We have another action packed day in baseball on Sunday. Today’s main list starts at 1:05 PM ET and offers 10 games to choose from. Let’s take a look at some of the best cleats and values in each position to help you set up your lineups.
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JUG
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Brandon Woodruff, MIL vs PIT, $ 8,200 – Today’s list is a bit of a light on the jugs, with no one having a salary above $ 9,600. That said, Woodruff is a great consolation prize. He is facing the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have been an absolute disaster in an offensive way this season. Pirates are in last place in wRC + against right-handed pitchers, and Pittsburgh also recorded the seventh highest strikeout rate. Woodruff has been excellent this season – he pitched at 2.87 FIP and 10.06 K / 9 – so he’s definitely able to take advantage of this matchup.
Overall, the Pirate team’s implied total of 3.4 runs is the lowest score on the list, and Woodruff is also a huge -234 favorite.
Other options – Kenta Maeda ($ 9,600), Blake Snell ($ 9,200)
Value
Dane Dunning, CWS vs KC, $ 4,500 – Dunning stands out as the best easy choice for the point of value to the pitcher. It is priced at just $ 4,500, which makes it the cheapest starter on the list and was excellent in its first start to the season. He racked up seven strikeouts in just 4 1/3 innings, resulting in an xFIP of 1.95. He allowed three earned runs in that contest, but his .400 BABIP and 33.3% HR / FB both indicate he was better than his traditional numbers indicated.
He is also in a solid position today against the Royals, who only rank 24th in wRC + against right handed pitchers.
CATCHER
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Yasmani Grandal, CWS vs KC, $ 5,100 – The White Sox should have been offensively improved this season, but I don’t think anyone has noticed. Chicago was the best offensive team in baseball in virtually every category across the board, ranking first in wRC +, wOBA, and ISO.
The White Sox were extremely powerful against left-handed pitchers – their wRC + of 168 is the highest score in the league by a wide margin – and Grandal was a big part of that success. He posted a 125 wRC + against lefties this season after posting a score of 138 in 2019. There is currently no betting information posted for this contest, but the White Sox are expected to possess one of the highest implied totals squad against the remaining Royals- hander Kris Bubic ($ 6,500)
Other options – Christian Vazquez ($ 4,500), Kurt Suzuki ($ 4,200)
Value
Jose Trevino, TEX v LAD, $ 3,100 – Trevino is expected to take third place in the Rangers lineup at just $ 3,100, which automatically puts him in the catcher position. It’s hard to find a receiver with a premium seat in the batting order, let alone a cheap one like Trevino. Trevino is not someone who should strike fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers, but he posted a 109 wRC + in his first 48 appearances in 2020.
Other Options – Will Smith ($ 3,700), Jacob Nottingham ($ 2,300)
FIRST BASE
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Max Muncy, LAD @ TEX, $ 5,000 – Muncy has historically been at his best against right-handed pitchers – he posted a .391 wOBA and .269 ISO in those bouts last season – and will face a pretty mediocre right hander today at Kyle Gibson ($ 6,100). Gibson pitched at an ERA of 5.73 during his first 33 innings in 2020 and a whopping 27.3% of the sprints he was granted went home runs. Muncy is a pretty extreme volleyball hitter against right-handed pitchers, so this is a perfect match.
Other options – Asdrubal Cabrera ($ 4,500), Joey Votto ($ 4,000)
Value
Matt Beaty, LAD @ TEX, $ 2,700 – Double dip with the Dodgers first baseman? Why not! Beaty benefits from the same matchup as Muncy and has also been solid against right-handers throughout his career. He released a .354 wOBA in those bouts last season, so that’s a reasonable target for such a low price.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Matt Beaty is not in the lineup for today’s game against Rangers.
Other options – Ryan O’Hearn ($ 2,700), Garrett Cooper ($ 2,600)
SECOND BASE
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Keston Hiura, MIL v PIT, $ 5,200 – Hiura is only in his first season as a full-time major league but has already blossomed into one of the league’s best attacking second bases. Today he will be on the positive side of his division batting against Pirate southpaw Steven Brault ($ 5,400) and Hiura recorded a 113 wRC + against lefties in 2020. The Brewers are currently involved for the fourth highest score on the slate chart, so Milwaukee has many advantages in this matchup.
