Fansided

MLB DFS Pitching Gems Of The Day July 12: Welcome Back With Gerrit Cole

By Brandon Lauderback

ST. PETERSBURG, FL - MARCH 29: Gerrit Cole #45 of the Houston Astros throws in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on March 29, 2019 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - MARCH 29: Gerrit Cole #45 of the Houston Astros throws in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on March 29, 2019 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 7
Next
MLB DFS
PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 19: Starting pitcher Jason Vargas #40 of the New York Mets delivers a pitch to Odubel Herrera #37 of the Philadelphia Phillies in the second inning during the MLB Little League Classic BB&T Ballpark on August 19, 2018 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /

MLB DFS Pitching Plays

Jason Vargas – What kind of slate would we have if the Marlins were not on it for us to target. With a 24.1% K rate and a whopping .118 ISO, they are obviously one of the best spots on the day. Vargas has done an amazing job of limiting runs, and is coming off two good games against the high powered offenses of Philly, and the Yankees.

Pitch Mix – One thing that Vargas changed was dropping the sinker usage compared to last year. It has been his worst pitch, so that is a big reason he is limiting the damage. The change is getting good whiffs at around 35%, and every pitch is getting solid GB numbers at about 40%. Vargas has great movement, but low velocity, so that will always limit the potential for strikeouts. Overall he is one of the best plays on the slate, with a very high floor for his price.

Yonny Chirinos – For some reason, FanDuel refuses to raise the price on Yonny above 7K. Baltimore has a 24% K rate, a .161 ISO and an 85 wRC+ which is very mediocre. In his only game against Baltimore, Yonny had 36 FD points, and his recent form is extremely good, backed by a solid bullpen as well.

Pitch Mix – Chirinos will face mostly LHH, and against them, he is very sinker heavy, with splitter, and slider. The splitter gets great whiffs, at around 45%, with every pitch getting above a 40% GB rate. The only significant change Yonny made from last year was adding about two inches of movement on the Slider, everything else is about the same, solid velocity and movement on each pitch. Placement is the big key to his success, and Baltimore is a much easier opponent then the Yankees, Rangers, and A’s who are his most recent opponents, all of which were very solid performances. This is my favorite play on the day, outside of Cole.