Giants starter Jeff Samardzija is a shark lurking in the waters on Tuesday, ready to put up a big performance for those who draft him. He is only projected as the seventh-best starter, but I think Shark is your best option outside of the three aces pitching today. He went five scoreless against a tough Angels lineup in his first time out, and that was when he was restricted to just 80 pitches. With a longer leash, Samardzija should have an even better start against the Nats. A popular sleeper candidate before his injury, Samardzija posted a 24.2% K-rate with just a 3.8% walk-rate in 2017, putting up a 3.63 Deserved Run Average. He’s not a top-tier ace, but he’s still a very useful fantasy starter, and people will start realizing that soon enough.
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Felix Hernandez, SP: Blegh… I know, I don’t want to be rolling with Felix either, but he’s got a great matchup against the White Sox tonight. He actually hasn’t been awful in his last three starts since his implosion, putting up a 3.63 ERA in 17 innings with 15 strikeouts and three walks. You can get him super late in your drafts, and he should get the win against James Shields.
Robinson Cano, IF: Facing off against James Shields is good news for Felix Hernandez, but even better news for Cano. Shields has more walks than strikeouts this season and a 6.17 ERA. I’m drafting as many Mariners as I can, and Cano is the first one I’m targeting.
Rafael Devers, IF: Devers has more runs batted in (17) than any other Red Sox hitter, as he bats fifth in their lineup. That’s why I’m drafting him tonight against Blue Jays starter Aaron Sanchez. Sanchez has some major regression coming his way, as he’s got just a 13.8% K-rate with an 11.9% walk-rate. That’s good for a 4.38 FIP. It also helps that Toronto is one of the best hitting environments in all of baseball.
C.J. Cron, IF: Cron has really started to heat up, as he’s got three home runs in his last two games, and is batting .356 over the last two weeks. He bats second in the Rays order, which puts him in a nice spot for both runs and RBI. He will have the opportunity for plenty of those against Alex Cobb, who has gotten absolutely obliterated in both of his starts this season. Neither of those starts were at home, either, so his first start at hitter-friendly Camden Yards might just be even worse.
David Dahl, OF: Dahl is second (only behind his teammate Charlie Blackmon) on the Stream-o-nator tonight as he gets another game at home in Coors Field. Dahl has four hits through his first three games of the season, and if you think all the way back to 2016, you’ll remember the insane hype that surrounded him. His power/speed combo combined with the best hitter’s park in the league makes him an outstanding play.
Scott Schebler, OF: I always like to target hitters who have recently come off of the disabled list on Draft, because it seems like people always overlook them. Schebler hit 30 bombs last season and he’s always worth considering if he’s facing a righty at home. It would be awesome if he batted lead-off again, like he did Monday, but I’ll play him regardless.
Delino DeShields, OF: Hey, look, another recently activated hitter. The Dentist should score multiple runs against A’s starter Kendall Graveman, who has an insane 10.07 ERA through five starts. That’s not just from one bad outing, either – he’s allowed four earned runs or more every time out.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
Things aren’t looking good for the DBacks-Phillies matchup, with an 80% chance of rain by 8pm. I’d avoid if possible. The Rays-Orioles matchup also looks like it should have rain, although they might get by with a delay.
Doing Lines in Vegas
I’ll take the Twins at +160 against the Yankees in hopes that they continue to pile runs on Sonny Gray. It’s not fun betting against the Yankees lineup, but it could pay off nicely.
