Because German Marquez is so money, and you’ll want to get him in your FantasyDraft team today if you can. Let’s fire things up and see who else we’ve got on the slate, and where, and how much they cost (in fake fantasy dollar terms). On your marquez, get set, go!
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Programming note: For the first time in lo these many weeks, almost all the games count on FantasyDraft! But they’re split into 2 slates. The Early slate comprises the 1 p.m. to the 4 p.m. games (inclusive), and the Main slate consists of the 7 p.m. and later games. (The only game left out in the cold is Athletics @ Rays.) I’ll try to give you some options for both slates, so you can pick your poison.
Last thing before we get to the picks (really really): this is my last Saturday post for the 2018 season; as of next week I’m on vacation, and my co-editor extraordinaire, Matt Truss (thanks, Matt!), will be sliding into the FantasyDraft seat for the final two Saturdays before September slips away and into the playoffs. Thanks for hanging with me! Come find me on Twitter, where I’m Victoria in a hat rather than on one.
Early slate: Pitchers
Mike Clevinger, SP: $21,300 – Hey, the Tigers are now only sixth-last in MLB! I don’t care, I’d still start Clevinger against them; he’s Streamonator’s #2 pitcher on the day and he’s held them to .205 so far this season. Pair him up with … oy. I don’t know. All the feasible pitching options in this slate are expensive; you’re pretty much forced to either splurge, or punt completely with someone like Sean Reid-Foley ($11,800), who will look really good for about 3 innings and then give up 2 grand slams in a row or something. Try Rich Hill ($17,600) if you can afford both, despite my misgivings — see below.
Rich Hill, SP: $17,600 – This one makes me a little nervous, just because the Cards are good against LHP. And Hill gave up 4 runs in his last 2 starts: the last time you could dismiss as being in Coors… but the time before that was against the poor old Mets. However, today is a new day! And Busch Stadium favors pitchers and Hill has that sweet, sweet 10.13 K/9. Drool.
Main slate: Pitchers
German Marquez, SP: $22,800 – I love this start for the main slate. So does FantasyDraft; hence the price. It’s going down in the supremely pitcher-friendly AT&T Park versus the poor old Giants, who last night finally won a game after an 11-game losing streak (dear God)! Marquez has had 3 games in a row with double-digit Ks; his K/9 is 10.24, while the Giants are striking out at a 23.7% clip. He’s vorsprung durch Technik, only with a human. You’re gonna need someone cheap to pair him up with — your old-school Beetle to his Audi — so how about the Padres’ Eric Lauer, pitching in San Diego; Streamonator’s 7th-highest pitcher of the day and a mere $12,800.
Charlie Morton, SP: $18,600 – The guy with the 9-th best K/9 in MLB (10.78) takes on the team with the 7th-highest strikeout rate in MLB, aka the Diamondbacks. It’s a match made in heaven (we hope). Sir Charles of Morton is Streamonator’s #1 boo today, with Mike Clevinger a hair behind (weird because Clevinger has way more hair).
Early slate: Infielders
Freddie Freeman, IF: $9,600 – Hittertron’s top IF of the day is facing Jeremy Hellickson in Atlanta, where he’s hitting .293. I know we usually prefer to run Freddie out against lefties, but, you know, he’s also got a .301 average versus RHP. <shrug emoji>
Eugenio Suarez, IF: $8,400 – All season, he’s been the gift that keeps on giving, and hopefully again today for the righty-lefty match-up versus Jon Lester (OPS of 1.081 in 31 at-bats). Lester games begin!
Kendrys Morales ($7,600)/Justin Smoak, IF: $8,400 – Here are 2 cheapie plays, a 2-headed Smoak monster, if you will. If either of these guys start today (they may not: the Jays are running out all the rookies these last few weeks), play them. They have similar numbers versus CC Sabathia with OPS numbers in the high 800s. But if you can’t stomach them, how about the interestingly priced Rafael Devers, at $8,000? The start’s at home in Boston, and Streamonator projects Mets pitcher Corey Oswalt to have a supremely horrible day (SON$ -32.1. That makes him the lowest-ranked pitcher of the day. Compare and contrast with #1, Charlie Morton, at SON$29).
Early slate: Outfielders
Bryce Harper, OF: $10,500 – I’m not gonna lie that owning Bryce in roto has been something of an up-and-down trial this season – he’s picked it up a little since the All-Star Break; at the very least, he’s taking a walk most games. But as I’ve said before, in DFS we take it day by day, and I have a good feeling about this day for Bryce versus Julio Teheran. It’s a lefty-righty match-up in Sun Trust Park, and in a BVP history that has to-date a lifespan of 40 at-bats, Harper has a 1.685 OPS with 10 HRs. Yep, 10. Also in this price range are Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez, Hittertron’s 1 and 2 on the day, $11,100 and $10,100, respectively. You could probably grab any one of these three and be fine. Or any Red Sock, really.
Juan Soto, OF: $8,700 – Another Hittertron pick, nice and snug at #18 overall, for the lefty-righty match-up versus Julio Teheran at home, where he’s hitting .310.
Main slate: Infielders
Eddie Rosario, IF: $9,200 – This makes for a decent lefty-righty match-up versus Ian Kennedy; Rosario has a .984 OPS against Kennedy and Streamonator’s pretty meh about his pitching prospects, ranking him 12th today.
Rhys Hoskins, IF: $8,700 – I’m pleasantly surprised by this price, for Hittertron’s 14th-ranked hitter overall today. He’s been smoking hot over the last few days. Plus this is in Philly, versus Streamonator’s 2nd-lowest-ranked pitcher of the day — Miami’s Elieser Hernandez sports (and I use the term loosely) a 4.25 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. What could go wrong? (Probably everything.)
Main slate: Outfielders
Mike Trout, OF: $10,500 – I’m going to steal a line off RotoWan: “Pick Mike Trout because you only have a few weeks left to do it.” And oh yeah, because he’s always done just fine versus Erasmo Ramirez. But he costs a fortune, I know, so…
Starling Marte, OF: $9,800 – As much as Harper has been a bane to own all season, Marte has been mostly a boon. I’m running him out in Miller Park today; he likes it there. He’s hitting .346 there this season, to be exact.
Carlos Gonzalez, OF: $6,500 – So Cargon hasn’t been hitting much even in Coors, never mind AT&T park. I know this. But I might give him a go today regardless, for the ridiculous price and the robust BVP versus MadBum: these 2 seasoned old salts have gone face to face 67 times (!) and Gonzalez has mostly come out on top, with a .964 OPS and 5 home runs.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
Today I ain’t happy because it ain’t raining anywhere there’s baseball (at least in the forecast at time of writing).
Doing Lines In Vegas
Teamonator tells us that Vince Velasquez and the Phillies have probably Got This versus the Marlins, at -231. Then there’s Charlie Morton and the Astros over the D-Backs, at -209, with Mike Clevinger and the Indians close on their heels to take it over the Tigers, at -203. Slimmest odds of the day are the White Sox to beat Baltimore at -104. Interestingly, in the Madison Bumgarner versus German Marquez match-up, the edge to the Rockies is only -108. I still believe, though.
Big hitting day called for in Fenway, where the Red Sox take on the Mets: 11.20. Atlanta would be your next place for lots of lovely runs, with 9.90 projected in the Nats-Braves game.
