DFS MLB – Love, Like, Leave – 5/23 – Yankees Galore

DFS MLB – Love, Like, Leave – 5/23 – Yankees Galore

Welcome back to another edition of DFS MLB Love, Like, Leave. I’d like to start by apologizing for my two-week hiatus. I started a new summer job, and was busy adjusting to the new early hours. Whatever the reason, I’m back now, and ready to provide DFS MLB Love, Like, Leave on a daily bases.

While the games are split up today, there isn’t enough to write two articles. Tune in on Saturday, however; for a special double edition of DFS MLB Love, Like, Leave

Let’s get right into today’s first DFS MLB Love, Like, Leave article!

DFS MLB Starting Pitchers

Like

Masahiro Tanaka (9,800 FD):  If you plan on spending up for a pitcher, I would go with Tanaka. I think the ownership floods to Stras in a good matchup, allowing you to save 1200 for bigger bats, while keeping the same upside. Tanaka holds a WHIP under 1 and an ERA of 2.3 in the month of May. Look for him to stay hot against the Orioles.

Leave

Matthew Boyd (9,500 FD): Another arm who seems to have a great matchup, I have recently stopped rostering pitchers against Miami. There lineup is horrible on paper, but their propensity for small ball means they rack up walks and singles, driving up the pitch count. We’ve recently seen the likes of Degrom and Thor struggle in this spot, so spending 9,500 on Matt Boyd seems excessive.

DFS MLB – Love, Like, Leave – 5/23

Catcher/First Baseman

Love

Gary Sanchez (4,400 FD): Baltimore pitcher? Check! Hot home runner hitter? Check! Batter friendly park?  Check, check, check! The Yankees bats are on fire right now, and Sanchez is leading the charge (along with Gleyber, but more on that later) with homers in three straight. Sanchez gets a plum matchup against either Bundy or Hess, and regardless of who is pitching, Sanchez is spearheading my lineups. Fade at your own risk.

Like

Kendrys Morales (2,600 DK): Another Yankee bat who is here for almost the exact same reasons as the last one. It may seem a little redundant to have two batters from the same team at the same position, but the utility position of Fanduel means you can roster both. Morales hasn’t quite been hot, but when he is in the lineup, he continues to hit out of the heart, and will eventually get a hold of a couple. This could be a huge game for the entire Yankee offence.

Leave

Pete Alonso (3,800 FD): Alonso once again makes his way onto the leave portion of the list, and once again, it isn’t his fault. While it isn’t a bad idea to hedge against Stras, who is known to be wild at times, I don’t think this game is a high scoring affair, and outside of the 3 Yankee options (Voit), the only other bat I am comfortable with is Josh Bell, who is an absolute stud currently. Best to roster one of them, and take your risks elsewhere.

DFS MLB – Love, Like, Leave – 5/23

Second Baseman

Love

Brendan Rodgers (2,200 FD): The explosive young rookie had a slow start to his MLB career, but picked up his first multi-hit game yesterday. He gets a tough matchup against Jordan Lyles, who has kept teams to a remarkably low WHIP of 1.07, but Rodgers possesses all the tools to get on base, drive in runs, and crush the ball. At such a low price, this is the risk I would love to take, and he is a great one-off salary saver, at a relatively weak position.

Like

DJ LeMahieu (3,600 FD): Oh look, another Yankee bat. I feel bad for continuing to write these up, but the Yankees have been far too good recently, and have far too good of a matchup to leave them on the sidelines. I will have exposure to multiple 4-man Yankee stacks, and LeMahieu, who is consistently batting leadoff and being driven in a ton, is part of a lot of them.

Leave

Jonathan Villar (3,100 FD): Villar started off the season red-hot, but has since settled into a bit of slump, hitting only .231 over his last 16 games (yesterday not included, as the games haven’t finished yet). Tanaka should have no issues with the Orioles lineup, so even if Villar picks up a couple hits, i don’t see him getting the valuable counting stats.

DFS MLB – Love, Like, Leave – 5/17

Third Baseman

Love

Rafael Devers (3,500 FD): I think I’m going to start a petition to start calling Devers the Blue Jay killer, as he has hit a staggering .500 over his last 6 games against the Jays, including homers in three straight. While I don’t LOVE the lefty on lefty matchup, Feierabend got lit up in his first start, and knuckleballers can have crazy struggles if that pitch isn’t moving well. Devers is simply hitting too well to NOT roster him.

