I’m out here busting my literary chops. Ok, not really. Y’all know the the Robert Frost poem at this point. Anything popular was quoted a million times before the age of the interwebs but now we can actually tally those amounts. Seriously, go search it. I’d wait but you’ll fall into a google rabbit hole and never return so just skim the first page and know it to be true. You back? Hello? DON’T GO INTO THE LIGHT, CAROL ANNE! It takes a special breed of idiot to want to roster Carlos Rodon. Thankfully for you, I am such an idiot. I guess the best way to look at this is, it’s payday for most of you and you weren’t gonna put all that cash into an IRA were you? Exactly. Normally I tell you about numbers when I discuss pitching suggestions. The thing is, I can’t really do that with this call. This is a ‘Yankees can be had by lefties’ call and nothing more. The stats actually say they’re great against lefties. Heck, they’re 5th in wRC+ against them on the season. But those season stats don’t point out Mike Montgomery neutralizing them at Yankees stadium and K’ing 9. On the talent scale, I’d put Rodon *pretends to weigh both sides, falls over in dramatic heap onto Carlos side* well ahead of Mike. It’s definitely a risk so I’d never recommend for a cash game but I would like for you all to take the road less traveled by today. It could make all the difference. But enough about being a sad, sorry English major, let’s get a move on. Here’s my Frost’d takes for this Friday DK slate…
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Madison Bumgarner, SP: $10,300 – On a day with so many big name pitchers, it’s sometimes hard to decide which way to lean. For me, I’ll lean towards the lefty who faces a team with the 6th worst wRC+ and K’s 23.1% of the time against southpaws. Yeah, yeah, sure, sure, the park shift isn’t nice but you know what is nice? Money. As in cash. As in what you will probably get starting a pitcher who on any other night would be highly owned.
Ian Kennedy, SP: $6,900 – Look, you don’t need me to tell you about the high priced arms. Oh you do? Ok, Salazar is a GPP only get, same with Matt Harvey because of recent performance and because the Nationals are healthy. Cueto also a GPP play because Rogers Centre is silly friendly for hitters and Hector Santiago is just you trying to challenge the regression fairies. With all that said, Kennedy is away from Petco but moves into a more spacious park and gets to face the NL East version of the Padres with the Marlins. The upside is point up. Like, way up.
Buster Posey, 1B/C: $5,400 – This is a ‘he’s overpriced and will be low owned’ call. I really like picking on Nick Martinez now that reality has set in. He’s played as a reverse splits pitcher this year and I don’t see that changing. I’m all for a San Fran stack in general but I’m also greenlighting Matt Duffy and Hunter Pence here as well.
James McCann, C: $2,900 – Though the sample size is small, McCann is hitting .352 on the year vs lefties to go with a .241 ISO. If you weren’t sure, I’m here to slogan for you: Yes You McCann! I’m also giving the green light for J.D. Martinez here.
Todd Frazier, 1B/3B: $5,000 – Great American Ballpark is a hitters park in general but it’s extremely friendly to righties as it metrics out as just behind Colorado for RHHs for HRs. Frazier gets Locke which either makes him sure for a two HR night or sure to end up on some weird island with Smoke Monsters. You’re gonna have to ask Damon Lindelof on that one.
Albert Pujols, 1B: $3,600 – Not pushing for an Angels stack here but Pujols is this price and Mike Trout is $4,500. Kershaw just had his start pushed back due to injury. Not exactly a confidence booster to me. I’d be fine taking my chances here in a tourney, especially with Pujols. It only takes one bomb to pay off this rock bottom price.
Logan Forsythe, 1B/2B: $3,700 – Logan Forsythe against a lefty in a favorable right-handed hitting park. I ain’t even looking elsewhere at 2B today, I’m done. Overall, the Rays own the 3rd best wRC+ on the year vs southpaws so considering Steven Souza and Evan Longoria isn’t out of the question.
Matt Carpenter, 3B: $4,100 – Carp might be heating up and at the right time. Kyle Kendrick gets tiki-torched by hitters regardless of Coors. A Cardinals stack is definitely on the docket. Consider Kolten Wong, Randal Grichuk, Jason Heyward, and Brandon Moss as part of the mayhem.
Pedro Alvarez, 1B/3B: $3,400 – Park bump? Check. Below average righty on the mound? Double check! Yesterday was a day to stack Pirates and it failed us. It sounds like we should be like a disgusting sandwich at KC and double down.
Troy Tulowitzki, SS: $3,900 – I get it, Cueto is good. Cueto also hasn’t faced a Toronto lineup before. There’s a reason I said GPP only with him, folks. If I’m doing multi-LU entry, I do plan on having a Toronto stack out there but with Troy batting leadoff and at this price, he is probably in mutliple lineups for me period.
Cesar Hernandez, 2B/SS: $2,900 – The decline was expected and natural for Cesar but the speed has stayed alive. If AJ is still behind the plate, a walk and a steal with maybe a run will have you shouting hail Cesar.
Aaron Hicks, OF: $4,000 – He’s hitting the ball well of late and has been spotted up near the top of the Twins lineup. Walker has had a yo-yo type of year and Hicks has me shouting #YOLO with his recent performance. Sign me up.
Preston Tucker, OF: $3,600 – He disappointed you and many others yesterday, including me. I wanted my Shoemaker splits, brah! That said, Rubby has some splits of his own on the year and they ain’t pretty. Tucker should find himself batting 2nd today which should put him first in your heart.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
The only place that has water problems has a dome in Miami. Hrm, let me rephrase that: every place can have water problems, only a few have domes. Fix this @MLB!
Doing Lines In Vegas
On a day with the likes of Kershaw and Cueto, the heavy favorite is Michael Wacha. OOOOKKKKK. If you want in on that, feel free as I won’t be rostering a guy who just can’t seem to challenge for a 30 point DK night. In a shocker, TORvsKC is a bit of a pick’em with a half run shaved off the opening line. Drew Hutchison has been money at home so far this year so it makes a little bit of sense but I don’t think you find much in terms of DK points here. More about opening line shaving, OAKvsCLE has dropped from 7.5 to 7 and that has definitely intrigued me with regards to Salazar. Meanwhile, HOU and Scott Feldman sits at a -150 with an 8 O/U. Well, Feldman isn’t very good but HOU supposed to win pretty comfortably soooo…yeah, just reiterating my Tucker call but considering some other lefty bats isn’t a bad way to live.
