MLB DFS Bargain Bin- Thursday, June 21st Evening Slates

MLB DFS Bargain Bin- Tout Transparency Report for Wednesday, June 20th Evening Slates

Before we get to today’s MLB DFS Bargain Bin recommendations, we’ll look back at how Wednesday’s suggestions did in the MLB DFS Bargain Bin Tout Transparency Report.

In the interest of transparency and tracking trends, I’ll do a quick review after each day in which I suggest value plays to see what went right, and what didn’t exactly work out as planned.

Wednesday was a mixed bag of sorts for Bargain Bin suggestions, and it certainly didn’t help that our bargain arm, Brent Suter, saw his game rained out. That fate also befell his teammate Orlando Arcia, who I’d thrown out as a late Twitter suggestion when original shortstop bargain play Amed Rosario of the Mets was out of the lineup.

Bargain catcher Wilson Ramos managed a pair of walks, while Yahoo/FantasyDraft special Devin Mesoraco came through again with another multi-hit effort that included two RBI. FanDuel/FantasyDraft special Salvador Perez managed only a single.

The Royals’ Hunter Dozier provided some nice value for his price despite the Royals surprisingly being unable to take advantage of Rangers starter Austin Bibens-Dirkx, as he did lace an RBI double off the right-hander early and added a single later. Original second base suggestion Hernan Perez was out of the lineup (and ultimately saw his game rained out anyhow), but suggested Twitter pivot Wilmer Difo couldn’t make any mark on the box score whatsoever.

Over at third, Isiah Kilmer-Falefa offered a single in four at-bats, while Josh Reddick did the same as the outfield suggestion. We also had a trio of big names in the outfield that were site-specific recommendations. Yahoo special Giancarlo Stanton was the one who paid off, smacking a game-winning home run for the Yankees. Fellow Yahoo suggestion and superstar Bryce Harper continued slumping by coming up empty, while teammate and FanDuel suggestion Adam Eaton had a modest night with just a walk.

MLB DFS Bargain Bin Best Value(s):

Stanton, Mesoraco, Dozier swing big bats- The trio combined for five RBI on five hits, including Stanton’s big blast.

MLB DFS Biggest Dud(s):

Nationals bats go quiet– Harper, Eaton and Difo went a combined 0-for-11 with Eaton’s walk.

FanDuel MLB /

MLB DFS Bargain Bin- Thursday, June 21st Evening Slates

With our look back now complete, time to turn our attention to finding bargains for today’s slates!

Welcome to the Thursday edition of the MLB DFS Bargain Bin, where the goal is to provide a general overview of the day’s ledger and touch on where the weakest pitching spots might be, and by extension, where there may be some value bats to consider. Additionally, I’ll look to identify where a value arm or two might be intersecting with an offense that’s running cold or is otherwise inefficient against a certain handedness.

Before we go bargain hunting, a few particulars about both format and content:

The nature of the beast with value plays is at least a modest amount (and sometimes substantially more) of risk. After all, these players are usually priced where they are for a reason. Therefore, the Bargain Bin may prove to be a bit more of a rollercoaster ride on some slates than your typical “tout” article!
Naturally, that doesn’t mean there isn’t upside to be had. All of these selections are therefore suitable for GPPs (and usually avoidable for cash games), and they can often help you accommodate multiple higher-priced studs into your lineup.
Typically, I’ll suggest players that are value-priced across all four major DFS sites (Yahoo, FanDuel, DraftKings and FantasyDraft). However, there are certainly occasions, particularly with Yahoo, where one or more site prices a player significantly lower than others. Whenever possible, I’ll typically at least note those players as a “XYZ site(s) special”.
On occasions when FanDuel lists a player at a different position than the other sites, I’ll note it in the player’s entry.
Depending on the slate, I may recommend only one outfield value option. Again, when sticking to the true spirit of what constitutes a viable value play, the pool of candidates can narrow pretty quickly. I don’t want to forcibly recommend three players in the outfield when I only feel one might be worthwhile, as this would be a disservice. However, if there’s more than one candidate I feel comfortable with, I’ll certainly deviate from that model.
The goal is to recommend truly affordable players, as opposed to, say, a player priced just $300-$400 away from the highest-priced option at his position. I don’t have set-in-stone price limits in mind for each site, but I do consider legitimate affordability a very important criteria.

