MLB DFS Bargain Bin-Friday, August 24th Later Slates
MLB DFS Bargain Bin – Friday, August 24th Later Slates
Welcome to a Friday edition of the MLB DFS Bargain Bin, where the goal is to provide a general overview of the 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 MLB DFS Bargain Bin hunting, a few particulars about 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.
- In this DFS MLB Bargain Bin Quick Hits version, I’ll suggest players that are typically value-priced across all four major DFS sites (Yahoo, FanDuel, DraftKings and FantasyDraft). Naturally, check final pricing before making your lineup decisions, as I am not listing salaries in this edition.
- This is not a position-by-position breakdown, but rather, I’m just identifying games where I think there’s value players in potentially favorable fantasy spots.
- 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 criterion.
With those housekeeping items out of the way, I’ll give you my thoughts on where there may be some value spots to exploit on Friday’s later slates!
MLB DFS Bargain Bin – Friday, August 24th Later Slates Bargain Pitcher
Antonio Senzatela, COL vs. STL
You never exactly rush to roster any starting pitcher at Coors Field, but as I alluded to in this morning’s Early Slates entry when discussing Gio Gonzalez, you have to have a tolerance for risk when trying to save some cash in DFS. Hence, we have Senzatela, who has multiple factors working for him Friday despite the hitter-friendly setting he’ll take the hill in.
To begin with, the right-hander has seemingly mastered the art of pitching in his home park. Senzatela boasts an impressive 3.00 ERA at Coors and has only allowed one home run there over 21 innings. Moreover, he been excellent about keeping the ball in the park overall this season, yielding just a trio of round trippers over 52.1 innings. He boasts appreciably better home metrics in most categories as compared to his corresponding road figures, with an 18.7 percent strikeout rate (as compared to 15.6 percent on the road) and a 76.9 percent strand rate (compared to 59.7 percent on the road) particularly standing out.
The Cardinals are also without Marcell Ozuna (shoulder) at present, and despite his depressed power numbers this season, they’re a weaker lineup overall without his presence in the heart of it. Moreover, even though St. Louis has been productive against right-handers on the road lately, they’re sporting a 27.5 percent strikeout rate against that handedness away from Busch Stadium over the last two weeks.
Senzatela’s ability to keep the ball down in the thin air of Coors (50.8 ground ball rate at home) and the combination of a bargain price and what figures to be low ownership put him in play for tournaments on Friday’s late slates.
MLB DFS Bargain Bin – Friday, August 24th Later Slates Quick Hits
- It could be a lower-scoring game at Coors overall with Miles Mikolas taking the hill for the Cardinals, but there may be some value in cheap Rockies left-handed bats. Mikolas has allowed a .275 average, .314 wOBA, 10 extra-base hits (three doubles, two triples, five homers), a 27.5 percent line-drive rate and a 33.6 percent hard contact rate to left-handed hitters on the road, putting the likes of Carlos Gonzalez, David Dahl, Gerardo Parra and Tony Wolters in play if in the lineup.
- The Mariners’ Erasmo Ramirez has had a tough time with left-handed hitters in particular over a small sample this season, allowing a .477 wOBA, .455 ISO and 42.1 percent hard contact rate to that handedness over a 48-plate appearance sample. Daniel Descalso, Alex Avila and the switch-hitting Ketel Marte come into play as cheaper D-Backs bats as a result, along with the likely more expensive David Peralta.
- On the other side, the D-Backs’ Zack Godley has been very good against right-handed hitters at home, but he’s allowed a .325 wOBA and 35.9 percent hard contact rate to lefty bats at Chase Field. Consequently, the likes of Denard Span, Ben Gamel, Kyle Seager, Dee Gordon, and where affordable, Robinson Cano, all come to mind as viable cost-effective tournament plays.
- While the Angels’ Andrew Heaney has been nearly unhittable by lefty bats — especially at home (.146 BAA, .166 wOBA allowed) — he’s allowed 19 extra-base hits (10 doubles, one triple, eight home runs) to right-handed hitters at home, along with a bloated 42.6 percent hard contact rate. Therefore, I’d certainly give cheaper Astros righty bats such as Yuli Gurriel, Tyler White, Martin Maldonado, Evan Gattis and the switch-hitting Marwin Gonzalez consideration in larger tournaments, with White’s eye-popping .517 CXwOBA versus lefties especially standing out.
- The Dodgers see a familiar foe in Clayton Richard on Friday, with many of their hitters owning solid histories against him. Enrique Hernandez (.300 average over 23 plate appearances against Richard) is certainly under consideration, and with Richard’s .339 wOBA allowed to righty hitters (including .363 on the road), I’d also roll out the likes of Matt Kemp, Yasmani Grandal, Austin Barnes and Yasiel Puig in terms of cheaper Dodgers bats.
- On the other side, lefty Rich Hill‘s .378 wOBA and 51.6 percent hard contact rate allowed to right-handed hitters at home is an underrated stat, and it could make several cheap Padres righty bats viable and likely low-owned tournament plays Friday — i.e. Jose Pirela, Austin Hedges, Manuel Margot, Christian Villanueva and Hunter Renfroe.
The Rangers’
has been battered by hitters of either handedness thus far this season, so feel free to roll out some cheap Giants bats as a likely low-owned stack.
especially stands out with a .381 wOBA and .484 CXwOBA versus right-handed pitching, but the likes of
,
and others certainly can be considered.
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