It was the best of times on Draft, it was the worst of times, it was the age of spin rate, it was the age of launch angle… Charles Dickens wrote of the disruptive world of eighteenth-century Europe in “A Tale Of Two Cities.” Present-day baseball is full of disruption, such as Gerrit Cole and the Astros maximizing spin to dramatic effect.
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Gerrit Cole, SP: Early. Cole finally got touched up for some runs the last time out when he gave up a couple long balls. It wasn’t a horrible line by any means, at only 3 earned runs, so I’m not paying it much attention. Cole’s 13.5 K/9 is second in all of baseball. He good.
Garrett Richards, SP: Middle. Maybe I just have some deep-rooted infatuation with the name. This Garrett has had a solid season as well. Pairing a 55 GB% with a 10.2 K/9, he stands out in two of the fundamental DFS pitching metrics. The Blue Jays have been below average offensively, as well.
Caleb Smith, SP: Late. The Mets own a league-worst wOBA vs LHPs of .268 and strike out at a healthy 26.7%. Smith has been useful in spots this year in the starts he’s racked up some Ks; that is, when he’s not being inefficient with his pitch count. There is concern whether the Marlin’s offense can plate enough to give him a win, but a worthwhile gamble late.
Gary Sanchez, IF: Early. The Yankees offer an abundance of right-handed power to attack Cole Hamels with. The Sanchino is the best of them at handling fastball-changeup pitchers at the moment. He probably won’t be the first Pinstriper off the board, but certainly one you should consider early.
Manny Machado, IF: Middle. Machado consistently generates mid-nineties exit velocities. James Shields gives up hard hits aplenty. Manny is aptly the Hittertron’s third-favorite bat.
Ozzie Albies, IF: Late. I’m not really sure why some of the hitters are buried as far down the Draft projections as they are, but that is always a source of value. Albies is one such bargain. Maybe Vince Velasquez’s recent surge has some worried, but the young Brave scored 3 runs with 3 RBIs against VV in their last meeting.
Mike Trout, OF: Early. J.A. Happ’s gotten by on fooling hitters with smoke and mirrors, though not without the occasional blow-up. You need more than guile to hold Mike Trout in check. I’ll go as far as to predict a first-pitch dong in one of his at-bats.
Gregory Polanco, OF: Middle. Don’t let the new uniform sway you: the Dark Knight’s days of vigilante pitching justice are still over. Polanco is above average against all of Matt Harvey’s pitches except the slider, and that’s effective only with increased velocity. I wouldn’t gamble on Harvey maintaining that.
Andrew Benintendi, OF: Late. It wasn’t the hottest start to the season for Benintendi, but he’s come on lately. Jacob Faria lives in the strike zone, which should lead to a nice floor for most of the Red Sox. Benintendi will be the one you can get late.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
The nation’s capital looks like it could be in for more nasty weather.
Doing Lines in Vegas
There’s plenty of blow-up potential between Matt Koch and Jhoulys Chacin with the Brewers taking on the Diamondbacks in Miller Park. I like the OVER on the 8.5 line.
