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DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Saturday 6/30/19
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It's the final day of June and that means we're a week away from the All-Star break. That means its time to build some bankroll and get some dough for the final few months. The pitching options on this slate are rather weak in my opinion but we have one guy who has a legitimate chance at a no-hitter.
Pitchers
Max Scherzer FD - P 12500 DK - SP 12300
Opponent - DET (Jordan Zimmermann) Park - DET
FD - 48.4 DK - 27.43
Scherzer is that guy and this might end up being one of the best fantasy performances of the season. The simple fact is, this is the best pitcher in the Majors facing the worst offense. Let's start with Scherzer, as his 2.12 FIP and 34 percent K rate this season are simply absurd numbers. What's crazy about that is that those numbers really aren't far off of his hall-of-fame career averages. That paired with this matchup is simply a majestic combination, with the Motor City Kitties ranking 29th in K rate and dead-last both OBP and runs scored. That's why Scherzer enters this game as a -355 favorite, with the Tigers projected for only three runs.
Blake Snell FD - P 8500 DK - SP 8000
Opponent - TEX (Jesse Chavez) Park - TB
FD - 40.64 DK - 22.83
While Snell's ERA is north of 5.00 right now, the peripherals tell us a different story. Not only does Snell have the best swinging strike rate in the Majors, he's also posting a 3.19 xFIP and 32 percent K rate. Those numbers tell us that he's much closer to the Cy Young pitcher that we saw last season than this 5.01 ERA guy. Facing Texas in a pitcher's park like Minute Maid Park is a good way to start a rebound, with the Rangers ranking 21st in OBP and 18th in OPS against left-handers. That's really no surprise with lefties like Joey Gallo, Shin-Soo Choo, Nomar Mazara and Rougned Odor filling their lineup.
Madison Bumgarner is traditionally better at home and remains a bargain below $9,000 on both sites.
Catcher/First Base
Joc Pederson FD - 1B 4000 DK - OF 8400
Opponent - COL (Chi Chi Gonzalez) Park - COL
FD - 18.66 DK - 13.97
The Dodgers are going to be a popular team on this slate and rightfully so. Not only are they regularly scoring double-digit runs in Coors Field, they're actually projected for more than six runs here. That's a ridiculous implied run total and that definitely means we have to consider their leadoff hitter. Pederson has abused righties this year atop the order, hitting all 20 of his homers against them while providing a .588 SLG and .931 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor.
Joey Votto FD - 1B 3200 DK - 1B 4100
Opponent - CHC (Jon Lester) Park - CIN
FD - 12.51 DK - 9.38
Many people assumed that Votto was done a few weeks ago but he's definitely quieted the doubters with his recent play. In fact, Votto has a .366 AVG and 1.004 OPS over his last 27 games. That's the All-Star Votto that we've become accustomed to and it's clear that he's seeing the ball really well right now. Facing Jon Lester is nothing we need to worry about either, with Votto posting an OPS north of .800 against lefties for his career, despite hitting from the left side. Lester is really struggling right now too and we'll go over that more later in the article.
If you're in need of a catcher on DK, you can't go wrong with J.T. Realmuto and Yasmani Grandal with both guys having great matchups.
Second Base
Max Muncy FD - 2B 4500 DK - 1B/2B 10200
Opponent - COL (Chi Chi Gonzalez) Park - COL
FD - 16.92 DK - 12.6
Anytime you can start Dodgers against a guy name Chi Chi in Coors Field, you do it! Joking aside, there is some truth to that statement but it's because of his game, not his name. The recent call-up has only pitched in four games since 2015, pitching to a 7.63 ERA and 2.61 WHIP in that span. That's obviously disastrous and it's a wonder how he even found himself in a Major League rotation. Muncy should be able to take advantage of those terrible numbers, with the powerful lefty posting a .971 OPS against righties since joining the Dodgers, in addition to collecting five homers and 14 RBI in six games at Coors Field this season.
Jose Altuve FD - 2B 3600 DK - 2B 3900
Opponent - SEA (Marco Gonzales) Park - HOU
FD - 14.47 DK - 11.21
Anytime a player's price is below $4,000 on DK, you have to question the pricing. Especially with a guy like Altuve, who's simply one of the best fantasy producers in the game. What we like here is that he gets to face a lefty, with Altuve generating a 1.275 OPS against left-handers so far this season. Marco Gonzalez is not a guy we need to worry about either, with the southpaw pitching to a 5.64 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over his last 10 starts. If you think, as I do, that the BABIP luck will even out, Altuve is a great high floor option right now.
