less on DraftKings). He is the second best projected pitcher on the board by less than a point and the third best projected point per dollar value on DraftKings (eight on FanDuel). For a much more detailed look at tonight’s seven highest priced pitchers, check out Tuesday’s Plate IQ Live Blog.

A nine game Wednesday night slate is absolutely loaded from a starting pitching standpoint. We have no fewer than five $10K pitchers on FanDuel and two more exceeding $9K on both sites. Unfortunately, several of them are in difficult spots, but do have the talent to overcome these situations. Shane McClanahan is the most expensive pitcher on the slate, costing exactly $10K on DraftKings, but a full $1.5K more on FanDuel. He simply continues to shoot fire out of his left arm. McClanahan’s failed to strike out at least seven batters just once all season (17 starts) and has 11 Straight Quality starts, allowing more than a single earned run just once over that span. Sometimes the best pitchers need the fewest words and a 31.2 K-BB%, 50.7 GB% and 87.3 mph EV without a single estimator reaching even two and a half ought to do it. Unfortunately, he has an extremely tough matchup (Red Sox 120 wRC+ vs LHP is tied for highest split on the board, 22.1 K%), but in a perhaps the most negative run environment on the slate with the most pitcher friendly umpire. McClanahan is good enough to succeed in this matchup and is the top projected arm on the slate and still a decent projected value on either site. For much more on top of the board pitching tonight, check out Wednesday’s PlateIQ Live Blog.

An eight game Monday night slate heavily favors pitching with two pitchers exceeding $10K on both sites and another two on FanDuel alone. That’s one-quarter of the available pitching on a board lacking extremely positive run environments with decent hitting weather. The most expensive pitcher on the board with an $11.2K price tag on FanDuel, but $900 less on DraftKings, $200 behind his opponent, is Shane McClanahan, who allowed multiple homers for only the second time this year, against the Yankees last time out. Although only one was “earned”, it was also the most runs (four) scored against him in an outing this year. However, it was still his seventh straight Quality Start with a total of nine runs (five earned) over that span. McClanahan’s 35.2 K% is the best on the board. He’s struck out at least seven in 12 of 13 starts this year with all non-FIP estimators (17.5 HR/FB) below two and a half. However, the quality of opposition (NYY 118 wRC+, 9.2 BB%, 18.6 HR/FB against LHP) drops him to the second best projected pitcher on the board (PlateIQ projections are fluid and updated throughout the day), though there should be some strikeouts in the Yankee lineup (23.9 K% vs LHP). McClanahan is a top five projected point per dollar value on DraftKings as well. Find out who is the top projected pitcher on the board and the best projected value among the high priced arms in Monday’s PlateIQ Live Blog.

A nine game Wednesday night slate offers two $10K pitchers on both sites with Nestor Cortes missing being the third by just $100 on DraftKings. Unfortunately, the two most expensive pitchers on the board, Shane McClanahan and Corbin Burnes, have extremely difficult matchups in New York. McClanahan costs $500 more than Burnes on DraftKings, just $200 more on FanDuel. The best way of relating how good McClanahan has been is that the Rays are allowing to go through lineups a third time regularly. He has six straight Quality Starts, facing fewer than 24 batters just once in that span and has failed to strike out at least seven batters just once this year. His 35.5 K% and 77.6 Z-Contact% both top the board among those with more than three starts. With a 30.8 K-BB%, all estimators are less than two and a half. However, the matchup (Yankees 127 wRC+ and 16.7 HR/FB at home, 118 wRC+ and 17.3 HR/FB vs LHP) is incredibly dangerous, though there may be some strikeouts (23.5% vs LHP). McClanahan is essentially in a tie for tonight’s second best pitcher projection by PlateIQ, though this is a fluid situation, which is subject to change. For more on tonight’s top of the board pitchers, including the top projected arm plus a great projected value or two, check out Wednesday’s PlateIQ Live Blog.

It seems a rarity to have a uniform slate this week, but that’s just what we have on Friday night as both DraftKings and FanDuel offer 12 games. That means 24 pitchers with no less than three pitchers exceeding the $10K mark on both sites, while two others reach that price point on FanDuel alone. In fact, the most expensive pitcher on the board costs $11.2K on FanDuel, but Shane McClanahan is $1.6K less on DraftKings. He is this year’s proof that the Rays are always going to have young stud pitching, no matter who gets hurt or traded. Not only has he only failed to strike out at least seven only once (31.9 K-BB%), while allowing just 7.0% Barrels/BBE with 52.7% of his contact on the ground, but he’s completed six innings in four straight starts. You have to be kind of a big deal for the Rays to let you do that. His second worst estimator, a 2.60 FIP, is actually a bit of bad luck with seven of nine barrels leaving the yard (21.2 HR/FB), though it’s balanced by an unsustainable 90.5 LOB%. We know the Trop is a negative run environment, but for all of the issues the White Sox are having this year, they still punish LHP (122 wRC+, 21.1 K%, 15.6 HR/FB). Yet, McClanahan has been so good that he’s still one of the three best projected arms by PlateIQ (projections are fluid and subject to change) and obviously a better value on DraftKings, though not projected as a top value on either site. To read more about the biggest standout among top priced arm and who may be the best pivot, check out Friday’s PlateIQ Live Blog.

