As a Mariners fan, it’s very rare I have much of any empathy for other teams and their fans, especially teams that just came off winning a World Series. And yet, here I am looking at the sad state of the Royals and think to myself ‘how many black cats crossed this team’s path?’. A majority of KC’s masterpiece last year was the young nucleus staying healthy, guided by Alex Gordon as the vet, and a crazy good bullpen. Flash forward to this year and it seems like the entire team is on the DL. No really! This is not the roster it was back in 2015 and the numbers resemble it. The Royals have the 5th worst wRC+ on the year and are K’ing about 5% more than they did last year. But even those numbers lie a little because it keeps some of the early part of the year – read: when the team was healthier – in the equation. So instead, I’m looking at their second half numbers and yup, worst team in baseball by wRC+ standards. Yes, worse than the Phillies and the Braves. Yes, that is really, really gross. But now that I’ve done all that research, it’s time to turn it into some cash money and with that, we get Tyler Duffey. Tyler’s game log inspires zero confidence as it’s about as up and down as a certain type of professional dancer around certain poles. That said, at $5,700, he inspires me to call him my SP2 in tourneys. Now that we’ve turned the Royals’ pain into our gain, let’s see what else we should do. Here’s my hung over and maybe still drunk taeks for this Saturday DK slate…
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Madison Bumgarner, SP: $12,700 – Yes, I know, a big duh that the top priced pitcher is a good play. That said, I would like to point out the Orioles have been pretty low in the second half, sporting a 76 wRC+ and arguably their best hitter over that stretch – Pedro Alvarez – is a lefty and a DH who won’t see the field today. So sing The Bum Bum Song in all formats.
Tyler Anderson, SP: $9,500 – If you’re curious about my Jacob deGrom take, here it is: not as safe as you think he is. Padres have been a solid team offensively for a while and they are near the top in wRC+ in the second half. The Phillies, though? Yeah, they still ain’t any good. I say Tyler Anderson is a tourney only because his price shouldn’t be this high but because it is, his ownership is gonna be low. The fact that he’s a legitimately good pitcher adds to the fun of it.
Zach Davies, SP: $7,600 – This is a bit of an against the grain call seeing as I’ve been referencing second half stats. Overall, the Reds have been playing solid offensively since the break, but their overall stats away from home on the year tell a different story as they’re second to last in wRC+ across all teams in their away splits. And with Davies actually pitching well overall, it’s hard not to like him in tourneys today.
Adam Conley, SP: $7,000 – The price is just right if you wanna go Conley and Bum in cash. Did you know the nickname for the White Sox is ‘Pale Hose’? Did you know that sounds dangerously close to making them Thots that don’t get much sun? Did you know that has little to nothing about why I’m suggesting Adam? Alright, now that we’ve covered those important topics, Conley looks primed for a 25 point performance as his home/road splits tell us to play him and his 2.88 home ERA in Miami.
Luke Weaver, SP: $4,200 – The Cubs have been a buzzsaw of a team since the break, but they can’t win them all. Or can they? *Inserts pondering emoji* Rookie pitchers are always a fun gamble since the opposing team knows little to nothing about them. The fact that Cool Hand Luke only needs about 16 points to net you a solid ROI makes this an easy call from a tourney perspective.
Gary Sanchez, C: $2,700 – Due to some schedule swapping, the last time I wrote was August 3rd, or ten days ago. Ten days ago, Sanchez was $2,600 and didn’t have a hit in the major leagues. Flash forward to now, he’s hitting .313 and has a HR in 33 PA but has only gone up $100. So yeah, just play him and don’t think too hard about it. If you wanna go against the grain a bit and pay up, Cameron Rupp at $3,700 against a lefty ain’t all that bad an idea. And of course, looking for a backup catcher in the $2K to $3K range is always wise on a Saturday…hell any day.
Miguel Cabrera, 1B: $4,600 – One of many reasons I’m not on Cole Hamels today. Miggy since the break has been scorching hot with 8 HRs and a 197 wRC+. If you want an intriguing stack today, look no further than Los Tigres. Consider this a thumbs up for Ian Kinsler, JD Martinez, and even James McCann.
Kennys Vargas, 1B: $4,200 – The power is real with Vargas. Of course, the Twins are real dumb so Joe Mauer will always and forever be a thing. But if the Twins decide raw power is gonna be the call today, I’d love to have Vargas as part of a Twins stack. Think Brian Dozier, Max Kepler, and Miguel Sano at the very least as Dillon Gee takes the mound…and then promptly leaves it after giving up 7 in 2 innings.
Chris Carter, 1B: $3,800 – Flyball pitcher meet flyball hitter who’s heating up. Carter ranks high on my Dong-o-meter today.
Ryan Schimpf, 2B: $3,100 – After a two HR day, you might consider this chasing. I consider it a value play on a guy who’s hot. It’s just that schimpfle.
Adrian Beltre, 3B: $4,900 – Not a value play here at all but it’s a great way to talk about another sexy stack today. The Rangers have some lefty mashers in their lineup and Beltre just happens to be one of them. Gimme Ian Desmond, Carlos Beltran, Elvis Andrus, and even some Delino DeShields Jr.
Hernan Perez, 3B/OF: $4,000 – When he stops doing good things, I’ll stop saying good things about him. Until then…
Chris Owings, SS/OF: $3,900 – Much like Tehol holding a Pepsi mini-can and an eight ball – or as he likes to call it, ‘a Tuesday’ – Owings has a little bit of pop and a little bit of speed. He’s hitting well and makes for a cheap way to attack Clay Buchholz today, and we all know you do.
Marcus Semien, SS: $2,900 – A shortstop with 23 HRs under $3K is a pretty damn simple plug and play for tourneys in my book. Of course, my book is currently titled ‘How to Lose Readership and DK Tourneys’, but I’m not quite sure I like the direction its going. Consider it a work in progress.
Michael Saunders, OF: $3,600 – Saunders has been quiet of late…a little too quiet. Maybe the bomb he hit last night wakes him up and leads to greater things. At this price, it’s worth checking.
Khris Davis, OF: $3,200 – He hit one out last night and he’s the type of hitter that goes on HR tears. Throw in Iwakuma’s shaky road numbers and you now understand why I’m Khrushing on Khris.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
So you were thinking about Angels and Indians, eh? Well stop it. There’s big, fugly weather issues in Cleveland today and pretty much the whole day. Very good chance for a PPD here, but check back closer to lock time on the game to see if that’s applicable, per usual.
Doing Lines In Vegas
The Vegas guys care not about how hard the Mets have fallen in the second half and have thusly fitted deGrom and company with the best odds of the day as they sit at -220 in Flushing. As previously discussed, I won’t argue in cash, but I’m more inclined to go Bum and Conley myself. Meanwhile, Kyle Hendricks and his Cubs hold down a solid -200 over the Cardinals today. I believe the Cubs can and will win, just not sure Hendricks is the play in any set up today. The other two big lines of BOSvsARZ and TEXvsDET have two of the largest O/U of the day at 10.5 and 9.5, respectively. Thus, stacks in play, but pitchers no way. The line in the PHIvsCOL game has moved in favor of a pitcher’s duel, down from 8 to 7.5. With that, perhaps even Jerad Eickhoff is in play today, I type as I stroke my beard and gaze up, contemplating. Same can be said for Kevin Gausman as the line has gone from 7.5 to 7 and Bumgarner only has a -150 line at home. The 8.5 line in the Park of Unicorn Vomit is intriguing as MIAvsCHW features James Shields. I’d consider myself a Marlins stack with Conley as my SP1 in tourneys, easy.