Shortstop
Alex Bregman FD - SS 4100 DK - 3B/SS 4900
Opponent - SEA (Marco Gonzales) Park - HOU
FD - 16.3 DK - 12.29
If we like a struggling Altuve, we have to love Bregman. This dude is simply one of the best hitters in the league right now, which is evident by his .536 SLG and .929 OPS. That alone puts him in play against anyone but definitely against a struggling pitcher like Gonzalez. That doesn't even take into consideration that Bregman has the platoon advantage in his favor, with the shortstop posting a .567 SLG and .958 OPS against lefties for his career.
Francisco Lindor FD - SS 4300 DK - SS 5500
Opponent - BAL (Gabriel Ynoa) Park - BAL
FD - 16.07 DK - 12.26
Lindor has quietly been one of the best hitters in the AL and we have to take advantage of that here against Gabriel Ynoa. The Baltimore pitching staff has been downright embarrassing and Ynoa is definitely a reason why. The right-hander is currently 0-6 with a 6.75 ERA and 1.54 WHIP. That's pretty much on par with the rest of the pitching staff and Lindor has actually been better against righties this year. In fact, Lindor has a .925 OPS against righties this season, while recording seven of his 12 steals against them.
Third Base
Kris Bryant FD - 3B 3800 DK - 3B/OF 4800
Opponent - CIN (Anthony DeSclafani) Park - CIN
FD - 13.35 DK - 10.04
There aren't a whole lot of great third base options on this slate, so let's go with a reliable guy like Bryant. While he struggled early on, his .915 OPS this season is hard to argue with. That's really not far off of his .903 career OPS, as his .517 SLG is an impressive mark too. We also really want to get some Cubs in there against Anthony DeSclafani, with the Reds righty pitching to a 5.73 ERA and 1.59 WHIP over his last eight starts.
Eugenio Suarez FD - 3B 3000 DK - 3B 3900
Opponent - CHC (Jon Lester) Park - CIN
FD - 13.09 DK - 9.84
Suarez is mired in a dreadful slump right now but it's lowered his price to this tempting number. We're still talking about a guy who regularly provides 30 homers and 80 RBI, as he regularly generates an ISO above .200 and an OPS approaching .900. That's the sort of production from a player who should be $3,500 on FD and $4,500 on DK, as we're getting quite the bargain here. Getting to face a lefty is the main reason we really like Suarez though, with the slugging third baseman posting a .950 OPS against southpaws since 2017.
Vlad Guerrero Jr. homered on Saturday and remains way too cheap on both sites.
Outfield
Ryan Braun FD - OF 3100 DK - OF 4700
Opponent - PIT (Steven Brault) Park - MIL
FD - 13.89 DK - 10.6
Lorenzo Cain FD - OF 3200 DK - OF 4200
Opponent - PIT (Steven Brault) Park - MIL
FD - 14.71 DK - 11.45
Where are the Brewers? Oh, here they are. It's impossible to fade Milwaukee on this slate against Steven Brault, as their projected run total is approaching six. Brault is a major reason why, with the left-hander pitching to a FIP north of 5.00 and a WHIP of 1.58. That spells disaster against an offense like this, especially these righties. Not only does Braun have a career OPS against lefties above .900 and a SLG above .500, Cain is also generating an .869 OPS against southpaws since 2017.
Jake Bauers FD - OF 3100 DK - 1B/OF 3700
Opponent - BAL (Gabriel Ynoa) Park - BAL
FD - 12.42 DK - 9.37
With the Indians getting a superb matchup against Ynoa, we definitely want to find some cheap Cleveland bats against him. Bauers is just that, as he's been playing much better than this price would indicate. While his .222 average is nothing to look at, he's been much better over recent weeks. In fact, Bauer is hitting .293 over his last 12 games while generating a .928 OPS in that span. We really like him against a righty too, as that puts the platoon advantage in Bauer's favor.
Kyle Schwarber FD - OF 3300 DK - OF 4200
Opponent - CIN (Anthony DeSclafani) Park - CIN
FD - 12.69 DK - 9.44
Schwarber has been fantastic since being moved to the leadoff spot and it's hard to understand why he remains so cheap. Over his last 42 games, Schwarber has collected 13 home runs, 30 runs scored and 27 RBI. That's all you can ask for from someone in this price range and it really makes him enticing against a struggling DeSclafani. Facing the Reds righty gives Schwarber the platoon advantage too, with the big outfielder tallying a .494 SLG and .828 OPS against righties since 2017.
Randal Grichuk remains cheap on both sites and had a quality matchup against Brad Keller.
