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MLB DFS Picks and Pivots: July 19 – West Coast deGOAT

By Brian Tulloch

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 18: Jacob deGrom #48 of New York Mets pitches during the game against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on Thursday, August 18, 2016 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin/MLB via Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 18: Jacob deGrom #48 of New York Mets pitches during the game against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on Thursday, August 18, 2016 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin/MLB via Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – JULY 12: Nate Lowe #35 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates his two run home run with teammate Yandy Diaz #2 against the Baltimore Orioles during the second inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 12, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – JULY 12: Nate Lowe #35 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates his two run home run with teammate Yandy Diaz #2 against the Baltimore Orioles during the second inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 12, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

MLB DFS – Building Our Bats:

If you do opt to go with a double ace build here today it will mean passing on high-dollar stacks with lofty IRT’s like the Yankees and Red Sox, but I would argue that another AL East team has a better point per dollar match-up in the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rays head home to face off with Reynaldo Lopez who based of his 2019 metrics alone becomes a prime stacking candidate. Go down the list – 5+ xFIP, 20% K rate, .230+ ISO marks to both sides of the plate with 45% fly ball rates to both sides and matching 38% hard contact rates.

Check all the boxes kids.

Lopez has a 2 HR/9 mark to hitters from both sides of the plate, relying on his fastball nearly 60% of the time, which generates only a 15% whiff rate. He faced this Rays team earlier in the year and gave up 10 hits, 3 HR’s and 8 runs in only 4.1 innings and while this game is in Tampa Bay, this rays line-up is simply loaded wit batters who mash RHP.

In fact, no hitter in the top 6 of the projected line-up has under a .175 ISO mark, with guys like Austin Meadows, Tommy Pham, Nate Lowe and Kevin Kiermaier all with .200+ ISO marks in 2019.

With Lopez’s fly ball tendencies, it really gives a boost to ground-ball hitters like Pham, Diaz, Kiermaier and Choi who all have 50% GB rates against RHP, so matching up with an extreme fly-ball arm with HR issues like Lopez seems to fit this team perfectly.

As far as pricing, Meadows is the only player in the top 6 of the line-up priced over $8.3K, so when you are looking for a stack in the $7.7K range/player, this Rays stack is one that works perfectly with two arms like Bieber and deGrom and has massive power upside that could easily put up double-digit runs against a bad starting pitcher and a bad bullpen to follow.