With those housekeeping items out of the way, let’s take a look at where there’s cash to be saved Thursday!

DraftKings /

MLB DFS Bargain Bin- Thursday, June 21st Evening Slates

Pitcher

Carlos Martinez, STL at MIL- Yahoo ($48)/ FanDuel ($7,300)/ DraftKings ($8,000)/ FantasyDraft ($15,500)

Martinez is a classic example of a quality arm that’s seen a price drop due to recent performances, but that nevertheless gives you excellent GPP upside any time he steps on the mound. The depressed pricing is something to jump on, especially considering the matchup. While the Brewers haven’t been bad by any stretch against right-handed pitching at home, Martinez has already dominated them once at Miller Park earlier this season and has a stellar record there over the last three seasons as well. The right-hander has allowed just one earned run over 14.1 innings against Milwaukee in two previous starts this season, a stretch during which he’s also racked up 14 strikeouts. One of those was the aforementioned road outing, where he fired eight scoreless innings and recorded 10 whiffs overall. Martinez also boasts a .169 BAA and 31 strikeouts over 23.1 road frames this season, and a 2.54 ERA and jaw-dropping 70:18 K:BB across 49.2 innings over eight starts at Miller Park between the 2015 and 2017 seasons.

Yahoo/DraftKings/FantasyDraft special:

Chad Kuhl, PIT vs. ARI- Yahoo ($34)/DraftKings ($6,700)/ FantasyDraft ($12,700)

Catcher

Tucker Barnhart– CIN vs. CHC- Yahoo ($10)/ FanDuel ($2,800)/ DraftKings ($3,200)/ FantasyDraft ($6,400)

Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks has been much more vulnerable on the road, and he’s yielded a .334 wOBA, 23.8 percent line drive rate and 36.4 percent hard contact rate to left-handed hitters outside of Wrigley Field. Meanwhile, the switch-hitting Barnhart has all four of his homers against righties, along with a .319 wOBA and 32.8 percent line drive rate against them at home. He also boasts a 36.4 percent hard contact rate against that handedness overall, and a season-high 45.5 percent hard contact rate overall in June. There’s some pitch-split synergy at play here as well, as Barnhart owns a .412 wOBA and 8.0 wRAA against the four-seam fastball that Hendricks allows a .376 wOBA on.

MLB DFS Bargain Bin- Thursday, June 21st Evening Slates

First Base

Jose Abreu, CWS vs. OAK- Yahoo ($16)/ FanDuel ($3,400)/ DraftKings ($4,000)/ FantasyDraft ($7,200)

Abreu is priced particularly reasonably on Yahoo and FantasyDraft despite the fact he’s turning in another very productive season at the plate. He draws a sneaky-good matchup Thursday against Athletics starter Chris Bassitt, who’s allowed a .332 wOBA to right-handed hitters over a limited sample this season, and a .345 wOBA (including .401 on the road) over a 307-batter sample in his career. Abreu has traditionally hit righties well and this season has been no exception, as he’s posting a .343 wOBA against them at Guaranteed Rate Field, along with a 34.6 percent hard contact rate against them overall. It’s also worth noting Abreu is a good hitter against the sinker (.387 wOBA), the pitch Bassitt throws most often and one he’s already allowing a .374 wOBA and 152 wRC+ on this season, as well as a . 386 wOBA and 157 wRC+ on over his career.

