MLB DFS: The Stud and Steal of the Day 7/25
Welcome Back!
We are back with the stud and steal of the day for MLB DFS! Looking at tonight’s slate of eleven baseball games, it can be daunting to decide who deserves a place in your lineup. Knowing which star player is worth the money can be the difference between a winning night and one that ends in failure. However, finding the hidden gems that perform well are equally as important because they can let you spend more on your starting pitchers. This article will touch on one expensive player who is primed to have a big night, and one cheap player whom you wouldn’t normally play but is a great play tonight in MLB DFS.
Past Plays:
6/27:Mike Trout:3/4, 1 HR, 2B, 2R’s 1 RBI
6/28: Josh Donaldson:2/5, 3B,BB,3 RBI’s,1R
6/28:Giancarlo Stanton :3/5, 1 HR, 2 1B, 3 RBI’s, 1 R
7/4:Kris Bryant: 1/1, 2 BB’s, 1 HR, 2 RBI’s
7/4:Travis d’Arnaud: 3/4, 1 HR, 2 1B’s, 2 RBI’s, 2 R’s
7/5:Buster Posey: 1/3, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB
Next: The Stud of the Day
MLB DFS: Stud of the Day: Josh Donaldson, 3B, ($5,600 DK, $5,100 FD)
I know what you’re thinking, ” Really? Josh Donaldson again?”, and yes the stud of the day is yet again Josh Donaldson. I swear this isn’t just because he’s the best third baseman in all of baseball, the advanced statistics also back him up at home vs. right hander Colin Rea. While he hits lefties for a better average, all of Donaldson’s power has come against right handers at home this year.
Donaldson @ Home vs RHP: .314 AVG, 12 HR’s, 10 2B’s, 1 3B
Donaldson @ Home vs LHP: .364 AVG, 0 HR’s, 5 2B’s
As you can see, while the .364 average against lefties is certainly impressive, Donaldson is a much better DFS play when he faces right handers.
Now lets move on to the pitcher he gets to face off against, Colin Rea of the Padres. Taking a quick glance at his splits, the one situation that Rea struggles with is against Right handed batters on the road.
Rea vs. RHB on the Road: 26/99, .292 AVG, 6 HR’s, 8 2B’s
What really stands out to me is the fact that 14 of the 26 hits total (53%) went for extra bases. This goes to show that when a batter makes contact against Rea it generally is going to be a very hard hit ball. The advanced data backs this claim up as right-handed batters have a 32.9 Hard Hit ball percentage and a 45.2 medium hit ball percentage against Rea respectively.
Donaldson is arguably the best player in baseball, when he gets a match up like this don’t over think it. If you can afford to stack him with other Blue Jays I would highly recommend doing so.
Next: The Steal of the Day
MLB DFS: The Steal of the Day: Albert Pujols, 1B, ($3,800 DK and FD)
Once regarded as the best player in all of baseball, Albert Pujols has certainly started the inevitable decline that every player goes through towards the end of their career. This being said, he still has a ton of power (19 HR’s) and is facing a pitcher in Ian Kennedy who gives up A TON of home runs to right-handed batters. Throw in the success that Pujols has had vs. Kennedy in his career and I absolutely love Albert for $3,800.
Pujols vs. Kennedy- 4/10, .400 AVG, 3 HR’s, 1 2B, 4 RBI’s, 1.400 SLG, 1.817 OPS
While this is admittedly a very small sample size, Pujols has crushed Kennedy when he has faced off against him. The fact that all of his hits are for extra bases should lead you to believe that he sees the ball extremely well against Kennedy and there are advanced stats that prove this isn’t a fluke.
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Kennedy has given up 12 HR’s and 6 2B’s to go with a 36.8 hard hit ball percentage to right-handed bats in only 57 innings pitched this year. When you can find a match-up like this you need to exploit it, especially given how important home runs and doubles are in DFS.
I would highly advise using Mike Trout in a mini stack with Pujols as both absolutely rake vs. right handers and have amazing power. I wouldn’t be surprised to see both hit one out tonight but because of Pujols’ reduced price, he is the player I would make sure is in my lineups.
Best of luck to everyone and may we all win money tonight!