Fansided

FanDuel picks and lineup for Saturday, March 31

By Adam Strangis

SURPRISE, AZ - MARCH 05: Joey Gallo
SURPRISE, AZ - MARCH 05: Joey Gallo /
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MILWAUKEE, WI – SEPTEMBER 23: Travis Shaw #21 of the Milwaukee Brewers rounds the bases after hitting a walk off home run to beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3 in ten innings at Miller Park on September 23, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI – SEPTEMBER 23: Travis Shaw #21 of the Milwaukee Brewers rounds the bases after hitting a walk off home run to beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3 in ten innings at Miller Park on September 23, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Third Base, High-End Spend

Early Slate

Anthony Rendon, $3,600

1.000/1.000/4.000 with 2 HRs in 2 at-bats

So this is clearly a small sample but Rendon has destroyed Reds starter Luis Castillo so far in their careers. Castillo has never retired Rendon as he’s also walked three times. Castillo relies on his fastball quite often and that plays directly into Rendon’s wheelhouse. I wouldn’t expect him to go bonkers, but third base is limited in its options as well.

All Day Special

Josh Donaldson, 

.256/.293/.754 with 2 HRs in 39 at-bats

There’s a pretty solid chance I won’t pay up at this position during the early slate as the options aren’t great. Donaldson lands here sort of by default. He’s also experiencing some trouble with his arm at the moment. Manager John Gibbons characterized it as “dead arm”. The flip side of that is the Jays could play him at DH, which lets the former All-Star focus on one thing: hitting the baseball.

Main Slate

Jake Lamb

.368/.368/.421 with 0 HRs in 19 at-bats

When a player like Jake Lamb faces off against a righty that he appears to see well, it’s just a matter of time before he takes said pitcher deep. The humidor concerns still loom out in Arizona, but Lamb doesn’t need to hit the ball out of the yard to stack up some points. He’s going to be smack in the middle of a good offense against a pitcher that hasn’t had a lot of success against them. Count me in as very interested.

Mid-Range

Early Slate 

Jeimer Candelario, $2,900

0 at-bats vs. Trevor Williams

I’m likely going up to Rendon in any contest but Candelario is about the only other viable option. Anything else would be a punt just to punt. Even Candelario is very much an unknown quantity. He held his own against righties in his limited action in 2017.

All Day Special 

Evan Longoria, $2,800

0 at-bats vs. Kenta Maeda

The veteran third baseman isn’t in the best spot but he is under $3,000 and could be at least worth a look. To be clear, it’s not much to write home about. His OPS against righties last season was still close to .750. It’s similar to his teammate Brandon Belt. Maeda isn’t completely terrifying but I’m probably sticking with Lamb even on the all day slate.

Main Slate 

Travis Shaw, $3,300

.000/.000/.000 with 0 HR in 3 at-bats

The Brewers third baseman had higher splits against righty pitchers last season and as an added bonus, he was also better on the road. He had an OPS of over .900 away from Milwaukee and faces a pretty poor pitcher today. Third base is bereft of many options so it appears it might be down to Lamb or Shaw.

Value

Early Slate – None 

All Day Special 

Matt Carpenter, $2,800

.214/.214/.429 with 1 HR in 14 at-bats

I wouldn’t make it a habit of trying to attack Jacob DeGrom, but Carpenter just feels a little too cheap not to at least mention. Again, I’m gravitating towards Lamb since he’s available to me. Carpenter just has too many ways to get on base. He fared much better against righties than lefties in 2017 as well.

Main Slate – None