MLB DFS: The Stud and Steal of the Day 8/10
Welcome Back!
We are back with the stud and steal of the day for MLB DFS! Looking at tonight’s slate of twelve 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
-All Star Break-
7/25:Albert Pujols: 3/5, 3 1B’s, 1 R, 4 RBI’s
7/28: Maikel Franco:1/5, 1 HR, 1 R, 3 RBI’s
8/4: Mark Trumbo: 1/4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R
Next: The Stud of the Day
MLB DFS: The Stud of the Day: Mookie Betts, OF, ($5,600 DK, $4,400 FD)
There is arguably no better offense in baseball than the Red Sox and apart from maybe David Ortiz nobody has meant more to the team than Mookie Betts. No right handed pitcher is safe at Fenway Park whenever Betts is in the lineup and tonight he gets to go up against a shockingly average one in Nathan Eovaldi of the Yankees.
Betts vs. RHP @ Home: 71/207, .343 AVG, 19 2B’s, 8 HR’s, 37 RBI’s, 38 R’s, 9 SB’s
Not only does he hit for average against righties, 27 of his 71 hits have been for extra bases. That sort of elite power is normally reserved for the #4 and #5 hitters on a team but another added benefit of Betts is that he bats leadoff. While this does somewhat limit his RBI opportunities, it also maxes out the number of times he gets to hit during a game. Given the talent behind him in the order, there’s a decent chance that when he gets on someone will drive him in.
Now that we’ve talked about Betts for a little bit lets move on to Nathan Eovaldi. I personally have picked on him before in past articles and have gotten a decent amount of success doing so. While he has decent stuff, he struggles with keeping the ball in the park, (23 HR’s in 123 Innings) and against a lineup like Boston that can be a problem. August has also not been kind to Eovaldi as he has pitched 7 innings and has a 45 hard hit ball % against to go with his 5.14 e.r.a.
Betts vs. Eovaldi career: 5/16, .312 AVG, 1 2B
While not the most impressive numbers in a limited sample size, Betts is still hitting over .300 and is due for a big night. I wouldn’t overthink this one, use Mookie Betts tonight and look to grab a few more of the vaunted Red Sox bats as well.
Next: The Steal of the Day
MLB DFS: The Steal of the Day: Salvador Perez, C, ($2,600 DK, $3,000 FD)
While Jose Quintana has had a very good year for the White Sox, I cannot understand why Salvador Perez is this cheap tonight. He is in the midst of another great year and has become one of the best hitting catchers in all of baseball… yet for some reason he only costs $2,600.
At first I figured it had something to do with Perez not being able to hit lefties, but one look at his splits suggests that this is not the case.
Perez vs. LHP @ Home: 13/46, .283 AVG, 4 HR, 7 RBI’s
While the .283 average won’t blow you away, it is 20 points higher than his .263 combined average which for a catcher is very good. He also hits 40 points higher at home vs. left handed pitching compared to on the road and tonight’s game is in Kansas City.
So if it isn’t because of the handedness of the pitcher, maybe it has something to do with the history between Quintana and Perez. When I checked the data I was expecting to see a sub .200 average vs. Quintana but what I found was the exact opposite.
Perez vs. Quintana-18/51, .353 AVG, 4 2B’s, 2 HR’s, 8 RBI’s
Perez has absolutely owned Quintana in his career which is what makes the low price tag that much more baffling. I expect that he will be highly owned which does put a bit of a damper on things, (Specifically GPP’s) but nevertheless I will be having 100% exposure to Salvador tonight. If you are in a bit of a crunch with your budget I advise you to look at some of the other Royals tonight for a bit of a contrarian stack. Lorenzo Cain and Kendrys Morales have also had a lot of success vs. Quintana and come at a nice price.
Best of luck to everyone playing DFS tonight and may we all win money.