Sometimes on a FanDuel slate the starting pitchers aren’t the shiniest objects. Yes, there are Aces, but first basemen are the main attraction. The stats are just too compelling. And when it comes to production stats, ISO (Isolated Power from Fangraphs), combined with our awesome Razzball tools, is the straw that stirs the drink. That production leads to scoring on FanDuel, which leads to winning. More after a word from our sponsor.
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The most expensive is Anthony Rizzo ($4,300). Rizzo has been punishing the ball to a .383 ISO over the past two weeks, and has a .556 average with a 1.667 OPS, including a 2b and HR, against Jack Flaherty. There is a weather complication (see below) in St. Louis, but there are plenty of other options. Carlos Santana ($4,000) is next. He’s hammering the ball to a .378 ISO lately, and in 15 at bats against Ivan Nova he has hit .333/1.111, including two 2bs and a HR. Last, but not least, is Matt Adams ($2,800). His recent ISO is .286, and he has hit .556/1.786 with two HR vs Tanner Roark in 9 at bats. Now on to the picks.
Clayton Kershaw, SP: $10,100 – Not only is Kershaw 5-0 with a 3.46 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. His opponent, the Phillies, only hit a combined .205 against him. Throw in the fact that he is at home in the spacious Dodgers Stadium, where he has a 2.13 ERA over the last three years, and he’s the best pick of today’s Aces. Jacob deGrom is at the bandbox that is Chase Field in Arizona. And Justin Verlander has a 5.11 ERA in Oakland over the last few years.
Lance Lynn, SP: $9,000 – Lynn is a pretty decent bet today. The Kansas City Royals only hit .259/.631 against him, and while he has a 5.92 ERA at home this year, he’s also faced tougher competition and managed to go 3-0 in four starts in Texas. It also helps that his Rangers teammates his .319/.882 against his opponent Homer Bailey, so he could have a good cushion and potentially pitch deeper in the game even if he allows a few runs.
Gary Sanchez, C: $4,100 – There’s a lot of compelling 1B/C calls today. Think of it as lot of ways to mix and match with Rockies, Dodgers or Rangers bats, who are the top three projected runs scoring offenses on the slate. Sanchez has a healthy .425 ISO the last two weeks, and gets to take his right handed hacks at home, where he has a 1.010 OPS. He also gets to face righty Rick Porcello, and he has a 1.030 OPS against right handers this year.
Matt Wieters, C: $2,500 – This guy is scorching the ball to .467 ISO the last two weeks. For some perspective, Christian Yelich leads the league with a .393 ISO year to date. This may be the hottest stretch of Wieters career. He’s home in St. Louis, which could be rainy. But he does have a 2b in the 2-3 he’s got against Jose Quintana in his career. This is probably the best value of the day if he’s starting.
Derek Dietrich, 2B: $3,200 – If Wieters is scorching the ball, Dietrich is going full God of Thunder on the poor leather and string. He’s got a .750 ISO the last two weeks. He hit 12 HR in May, 7 over the past two weeks, and 5 in the last 7 days, including a 3 HR day on May 28th that won a lot of Fanduel games on it’s own. He’s at home in Cincinnati, where he’s hit .281/1.196 this year, and has a 1.138 OPS against righties like Erik Fedde, today’s opponent. At this price he may be even more of a bargain than Wieters.
Ryan McMahon, 2B: $3,500 – Ryan McMahon starts against righties for the Rockies, and today he gets right hander Marcus Stroman of the Blue Jays. McMahon has a .344 ISO his last two weeks, and has a .848 OPS at home.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 3B: $3,400 – He’s #1 on the Hittertron, our beloved Razzball tool of choice. He’s had a .818 OPS against righties this year, like his opponent today Jon Gray. He’s in the thin air of Colorado. Despite hitting below .240 this year so far, he can break out at any time. Sure, a lot of people will have him on their rosters, but have him as your 3B and get your edge in other places.
Gleyber Torres, SS: $3,800 – Another hot right handed Yankee bat against Rick Porcello, Torres has a .413 ISO over the past two weeks. He has a .944 OPS against right handers. Furthermore, he enjoys the cozy confines of Yankee Stadium, hitting .301 there over the past three years.
Amed Rosario, SS: $3,000 – This young New York Metropolitan has never faced Zack Greinke, but he does hit .264 against righthanders. He has a legit .264 ISO over the past two weeks, and a 2b and a HR in limited at bats in Arizona at Chase Field.
Christian Yelich, OF: $4,800 – He is leading the league with the aforementioned .393 ISO for the year. He has hit .333/1.111 vs today’s opponent Nick Kingham, including a 2b and a HR.
Joc Pederson, OF: $3,700 – He’s facing right hander Zach Eflin, which means he’s starting. He’s got a .424 ISO the last two weeks. He’s got Clayton Kershaw’s back. Start him.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr., OF $3,500 – He’s in Colorado, and he has a Dietrech-like .571 ISO over the past two weeks. Case closed.
Jackie Bradley Jr., OF $2,800 – We just wanted to channel Sean Connery in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade with all the Juniors. No, seriously, it’s hard to believe, but he has a .395 ISO over the past two weeks. He’s cheap. He’s facing right hander Domingo German, with that inviting short right field porch at Yankee Stadium. German is 9-1, but did allow 7 earned runs to the Royals last time out.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
Check the forecast in St. Louis for Cubs and Cardinals. There’s light to heavy to light to maybe some clearing in the forecast.
Doing Lines In Vegas
Stack ’em, pack ’em and rack ’em: The highest projected runs scored today are the Rockies (5.88) vs the Blue Jays, the Dodgers (5.24) vs the Phillies, and the Rangers (5.06) vs the Royals.
The best and the brightest: The biggest favorites today are the Dodgers (-221) vs the Phillies, the Astros (-186) at the A’s, and the Mets (-181) at the Diamondbacks.