FanDuel/DraftKings/FantasyDraft special:

Matt Olson, OAK at CWS- FanDuel ($3,000)/ DraftKings ($3,900)/ FantasyDraft ($7,200)

Second Base

Joe Panik, SF vs. SDP- Yahoo ($8)/ FanDuel ($2,900)/ DraftKings ($3,200)/ FantasyDraft ($6,700)

Padres starter Tyson Ross‘ most glaring weakness has been left-handed hitters on the road, putting a pair of affordably priced Giants in play Thursday. Panik is the first, and he checks in with a 24.4 percent line drive rate against righties at home, along with a 33.7 percent hard contact rate against them overall. He also boasts a .429 average against Ross over nine career encounters, while the Padres righty is allowing a .361 wOBA and .293 average to left-handed hitters, as well as elevated 30.2 percent line drive and 42.9 percent hard contact rates to them on the road. For what it’s worth, there’s an eye-popping pitch split to consider here despite it being over a small sample, as Panik sports a .565 wOBA versus the cutter, a pitch that Ross has thrown on 182 occasions and is allowing a 421 wOBA on this season.

Yahoo/FanDuel/FantasyDraft special:

Jed Lowrie, OAK at CWS- Yahoo ($12)/ FanDuel ($3,400)/FantasyDraft ($8,000)

DraftKings /

MLB DFS Bargain Bin- Thursday, June 21st Evening Slates

Third Base

Pablo Sandoval, SFG vs. SDP- Yahoo ($13)/ FanDuel ($2,800)/ DraftKings ($3,300)/ FantasyDraft ($6,300)

More from FanSided

Padres starter Tyson Ross’ issues against lefty hitters were just detailed in Panik’s entry, while the switch-hitting Sandoval has been decimating right-handed pitching in what has been a resurgent season. Sandoval owns a .314 average, five of his six homers, 22 of his 25 RBI, a .376 wOBA and a 46.7 percent hard contact rate against right-handed pitching, with the last two figures rising to .404 and 48.7 percent, respectively, at home. He’s also been outstanding against the four-seam fastball (.442 wOBA), a pitch that Ross is allowing a .334 wOBA on this season and a .361 wOBA on for his career.

Shortstop

Andrelton Simmons, LAA vs. TOR- Yahoo ($9)/ FanDuel ($3,000)/ DraftKings ($3,500)/ FantasyDraft ($6,900)

Simmons is another player who appears particularly mispriced Thursday relative to overall production. He’s been excellent against both handedness of pitcher this season and boasts a .315 average, .351 wOBA and 39.6 percent hard contact rate against right-handed pitching, along with a 24.1 percent line drive rate against them at home. Blue Jays starter Aaron Sanchez has admittedly been effective against right-handed hitters, but he’s been a bit on the fortunate side against them on the road courtesy of a .222 BABIP, especially considering he’s yielded a 36.4 percent hard contact rate to that handedness outside of Rogers Centre. Sanchez could also find some trouble when throwing his four-seam against Simmons, as the .369 wOBA he’s allowing on the pitch doesn’t mesh well with the .400 wOBA Simmons owns against it.

Yahoo-only special:

Manny Machado, BAL at WAS- ($11)

Outfield

Starling Marte– PIT vs. ARI- Yahoo ($15)/ FanDuel ($3,400)/ DraftKings ($4,100)/ FantasyDraft ($8,000)

D-Backs starter Zack Godley has flirted with trouble against both handedness often this season, and he comes into Thursday allowing a .293 average, .361 wOBA, 26.2 percent line drive rate and 41.0 percent hard contact rate to the 94 right-handed hitters he’s faced on the road. Marte counters with a .359 wOBA, 24.4 percent line drive rate and 30.4 percent hard contact rate against righties at PNC Park. The D-Backs bullpen could also be good targets for Marte, considering they’ve allowed a .365 wOBA (including 11 extra-base hits) and NL-high 50.0 percent hard contact rate to right-handed hitters on the road over the last month of play.

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