DraftKings MLB: Monday Picks

DraftKings MLB: Monday Picks

This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.

Two five-figure pitchers give way to a bit more uncertainty than we are accustomed to at the high-end Monday but there are more than a few hurlers who could be worth a look below the $8,000 range. On the offensive side, we have a couple of familiar names in hitter-friendly ballparks to stack against.

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Pitcher

Charlie Morton, HOU at SF ($11,100): Morton stands to benefit tremendously from a matchup against a National League squad, particularly one that has kept just a .308 wOBA against right-handed pitching this season. It is also worth noting that the Giants have struck out nearly 24 percent of the time, while Morton has notched a 31 percent strikeout rate in 124.1 innings
(21 starts).

Cheap GPP Consideration, Jake Arrieta, PHI at ARI ($7,800): Arrieta bounced back from a rough month of June in style to post a 2.80 ERA in 35.1 frames in July. His fastball has registered a 9.3 RAA overall this season, which should bear fruit against the Diamondbacks, who have logged a bottom-10 mark against the heater in 2018 (-16.0).

GPP Fade: Dereck Rodriguez, SF vs. HOU ($8,900): Rodriguez has put up some solid DraftKings scores of late but it's hard to imagine that he can deliver big scores on a consistent basis, as he has struck out just 20 percent of the batters he has faced this season and has allowed a 42 percent hard contact rate in 66 innings. He will have little margin for error against the Astros, who have tallied a top-10 wOBA against right-handed pitching (.325).

Catcher

Omar Narvaez, CWS vs. NYY ($3,200): Narvaez has been a solid offensive contributor this season, logging a .353 wOBA against right-handed pitching while registering a 5.0 RAA against the fastball in 181 at-bats. Opposing starter Lance Lynn pitched well in his only outing with the Yankees but logged a 6.08 ERA in 23.2 innings in July and throws a heater which has yielded -8.9 RAA.

First Base

Ryon Healy, SEA at TEX ($3,800): I don't often recommend cheap options at the corners but Healy could be an excellent value play against Martin Perez, who has been hammered to the tune of a .591 slugging percentage in 35.2 frames against right-handed hitters this year. Healy has notched a .200 ISO in 100 at-bats against lefties and could be a nice building block to a stack in the Texas heat.

Second Base

Jeff McNeil, NYM vs. CIN ($3,400): McNeil has done well in his cup of coffee with the Mets in 2018, tallying a .192 ISO and .392 wOBA in 26 at-bats against right-handed pitching. While the sample may be small, it needs to be said that McNeil kept a slugging percentage north of .600 in 339 at-bats in the Mets' minor league system prior to getting the call to join the big club. Homer Bailey has thrown the ball well in two starts since returning from the disabled list but has still surrendered a .537 slugging percentage against left-handed hitting in 37 innings.

Third Base

Miguel Andujar, NYY at CWS ($4,300): Andujar has shown more power against lefties but has been the better overall hitter against righties this season, as evidenced by the .350 wOBA he has logged in .272 at-bats. Opposing starter Dylan Covey will be another tempting stack option heading into Monday's slate, as he has not put up an ERA lower than 5.52 in a calendar month since May (55.1 innings).

Shortstop

Yairo Munoz, STL at MIA ($3,900): Much has been made of Wei-Yin Chen's exaggerated home and road splits but the 33-year-old's 2.18 ERA at Marlins Park is likely a bit fluky due to the fact that he carries a 5.03 xFIP against right-handed hitters at home in 34.2 innings. Meanwhile, Munoz has shown good power against lefty pitchers this season, notching a .237 ISO in 59 at-bats.

Outfield

Ian Happ, CHC at KC, ($3,700): Happ has done damage against right-handed pitching this season, tallying a .200 ISO and a 44.4 percent hard contact rate against right-handed pitching in 195 at-bats. Jakob Junis has been vulnerable to left-handed hitters for most of the season and will enter the contest having surrendered a .493 slugging percentage and a 40.5 percent hard contact rate against his opposite hand in 54.1 frames.

Nick Castellanos, DET at LAA ($3,800): Castellanos has consistently made some of the hardest contact in the league over the past few seasons and 2018 has been no different, as he has notched a 48.1 percent rate in 432 at-bats. This should pay dividends against Nick Tropeano, who has allowed a 41.6 percent hard contact rate to righty hitters to go along with a .477 slugging percentage.

Daniel Palka, CWS vs. NYY ($4,700): Some players may not want to pay up for a relatively unknown hitter like Palka but he has earned his keep of late, putting up double-digit DraftKings points five times in his last ten games. The 26-year-old has tallied a .290 ISO against righties in 210 at-bats, making him a candidate to do damage against a vulnerable pitcher like Lynn.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Christopher Olson plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: Sommerset, FanDuel: Christop, Yahoo: Martins.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christopher Olson
Christopher Olson writes DFS articles and blogs for a variety of sports including MLB, NFL and MMA. Follow him on Twitter @RealChrisOlson
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