On Tuesday, we were treated to the annual mid-summer classic. The MLB All-Star game brought together the game’s best players, except for a couple noteworthy snubs named Logan. The reigning AL MVP got the show started quickly with a single off Clayton Kershaw, only to get picked off from first moments later. On the NL side, Ronald Acuna Jr. and Mookie Betts did the same with a double and RBI single, respectively. After a pretty double-play featuring a behind-the-back flip by Andres Gimenez, Paul Goldschmidt launched a 415 ft solo HR to cap the scoring. The NL held a 2-run lead after the first inning, only to be shut out the rest of the game. A pair of towering blasts by Giancarlo Stanton and Byron Buxton in the fourth inning capped the scoring on the night. From there, the bullpen arms flexed their respective muscles, allowing a combined 4 hits the rest of the game. No matter your preference, whether you like the long-ball or dominant pitching, this game had something for everyone.
The biggest treat of the All-Star Break was delivered the night before at the HR Derby. Although Juan Soto took home the hardware, the proverbial torch was passed to the next generation of sluggers. The kid from the Pacific Northwest was the star of the show in the early rounds with a combined 63 dongs in dispatching Corey Seager and 2-time champ Pete Alonso. It will also be hard to forget the night Albert Pujols had. With 99% of the stadium in his corner, Pujols delivered a stunning victory over top-ranked Kyle Schwarber. He then gave the eventual champ all he could handle in extra time before finally becoming a spectator for the finale. How legendary would it have been to have Ken Griffey Jr. hand off the trophy to Julio Rodriguez? That life-long highlight was not to be as the Nationals (for now) slugger took home the top prize with a 19-18 victory. HR Derby’s rarely disappoint and for many reasons, this one will go down as one for the ages.
For those of you who took in some prop action during the festivities as well, I hope you found some success. I had a few coins in play during the HR Derby and would have banked nicely had Rodriguez won but in the end, it was a good night for me as well. Now it’s time to get back to the DFS action but I’m not completely ready to move on from the All-Star theme. Today we’ll look at DFS All-Stars.
You may think picking the DFS All-Stars at each position is as easy as taking the top salaried players. In many cases, that’s right. Aaron Judge is the unquestioned DFS All-Star OF and DFS MVP so far, however, some of the names behind him may surprise you. Also, there are a couple names in the middle infield that may surprise you. What constitutes a DFS All-Star you ask? For me, I’m simply looking at the average FanDuel score per game played. My threshold for games played is very high as well. These players have played in 90% or more of their team’s games, giving modest compensation for short stints on the IL. Today, I’ll build a DFS lineup using my normal criteria but also with an eye on awarding virtual hardware for these DFS All-Stars.
Before we get to the players though, just a quick reminder to check out Streamonator and Hittertron and the other DFS tools from Razzball. There are so many great tools for use, no matter what format or contests you get yourself into. It’ll be well worth your time.
Now, back to the lineup building…
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Dylan Cease, SP: DK: $9,600 / FD: $10,100 – Three of the top 10 SP in DFS scoring are on the bump today. I’ll be starting my lineups with Dylan Cease, tied for 4th overall with Gerrit Cole at just over 40 FanDuel points per start. Cease is also the top-rated pitcher in the Streamonator. In his previous matchup against the Guardians earlier this month, Cease garnered 50 FanDuel points in only 5.2 IP. I’m looking for more of the same today.
Robbie Ray, SP: DK: $9,200 / FD: $10,200 – Robbie Ray is the 10th best SP, averaging just over 37 FanDuel points per game. Ray has settled nicely into the Pacific Northwest and become the ace the Mariners desperately needed. Since June 1, he has not suffered a loss and has pitched 6 or more innings in every contest. Today he faces a tough Astros lineup looking to stay hot themselves. Currently ranked 7th in MLB with 135 Ks, Ray will look to expand the number of double-digit strikeout games to 5. Something will give today and I’m betting on Ray to get the M’s back on their winning ways.
J.T. Realmuto, C: DK: $10,400 / FD: $3,200 – By all appearances, J.T. Realmuto is having a down year. His OPS sits at .727, a continual decline from a high of .824 in 2018 (omitting the Covid-shortened season of 2020). He has not yet reached double-digit HRs and his current ISO hasn’t been this low since he was 25. Despite all this, Realmuto comes in as the 3rd ranked backstop in my DFS All Star balloting. You read that right, only 2 catchers have averaged more FanDuel points per game than J.T., Willson Contreras and Will Smith. How many of you thought Alejandro Kirk would have been tops? Nope, he actually comes in 5th behind Travis d’Arnaud. Anyway, back to Realmuto. Why is he scoring so many points in DFS? One reason is his success on the basepaths. With just one more SB, J.T. will already match his career high of 13 bags. The Phillies often score runs in bunches as well so that helps his DFS output too. He faces LHP Drew Smyly today in a positive matchup based on his historical splits. He may not be the sexiest option on the board today, but one that should get the job done.