Like

Vlad Guerrero Jr. (3,000 FD):  Guerrero is showing the world how crazy he can be, with 5 homers over the last week, including a couple mammoth shots to straight away center. Vlad is, simply put, one of the most explosive hitters in baseball, and I don’t see the power stopping any time soon. It isn’t a bad idea to go home run chasing with Vlad today.

Leave

Nolan Arenado (4,200 FD): Arenado away from Coors against a hit suppressing righty? I’ll pass. Arenado has long been one of the hitters I do not roster away from Coors. Last year, he hitting nearly a whole .100 lower away from home, and only hit 15 home runs in 76 games, as opposed to 23 in 80 games at home. He is still a fantastic hitter, but lacks the crazy upside when he is away from Coors.

DFS MLB – Love, Like, Leave – 5/23

Shortstop

Love

Gleyber Torres (3,800 FD): To round out my Yankee’s stacks, Torres is by far my favorite option at shortstop today. He loves playing the Orioles, as evidenced by his two multi homer games in the last three days. He also carries a 10 game hit streak, with 9 XBH, including 7 homers. He is as hot as a hitter can be, and you know I like to beat up on Baltimore pitching (Andrew Cashner aside).

Like

Xander Bogearts (4,100 DK): X has been hitting well this season, to the tune of a .290 batting average. What’s more is he’s hitting out of the cleanup spot behind on base machine Mookie Betts, and underrated superstar Andrew Benintendi, with the red-hot Devers spotted behind him. I mentioned counting stats when discussing Villar, and as ever, X is in good position to pick those up.

Leave

Trevor Story (4,000 FD): Another hitter who falls into this category simply because I think there are some better options, Story is by no means a slouch, and rostering him is far from stupid. I’m nearly all in on Torres however, and will have little to no exposure other than him, and a little bit of X. Story can always turn in a huge game, but I don’t think that happens today.

DFS MLB – Love, Like, Leave – 5/23

Outfielder

Love

Austin Dean (2,000 FD): Dean was recently called back up, and immediately stuck into the leadoff spot. He failed to deliver a hit, but made solid contact on a couple at bats. Priced at the bare minimum, rostering Dean allows you a ton of lineup freedom, and he certainly possesses the power and ability to hit, mashing .365/.447/.661 in AAA New Orleans. He isn’t a sure thing, but at this price, all you’re asking for is a prayer.

Like

Juan Soto/Adam Eaton: I had to fight the desire to write-up another Yankee here (Aaron Hicks), but instead I’ll talk about a pair of Washington batters. Eaton possesses the ability to get on base, while Soto possesses a lot of everything, although according to one Mets broadcaster, he just isn’t a “power hitter, despite having a good power year.” Don’t tell Soto that though, as he continues to hit well after coming off the DL, riding a 5 game hit streak with 3 games of more than one hit. Either play is fine today, as a pair, or as a one-off.

Leave

Trey Mancini (3,700 FD):  This is a matchup nightmare for Mancini, as he runs into a high K, hot pitcher in Tanaka. Mancini has been hitting well over the recent weeks, picking up hits in 10 of the last 12, but once again, I fail to see how the Orioles put many runs past Tanaka today. Best to leave Mancini for another day.

DFS MLB – Love, Like, Leave – 5/23

Sample Lineup

So, in summary, the Yankee bats are far and away my favorite stack today, and if you avoid Strasburg, and play some great value bats, you can plug-in at least a few of them. Using only plays mentioned, a sample lineup could look something like this:

SP: Mashahiro Tanaka (9,800)

C/1B: Gary Sanchez (4,400)

2B: Brendan Rodgers (2,200)

3B: Vladdy Jr (3,000)

SS: Glaybar Torres (3,800)

OF: Austin Dean (2,000)

OF: Juan Soto (3,800)

OF: Adam Eaton (3,000)

Util: Kendrys Morales (2,600)

Salary Remaining: 400

Starting today, follow @ZookDFS for the sample lineup results on a day-to-day basis!