A seven game Wednesday night slate doesn’t lack star quality pitching, but does feature a clear separation where there are pitchers to roster and then those to attack without much in the aside from some young arms on which there may be a lack of information. Shane McClanahan is the lone pitcher to exceed $10K on both sites tonight. A season low five strikeouts his last time out dropped his strikeout rate all the way to 36.7%. It was the first time he’d been below a 16 SwStr% in any start this year. In addition to all the strikeouts, 59.2% of his contact has been on the ground, though he’s still allowed seven barrels (9.9%). Contact neutral estimators are below two, while others are a bit above three. The Angels can cause some trouble (123 wRC+ vs LHP) in what may be a very hitter friendly environment tonight (see Kevin’s forecast & Weather Edge), but there should be some swing and miss here too (Angels 23.7 K% vs LHP). McClanahan is the second best projected pitcher on the slate (PlateIQ). He seems to have a sharp cutoff at 90 pitches, but we can probably say similar for other high upside arms tonight as well. McClanahan is far from the only expensive pitcher in a difficult, but high upside spot tonight. Find a more detailed breakdown on all of tonight’s top pitchers on Wednesday’s PlateIQ Live Blog.

Something that sticks out on today’s slate is the number of young, breakout pitchers in the mid-price range on tonight’s board. This is a group that includes Patrick Sandoval, Shane McClanahan, in a smaller sample size, Josiah Gray and to a lesser extent, maybe even Tylor Megill and Adbert Alozlay. A matchup with the Dodgers probably takes Megill out of consideration tonight, but the remaining four are certainly worth talking about. Sandoval’s breakout includes a 26.7 K% that doesn’t even capture what his 15.8 SwStr% is capable of, a 51.9 GB% and an 85.2 mph EV (6.1% Barrels/BBE). The only blemish in his profile is a 10% walk rate. A 3.93 SIERA and FIP represent the largest gap between estimators and a 3.39 ERA. Dare say his performance has been strong enough to make him a top value on this board for $8.2K or less even against Houston (120 wRC+ vs LHP). Looking at tonight’s projected lineup, four batters are below a 15% strikeout rate against LHP this year, but nobody else is lower than 25%.

McClanahan pitched a career high seven innings last time out, tying his high in strikeouts with eight as well. Aside from some minor issues in the contact profile (91 mph EV, 8.9% Barrels/BBE), he’s been just what the Rays needed since Tyler Glasnow went down, producing a 20.1 K-BB% with a 15.7 SwStr% that suggests even more is possible. His 3.75 ERA is within half a run of all his estimators with only his xERA (4.13) running higher. The increased workload increases his value as well, especially on DraftKings, where he’s $1.7K less than on FanDuel. The Minnesota lineup, as projected to be constructed, includes three batters above a 28 K% vs LHP this year, but also only two batters above a .318 wOBA.

Throwing 69% fastballs in his first start for the Nationals, striking out just two of 21 Phillies, Josiah Gray cut that down to 51.2% in his second start, striking out 10 of 22 Braves. Combined, Gray has struck out 25 of the 78 major league batters he’s faced this year that doesn’t even do justice to his 18.8 SwStr%. However, those bat missing skills have been a necessity, due to issues with the rest of his profile (11.5 BB%, 23.8 GB%, 13.6% Barrels/BBE). Walks and home runs have not been issues in his brief travels through the minors. Gray faces a number of obstacles today, mostly in considering a positive run environment with a slight weather boost. The Atlanta lineup has gotten deeper recently, but there are also some strikeouts here. Six of eight projected batters exceed a 23.5 K% vs RHP this year. We should probably also talk about the other pitcher in this game. Charlie Morton isn’t a young breakout pitcher, but he’s certainly a guy re-establishing himself this year. Morton has not only re-established his value in this league after an injury plagued, shortened 2020, but he’s also established that he’s more than the five inning, twice through the order pitcher that the Rays and Astros treated him as. More than half of his starts (12 of 23) have been quality starts, which he’s produced with a 19.6 K-BB%, 47.3 GB% and just 4.9% Barrels/BBE. His 3.52 ERA is within 0.15 points of all estimators except for a DRA that’s below three. A rebuilt Washington lineup doesn’t include a ton of strikeouts, but just two batters above a .315 wOBA against RHP this year and Morton costs $9K or less on either site.

Alzolay produced his best start since his blister issues started in San Diego in June last time out. He struck out seven of 26 cross town White Sox batters without a walk or home run through 6.2 innings. It was his second consecutive homerless start after allowing in six of his previous seven. He now has a 22.8 HR/FB (11% Barrels/BBE) on the season behind a 17.3 K-BB%. His 4.71 xERA perfectly matches his ERA with additional non-FIP estimators below four. The allure here is that he’s cheap ($7.6K or less) and in a great spot in Miami. Aside from the negative run environment, Four of eight projected opposing batters exceed a 26 K% vs RHP. We should probably also mention the opposing pitcher here as well. The Miami portion of Jesus Luzardo’s career has begun just as disappointingly as the Oakland chapter closed. He’s each walked and struck out seven of the 46 batters he’s faced, allowing 10 runs over 9.2 innings. There are some bright spots beneath the surface results though. Those include a 17 SwStr% (13.4% on the season), 50% ground ball rate and 83.8 mph EV. A 10.5 BB% and 20.7 HR/FB (10.1% Barrels/BBE) are driving estimators mostly above four and a half with his FIP and xERA running above five this season. The projected lineup for the Cubs in has so much dark red in PlateIQ that it’s hardly even readable. Luzardo is an interesting GPP flyer, especially in an SP2 spot on DraftKings tonight ($6.7K).