Paul Goldschmidt, 1B: DK: $5,600 / FD: $4,200 – Taking home the hardware at 1B is Paul Goldschmidt. Averaging over 13.7 FanDuel points per game, Goldy is the clear leader of the pack, surpassing 2nd place Freddie Freeman by over a point per game. Further hardware will be forthcoming as his current .331/.414/.596 triple slash will no doubt garner plenty of NL MVP votes. The Cardinals slugger is also Hittertron’s #2 play of the day at 1B versus Tyler Mahle, whom he has a .996 OPS against in 26 ABs. It certainly doesn’t hurt his projections to play this game in the Queen City either. He comes at a hefty price tag but he’s worth it.
Jorge Polanco, 2B: DK: $5,200 / FD: $3,400 – I’ll admit, this one surprised me a bit. Among qualified 2B in my balloting, Jorge Polanco ranks 3rd at the keystone behind only Jose Altuve and Trevor Story. Polanco won’t likely reach the career counting stats he put up last season but is having a strong season none-the-less. In FanDuel, he’s averaging almost 11 points per game. When you consider Altuve is only averaging 1 point per game more but generally costs a much higher salary, Polanco is a virtual steal. He faces a RHP (Drew Hutchinson) in which his OPS is 200-points higher and 86% of his HRs come against. That looks like a favorable matchup to me.
Brandon Drury, 3B: DK: $5,100 / FD: $3,700 – The crème of the 3B crop is predictable. Jose Ramirez and Rafael Devers are head-and-shoulders above the rest of their hot corner mates. Either of these names are going to command a high salary day-in and day-out. Austin Riley is working his way into that top-tier conversation as well, and usually offers a little salary relief from these top two, but is not quite there yet. Today, I’m going to venture a little further down the list but not as far as you may think. Believe it or not, Brandon Drury comes in as the #5 3B in my DFS All-Star balloting at over 11.5 points per game in FanDuel. With Devers unexpectedly going on the IL yesterday, Hittertron now has Drury as the #3 ranked 3B today too. Not a bad way to save some salary!
Willy Adames, SS: DK: $5,000 / FD: $3,600 – Another surprise DFS All-Star comes in at SS. Predictably, Trea Turner is the #1 DFS SS at over 12.5 points per game in FanDuel. Right behind him is Adames. Looking at Willy’s season-long numbers doesn’t exactly line up with being the #2 scoring SS in DFS. In fact, his slash of .219/.292/.481 suggests a SS getting ready to become a utility player than an All-Star. The reason for his strong DFS numbers, 20 HRs, 50 Rs and 52 RBIs. The Brewers host Chad Kuhl and the Rockies today. Adames is 3 for 5 against Kuhl and 15 of his 20 HRs against other RHP this season. Let’s hope for more of the same today.
Aaron Judge, OF: DK: $6,100 / FD: $4,500 – Whether you’ve followed most of my recommendations so far or not, this is the one no-brainer to build most of your lineups around. Hopefully, you have salary available for the DFS MVP. Instead of going through the long list of stats to justify spending so much here, I’ll just state one. Judge is 3-4 with 2 HRs against Dean Kremer. All Rise!
George Springer, OF: DK: $5,200 / FD: $3,800 – For my second OF selection, we’ll give the nod to the #2 ranked OF in Hittertron and the #7 ranked OF in DFS. If you follow my Sunday DFS musings, you know I like picking Springer. Personally, I didn’t need convincing this was a good selection. With an average of over 11 FanDuel points per game, he should be bringing others into the fold as well. The Jays are scheduled to face Brayan Bello and his ERA north of 10.00. Can you say “lead off HR” with me?
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
All the East Coast games are going to be hot, especially in Baltimore where the temperature/humidity combo will make it feel like 105-106 degrees during the game. There is a chance of rain at game time in Detroit, but it’s supposed to tail off throughout the day. The wind is supposed to be blowing out in Milwaukee which should spell good news for our SS pick.
Doing Lines In Vegas
Other than Seattle and San Diego, both at +105, I’m hesitant to jump on any of the underdogs today. This looks like a day filled with winnable prop bets though, especially offensively in the O’s-NYY, TOR-BOS, and STL-CIN games.
