Pitcher List is proud to partner with DraftKings for the 2019 season. We’ll be featuring our top picks for every daily slate throughout the season and feature articles dedicated to the GPP.
We’ve got a great day of baseball ahead with multiple slates from which to choose on DraftKings. Games start at 1:10 p.m. Eastern and run as late as 10:07 p.m., so there’s no way you can’t find the time for some contests.
Top SP: Trevor Bauer, CLE ($11,300) vs. TOR
The fifth pitcher on “The List,” Bauer said he was going to have a top-10 changeup in baseball and he wasn’t lying. In his first outing of the season, Bauer threw 24 changeups (22.22% usage, up from 7% last season) and the pitch resulted in five swinging strikes and four called strikes. For the game, Bauer had a 33.33% CSW and a maxVEL of 96.5. The Toronto Blue Jays are a team that struggled to figure out David Hess and Andrew Cashner, so I find it hard to believe they’ll get to Bauer. He’s worth the price tag.
Honorable mention: Jakob Junis ($8,000) vs. DET
Value SP: Spencer Turnbull, DET ($5,800) vs. KC
Whatever Turnbull lacks in stuff, he makes up for in command. The former second-round pick had a 2.03 BB/9 in AAA last season and that translated well to the majors in his small sample size. With his big frame, Turnbull pushes 94 consistently and has an arsenal that consists of four pitches. While he may be a better option as an “opener” down the road, he seems like a logical choice today for a value play at such a cheap price.
Honorable mention: Brett Anderson ($6,300) vs. BOS
OF: Mookie Betts, BOS ($5,400) vs. OAK (LHP Brett Anderson)
As he usually is, Mookie Betts is one of the best options on the board. Anytime he faces an LHP, he should automatically be under consideration for your roster. Last season, the MVP hit .368 with an OPS of 1.207 vs lefties and is a career 3-5 vs. Anderson. Fire up Betts in your lineup, as the Boston Red Sox bats finally showed some life late last night.
Honorable mention: OF: Starling Marte ($4,900) at CIN (RHP Tyler Mahle)
1B: Joey Votto, CIN ($4,700) vs. PIT (RHP Jordan Lyles)
While Votto is off to a slow start this season, he absolutely destroys Jordan Lyles. A career 7-14 with four XBH and five BB, Votto is a virtual lock to make some noise against the young righty today. Throughout his career, Votto has hit over 20 points higher vs RHP than LHP and that shouldn’t change any time in the near future. Look for the Reds to get to Lyles early and often with JoVo leading the pack.
Honorable mention: 3B/OF: Kris Bryant ($4,500) at ATL (RHP Max Fried)
Value Bat: 2B/OF Chad Pinder, OAK ($3,500) vs. BOS (LHP Eduardo Rodriguez)
Surprisingly, the Statcast hero is in the 85th percentile for Exit Velo and the 94th percentile in Barrel Rate over the last two seasons. Not only that, but he thrives against LHP: hitting 50 points higher for his career against lefties while having an OPS over 100 points higher. This sounds like a recipe for success and a reason to plug Pinder into your lineup. If for some reason he doesn’t end up playing, you can always look towards fellow lefty-masher Robbie Grossman as a replacement.
Honorable mention: OF: Robbie Grossman ($3,300) vs. BOS (LHP Eduardo Rodriguez)
Lineup Stack: Cincinnati Reds vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (RHP Jordan Lyles)
Like I mentioned earlier, I think that the Reds will get to Lyles early and often. Making his first start of the season after dealing with some right side discomfort, we don’t know exactly how Lyles’ health will fare. The Reds as a team are hitting a combined .393 against the righty with a collective 1.207 OPS and 10 XBH in 61 at-bats. The big bats in the lineup (Votto, Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig) have all seen over 50 pitches from Lyles, which doesn’t work in his favor either. Stack the Reds.
Honorable mention: Texas Rangers vs. Los Angeles Angels (RHP Matt Harvey)
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 on which I offer advice. 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 nonpublic information.