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Early DraftKings MLB picks July 18: Blue Jays on Sale

By Mike Marteny

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 27: Teoscar Hernandez #37 of the Toronto Blue Jays is congratulated by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 and teammates in the dugout after scoring a run in the fifth inning during MLB game action against the Oakland Athletics at Rogers Centre on April 27, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 27: Teoscar Hernandez #37 of the Toronto Blue Jays is congratulated by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 and teammates in the dugout after scoring a run in the fifth inning during MLB game action against the Oakland Athletics at Rogers Centre on April 27, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
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DraftKings MLB
DETROIT, MICHIGAN – JULY 05: Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates scoring a run in the third inning with Xander Bogaerts #2 while playing the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on July 05, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB batter notes:

The obvious stack spots are the Phillies, Red Sox, and to a lesser extent, the Royals. I’m really not going to touch the batters in the Miami game at all. Franmil Reyes would be the only exception since he is 3-8 with two homers against Caleb Smith already.

You could probably use a Dodger lefty or two against Nola, but they are expensive. At that point, I would rather pay up for Red Sox bats. There’s plenty of value to go around since the Blue Jays aren’t priced like they are playing a pitcher they have owned this year.

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I’m prioritizing Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers here due to their hot streaks. I also really like J.D. Martinez with the lefty on the hill.

In the Keller/Lamet lineup, that still leaves us $4,100 per position to work with. In the Smith/Lamet lineup, it only leaves $3,400. At that point it’s best to leave off J.D. Martinez and go cheaper.

Now it’s time to look at the Blue Jays value. Sale has given up eight career homers to the current Blue Jays. Grichuk has two of them. Luke Maile, Danny Jansen, Teoscar Hernandez, Brandon Drury, Lourdes Gurriel, and Justin Smoak have one each. It’s easy enough to use Grichuk and whoever catches (likely Jansen since Maile caught last night). Beyond that, Smoak is the only other one I would use and that’s mostly because 1B is shallow this afternoon.

The other option at first is Rhys Hoskins, who hit a three run homer in his only game against Stripling. My interest in Phillies after that is sparse though. Bryce Harper’s priced jumped $900 in a day. Scott Kingery saw nearly an identical increase. We really can’t afford to pay those prices if we want to keep Xander/Devers (and we do).

That would leave us with $4,050 for 2B and one outfield slot in the Keller/Lamet lineup. We can live with that. If you want to pay up at outfield, you can punt 2B with Nicky Lopez. Lopez is a solid option against a below average pitcher, but you have virtually no chance of a home run. If you want that kind of potential, you’re going to have to pay for Muncy or Chavis, which would only leave you with $3,300-$3,500 for the outfield slot. If you choose Lopez, you can afford either Harper or Kingery.

I really like the idea of going Chavis because Brandon Drury is out there for $3,300 and Teoscar Hernandez is $3,500. Given their history against Sale, I think either are a solid pick. You could also elect to throw Jorge Soler out there against the lefty. I would use Hunter Dozier if I didn’t want Devers so badly.

Next. MLB hitters primed to take off this week.. dark

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