Fansided

MLB FanDuel Lineup and Picks for Thursday, May 24

By Adam Strangis

KANSAS CITY, MO - APRIL 13: Shohei Ohtani
KANSAS CITY, MO - APRIL 13: Shohei Ohtani /
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OAKLAND, CA – APRIL 01: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in congratulated by teammates after Trout scored against the Oakland Athletics in the top of the seventh inning at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on April 1, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – APRIL 01: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in congratulated by teammates after Trout scored against the Oakland Athletics in the top of the seventh inning at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on April 1, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Angels at Blue Jays – Early Slate

Angels Probable Starter – Nick Tropeano, RHP 

4.45 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 19.4 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .295 average, .316 wOBA, 31.3 fly ball rate and 43.8 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .193 average, .351 wOBA, 54.5 fly ball rate and 47.7 hard contact rate

Tropeano is a tougher guy to figure out. Lefties hit for a much higher average but not for a ton of power. Righties don’t get a hold of the ball a lot but it tends to hurt a little bit more. I don’t think I’d use Tropeano on such a short slate because things could go terribly wrong for him. The strikeout rate isn’t terribly appealing either. The two best options of the Blue Jays regulars by wOBA against righties are Curtis Granderson and Kevin Pillar.

Granderson is a nice cheap option while Pillar is a hair more expensive and likely not as chalky. He could always steal a base as well. Josh Donaldson is intriguing because he’s cold right now and on the wrong side of the splits for average. However, he’s on the right side of it for power and he’s a really good GPP option. Teoscar Hernandez is in the exact same boat.

Blue Jays Hitters to Target

Elite Options – Curtis Granderson, Kevin Pillar, Luke Maile(if he plays)

Secondary Options – Josh Donaldson, Teoscar Hernandez

Blue Jays Probable Starter – Marco Estrada, RHP

5.15 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 18.6 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .258 average, .363 wOBA, 53.6 fly ball rate and 30.4 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .288 average, .372 wOBA, 54.9 fly ball rate and 34.1 hard contact rate

Estrada leans on a changeup as his primary pitch outside of his fast ball so I’m interested in who hits that pitch well for the Angels. There’s only two options. One is Mike Trout because A. He’s Mike Trout, B. He hits changeups well and C. Refer to A. However, he’s not the team leader against said pitch. That would be Andrelton Simmons. A lot of the Angels regulars don’t rate well against the change but Estrada is still not a good pitcher and he’s slightly worse to righties. This could potentially be a smash spot for the Angels.

Angels Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Mike Trout, Andrelton Simmons, Justin Upton

Secondary Options – Shohei Ohtani

Home Run Pick – Mike Trout

BALTIMORE, MD – APRIL 20: Dylan Bundy #37 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches against the Cleveland Indians at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 20, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – APRIL 20: Dylan Bundy #37 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches against the Cleveland Indians at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 20, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

Orioles at White Sox – Early Slate

Orioles Probable Starter – Dylan Bundy, RHP

4.70 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 26.8 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .327 average, .412 wOBA, 50.6 fly ball rate and 34.6 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .203 average, .319 wOBA, 47.9 fly ball rate and 34.3 hard contact rate

So remember earlier when I said three game slates are weird? A prime example is Bundy is likely going to be the chalk give the options on the Early slate. He’s the only pitcher with legitimate upside and that definitely means he’s going to get waxed today. I don’t think you have any other options in cash games because Bundy is just $8,500. The White Sox do possess a top 12 strikeout rate against righties but I still might play a hitter like Yoan Moncada against Bundy with that fly ball rate. I wouldn’t touch the righties but the lefties could really pay off.

White Sox Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Yoan Moncada, Daniel Palka, Yolmer Sanchez

Secondary Options – Matt Davidson, Jose Abreu

White Sox Probable Starter – Lucas Giolito, RHP 

6.42 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 12.3 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .247 average, .387 wOBA, 45.2 fly ball rate and 32.9 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .217 average, .309 wOBA, 42.1 fly ball rate and 27.3 hard contact rate

Giolito actually put up a half decent startles time out against Texas but I just can’t trust a pitcher who has more walks than strikeouts. That’s a recipe for utter disaster and the lefty bats for the Orioles would be what I want to chase… if they had any to chase. Chris Davis is the only lefty of any reputation so it might be best to take some chances with the righties. Since Bundy is so cheap,  it’s possible to play Manny Machado and Mike Trout in the same lineup, which I might end up doing. If I’m going to lose today, I’d rather do it with the two best hitters in my lineup.

Orioles Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Manny Machado, Chris Davis, Pedro Alvarez, Mark Trumbo

Secondary Options – Adam Jones, Trey Mancini, Jonathan Schoop

Home Run Pick – Pedro Alvarez