DraftKings MLB Picks: Top Bargain plays for August 26th
Finding value is the ever so elusive, “Holy Grail.” Making cap room for pitchers and big bats can make all the difference in a lineup. With a little elbow grease in the research department, I’m hoping to offer a handful of players that could give critical salary relief for tonight’s DraftKings MLB picks.
Tonight’s slate offers us a full 15 games to choose from. Toronto has the highest projected team total at 6.5 runs, followed by Washington (5.5), Arizona (5.4), and Boston (5.4). Similarly to last night, you’ll want to have exposure to Toronto batters in some capacity. No one team stands out as the most under priced, but a few cheap batters with power upside that could make excellent sources of salary relief in tournaments. Here are my top recommended bargain plays.
Next: Value Plays
Darwin Barney – TOR (2B/3B) – $2600
Barney was unable to draw the lead off spot for the Blue Jays last night, but he’s on the good side of a righty vs. lefty split and could be batting first. If so, he’ll be the best value by far.
Carlos Santana – CLE (1B) – $3700
I really like Santana’s price here in a spot where Cleveland could put up some runs on Texas. Santana is a switch hitter, who fares better against righties with a .242 ISO split. He’s much cheaper on DraftKings and his power upside will be appealing tonight.
Justin Ruggiano – NYM (OF) – $2900
Ruggiano has gone off since returning from the disabled list and while it’s a fairly small sample, this spot vs. the Phillies should bode well for him. He’ll get chance to face a lefty, in a game where the Mets are projected to score 4.9 runs.
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Ezequiel Carrera – TOR (OF) – $3400
If Barney and Carrera draw the first and second spots in the order, they’ll be some of the best bargain plays on the slate. Carrera is a lefty with reverse splits, but benefits primarily from his spot in the order on the team expected to score the most runs.
Tyler Collins – DET (OF) – $2600
No surprises here, Collins is sub $3000, facing a righty, where the Tigers could score upwards of 5 runs. He a great punt option in the outfield.
Chris Heisey – WSH (OF) – $3100
Heisey will be another power option for a very affordable price. Heisey is a righty with reverse splits that holds a .354 wOBA and a .268 ISO against righties. He also has some intriguing batted ball stats. In the last 15 days, Heisey has an average batted ball distance of 238 feet. Of these batted balls, 53% were FB (which we want for home run upside). With Washington projected to score 5.5 runs, I wouldn’t be shocked if Heisey goes yard.
A.J. Pollock – ARI (OF) – $3300
After missing the entire season with a fractured elbow, Pollock is set to make his season début tonight against the Reds. He looked great last year and his rehab assignments point towards more of the same. With Arizona’s projected total of 5.4 runs, Pollock should be in consideration.
Hyun Soo Kim – BAL (OF) – $3600
Kim is facing a lefty in an extremely hitter friendly ball park, where Baltimore is projected to score 4.8 runs.
Others to Consider:
Curtis Granderson ($3400)/Asdrubal Cabrera ($3400) (Whoever is in the two hole), Josh Bell ($2900), Steve Pearce ($3100), Xander Bogaerts ($3500), Didi Gregorious ($3600), Jason Kipnis ($3600), Tommy Pham ($3900)
Note: Keep in mind that recommended plays are based off of early information and will be subject to change as lineups are released. Some cheaper players are more suspect to be scratched from the lineup or bumped down the lineup order. Follow me on Twitter @MattMcGarvey215, where I’ll try to update these plays the best I can!