Other options – DJ LeMahieu ($ 4,700)
Value
Nick Solak, TEX vs. LAD, $ 3,300 – Most of the attention in this bout will be on the Dodgers, but Solak is an attractive option at $ 3,300. It is expected to occupy number 2 on the lineup, which is very tempting considering its $ 3,300 price tag. He has a tough confrontation against Tony Gonsolin ($ 8,400), who has yet to concede an earned run of up to 14 1⁄3 innings this season, but Solak recorded a 108 wRC + against right-handers in 2020.
More Options – Luis Arraez ($ 3,500), Jose Peraza ($ 2,500)
THIRD BASE
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Rafael Devers, BOS vs WSH, $ 4,700 – Devers struggled a little in 2020, which brought his salary down to just $ 4,700 for today’s match. That makes him a very attractive goal against Austin Voth ($ 6,800), who pitched at a 6.28 FIP during his first five starts this season. Devers was arguably the best hitter in baseball against right-handers in 2019, so there’s no reason to avoid him against a poor right on a slashed paycheck.
The Red Sox are also currently implicated for 5.9 runs, which is the highest score on today’s list.
Other options – Jose Ramirez ($ 5,400), Eugenio Suarez ($ 4,300)
Value
Yoshi Tsutsugo, TB @ MIA, $ 2,300 – It’s hard to find a better value than Tsutsugo on today’s list. He is fourth for the Rays, who have been one of the best baseball teams against right-handers this season. Tsutsugo has been fighting offensively this season but still plans to be a solid hitter against right-handed pitchers in MLB.
Other Options – Luis Urias ($ 3,000), Todd Frazier ($ 2,800)
SHORTSTOP
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Trea Turner, WSH @ BOS, $ 5,400 – Turner was perched offensively and came out of a 5 out of 5 performance against the Red Sox yesterday. He has another exploitable bout today against Zack Godley ($ 5,600), who pitched to a disastrous ERA of 7.29 in 21 innings in 2020. The Nationals team’s implied total of 5.7 runs only surpasses the Boston total, so expect there to be a lot of scores from both sides in this contest.
Other options – Xander Bogaerts ($ 4,900), Jorge Polanco ($ 4,600)
Value
Jon Berti, MIA vs. TB, $ 3,200 – Berti has a very tough match today against Snell but at least he’ll be on the bright side of his batting times. It also planned to occupy the starting point in the order, which is definitely tempting for someone priced at $ 3,200.
That said, this choice is more about what Berti can do with his legs than his club. He has averaged 0.209 steals per game over the past 12 months, which is the third highest score among hitters today.
Other options – Orlando Arcia ($ 2,500)
OUTFIELD
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Juan Soto, WSH @ BOS, $ 5,700 – Soto was a great hitter in 2019, but he has arguably become baseball’s best pure hitter in 2020. His numbers are absolutely absurd, particularly against right-handed pitchers: .497 wOBA, .353 ISO, 216 wRC +. The thought of fielding him against Godley is definitely drooling.
Other options – Christian Yelich ($ 4,900), Max Kepler ($ 4,500)
Value
Joc Pederson, LAD @ TEX, $ 3,800 – Loading on the Dodgers lefties makes a lot of sense against Gibson and that includes Pederson. It has prolific pop at those fights – it beat 36 HRs to right-handers in 2019 – so it has a lot of upside at its current price. He is not expected to take the lead, which he did against right-handers for most of last season, but he is still expected to occupy a place in the top five of the squad.
Other options – Ryan Braun ($ 4,100), Adam Eaton ($ 3,200)
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I am a promoter of DraftKings and I am also an avid fan and user (my username is mlamarca) and can sometimes play on my personal account in the games I offer recommendations on. While I’ve expressed my personal opinion on the games and strategies above, they don’t necessarily reflect DraftKings’ point of view and I can also field different players and strategies than the ones I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
