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DraftKings’ MLB Showdown provides a different type of DFS competition where you create a team from one game while staying under the $50,000 salary cap.
Lineups consist of six players (1 CPT, 5 UTIL) and must include players from both teams. The player you select as Captain will score 1.5x the standard fantasy point value for each statistic, but drafting a player as Captain will cost more salary than drafting him in a utility slot.
Let’s look at my lineup for tonight’s game between the Giants and Dodgers, which starts at 10:10 p.m. ET.
CPT(1.5x): Enrique Hernandez, ($11,700)
What kryptonite is to Superman, Kike Hernandez is to Madison Bumgarner. With 19 hits (9 XBH) in 39 at-bats, Kike is MadBum’s daddy until things take a drastic turn. Always a lefty masher, the 27-year-old has a career OPS of .848 vs LHP as opposed to .676 vs RHP and is finally getting everyday playing time for the Dodgers at second base. Making the most of his opportunity early on, Hernandez is hitting .375 with 2 HR and 4 RBI in his first 20 plate appearances on the young season. The numbers against Bumgarner are too good to ignore here for Captain status and it begs only one question; Kike, do you love me?
UTIL: Justin Turner, ($8,400)
Turner is another guy with a decent amount of success against MadBum. In 59 career at-bats, he’s hitting .254 with 4 HR, 2 2B, and 8 RBI. Like Hernandez, the former Met is a lefty masher, hitting .380 with a 1.181 OPS in 2017 and .336 with a 1.028 in 2018 vs LHP. Turner comes at a reasonable price here considering the other options on the board, especially with his lifetime .302 AG and .875 OPS at Dodger Stadium.
UTIL: A.J. Pollock, ($8,800)
One of the biggest off-season acquisitions for the Dodgers, Pollock has gotten off to a hot start hitting .333 with 1 HR, 6 RBI, and 2 2B in just 21 at-bats. The objective here was to get another right-handed bat in the lineup against Bumgarner and Pollock was clearly the best option left. The former first-round pick has fared well in the power department over his career against LHP sporting a .831 OPS while slugging .502.
UTIL: Corey Seager, ($8,200)
To ride this Dodger stack, Seager is the next man up for our lineup. With some success against MadBum (5-17), the shortstop dominates LHP when healthy. In 2017, Seager hit .325 with a .916 OPS and .527 SLG vs LHP making his reverse split one of the best in the big leagues. Even though Seager is working his way back from injury, he still seems like one of the better options for this Showdown.
UTIL: Buster Posey, ($7,000)
The rules dictate that you must select at least one player from each team so here is the first Giant. The best pure hitter in the lineup, Posey has good career numbers against Ryu, hitting .303 with 1 HR and 6 RBI in 33 at-bats. Even though his power has diminished in recent seasons, the former MVP has historically crushed LHP with a career .325 AVG and even hit .300 vs lefties in 100 at-bats last season. With only one other decent option in the Giants lineup, I would plug Posey in as your lone San Francisco hitter.
UTIL: Yangervis Solarte, ($5,400)
With only $5,600 left, our choices for the last UTIL spot were very limited. Although Solarte isn’t an everyday player, he has played in three of the Giants’ five games so far, starting twice against LHP. After the night off yesterday, look for him to be in the lineup tonight. A career 4-for-8 against Ryu, the nephew of Roger Cedeno (namedrop) has accumulated a 1.306 OPS vs the lefty in that small sample size. If for some reason he doesn’t suit up, you can look in the direction of Steven Duggar, Joe Panik, or Pablo Sandoval to fill out your roster.
Remaining Salary: $ 500.00
(Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire)
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is MikeTheRotoCop) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.