Mike Barner — @rotomikebarner*
MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Recommendations for 4/17/18
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The weather doesn’t seem like it will be a big issue in baseball Tuesday, which should hopefully leave us with a full night of options in DFS. Sign up for our Newsletter and try our Playerlab tool, where you can filter the stats that matter the most and help build a winning entry on FanDuel and DraftKings.
STARTING PITCHERS
Patrick Corbin vs. San Francisco Giants
Stadium – Chase Field
FanDuel = $9,500
DraftKings = $9,800
Corbin is off to an excellent start this season, posting a 2.45 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 14.2 K/9 through three starts. He’s never had a K/9 above 8.4 and has a career WHIP of 1.34, so he is likely in line for some regression across the board as the season wears on. However, Tuesday brings an excellent matchup against a bad Giants lineup that has scored the second-fewest runs (49) in baseball this season. Although both Corey Kluber and Shohei Ohtani are taking the mound Tuesday, Corbin could provide similarly excellent results at a more reasonable price.
Yonny Chirinos vs. Texas Rangers
Stadium – Tropicana Field
FanDuel = $6,000
DraftKings = $4,700
Chirinos has been one of the pitchers the Rays have thrown out first on their “bullpen days”, but he’s pitched so well that he’s made a case to be in the starting rotation moving forward. In 14.1 innings this season, he has yet to allow a run and has a sparkling 0.70 WHIP. His K/9 isn’t great at 7.5, but he’s shown excellent control with a 1.3 BB/9. He’s obviously going to give up a run at some point and has been a bit lucky with opponents posting a .222 BABIP, but he’ll face a Rangers lineup Tuesday that is missing Elvis Andrus (elbow), Rougned Odor (hamstring) and Delino DeShields Jr. (hand). At this price, Chirinos might be worth the risk in tournament play.
CATCHER/FIRST BASE
Yasmani Grandal vs. Bryan Mitchell, San Diego Padres
Stadium – Petco Park
FanDuel = $3,500
DraftKings = $3,600
The Padres have a lot of young promising players, but Mitchell is not one of them. Brought over in a trade from the Yankees to help fill out their rotation, Mitchell has been awful through three starts. Not only does he have a 6.64 FIP, but he has only three strikeouts compared to 14 walks. He doesn’t have overpowering stuff by any means, making Grandal a great option for your entry considering the hot bat he is swinging as well.
C.J. Cron vs. Matt Moore, Texas Rangers
Stadium – Tropicana Field
FanDuel = $2,800
DraftKings = $2,800
Moore has been almost as bad as Mitchell, recording an 8.76 ERA and 2.11 WHIP through three starts. Opponents are squaring him up well with a 44.7% hard-hit rate after he allowed a career-high 34.7% hard-hit rate in 2017. Cron is a better hitter against lefties, finishing with a .331 wOBA against them last year. If you’re looking to save money at the position. Cron is a viable option.
Others to consider: Cody Bellinger (first base) and Joey Votto (first base)
SECOND BASE
Jed Lowrie vs. Miguel Gonzalez, Chicago White Sox
Stadium – Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
FanDuel = $3,800
DraftKings = $3,900
Lowrie is off to a scorching start this season, batting .343 with four home runs and 14 RBI. His BABIP sits at .392, so expect that to come down close to his career mark of .296 at some point in the near future. He could keep his hot streak going for at least one more game Tuesday though, in a favorable matchup against Gonzalez, who only has a career 6.3 K/9. Lowrie also hits right-handers well, finishing with a 123 wRC+ against them in 2017.
Jonathan Villar vs. Sal Romano, Cincinnati Reds
Stadium – Miller Park
FanDuel = $2,800
DraftKings = $3,000
After a breakout 2016 campaign, Villar came crashing back to Earth last year hitting .241 with a .293 OBP. His .373 BABIP from 2016 dropped to .330 last season, which was a big reason for his decline in production. He’s shown improvement with a .273 average in the early going and will get to bat from his stronger side of the plate against the righty Romano on Tuesday, who has struggled with a 1.50 WHIP in his brief Major League career.
Others to consider: Jose Altuve and Ian Kinsler
THIRD BASE
Kris Bryant vs. Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals
Stadium – Wrigley Field
FanDuel = $5,100
DraftKings = $5,100
Bryant is not only batting .352 this season, but he has more walks (10) than strikeouts (eight). He’ll face Wainwright on Tuesday who is a shell of his former self, posting an ERA of at least 4.62 and a WHIP of at least 1.40 in both of the last two seasons. He hasn’t been any better in 2018, recording 5.06 ERA and 1.50 WHIP through two starts.
Travis Shaw vs. Sal Romano, Cincinnati Reds
Stadium – Miller Park
FanDuel = $3,300
DraftKings = $4,100
Shaw is off to a bit of a slow start, hitting only .266 through the first 16 games of the season. He has just a 23.5% hard-hit rate, which is significantly lower than his career mark of 33.7%. Facing Romano might be just what he needs to jump-start his bat since he had a .373 wOBA against right-handers in 2017.
Others to consider: Todd Frazier and Matt Carpenter
SHORTSTOP
Carlos Correa vs. Ariel Miranda, Seattle Mariners
Stadium – Safeco Field
FanDuel = $4,700
DraftKings = $4,800
Miranda is making his first start of the season after finishing with a 5.12 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 7.7 K/9 in 2017. He wasn’t a big strikeout pitcher in the minors either with a career 8.3 K/9. Correa’s 187 wRC+ against left-handed pitching ranked inside the top-15 in the majors last year, leaving him as an excellent option to consider Tuesday.
Corey Seager vs. Bryan Mitchell, San Diego Padres
Stadium – Petco Park
FanDuel = $3,600
DraftKings = $4,200
Seager is batting just .200 so far this season, but he has been victimized by a .224 BABIP. A lot of that could be because he is not hitting the ball hard, posting a 28% hard-hit rate compared to his career mark of 41.4%. However, with Mitchell’s struggles and lack of an overpowering pitch arsenal, this could be a breakout performance from Seager.
Others to consider: Zack Cozart and Marcus Semien
OUTFIELD
George Springer vs. Ariel Miranda, Seattle Mariners
Stadium – Safeco Field
FanDuel = $4,400
DraftKings = $4,700
Springer’s bat is starting to heat up, collecting at least two hits in three of his last four games. He hit for excellent power over that stretch as well, slugging three home runs. Like Correa, Springer also excels against left-handed pitching, posting a 165 wRC+ against them in 2017.
Dexter Fowler vs. Tyler Chatwood, Chicago Cubs
Stadium – Wrigley Field
FanDuel = $3,300
DraftKings = $3,600
After being limited to just 118 games due to injury last year, Fowler is not off to the kind of fresh start he hoped for with a .183 average. You might be able to take advantage of his reduced price Tuesday though against Chatwood, who allowed a .360 wOBA to left-handers last year. The switch-hitting Fowler is better against righties, finishing with a wOBA of at least .363 against them in both of the last two seasons.
Matt Joyce vs. Miguel Gonzalez, Chicago White Sox
Stadium – Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
FanDuel = $2,900
DraftKings = $3,100
Joyce is someone you normally want to target as a cost-effective outfield option against right-handed pitching since he has a .351 wOBA against them in his career. This season has been no different as he has a .362 wOBA versus lefties in his first 17 games. Lefties were able to finish with a .360 wOBA against Gonzalez in 2017, making Joyce an excellent option once again Tuesday.
Others to consider: Charlie Blackmon and Jose Pirela
