This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Saturday night's slate features nine games, and it should be a fun night with multiple aces hitting the rubber. Clayton Kershaw, Johnny Cueto and Madison Bumgarner are big favorites as they square off against below-average pitchers. We have some weather issues for the STL-PIT and LAD-COL matchups, so definitely monitor weather reports before submitting final lineups. I tried my best to avoid those games, but I just had to choose a couple of players as their value is far too great at their low prices.
Pitcher
Madison Bumgarner ($10,200)
The MadBum is usually too good to be a value play, but as the third-ranked pitcher on a short slate, he's a can't-miss against a below-average offense like the Marlins. Not only is Bumgarner coming off his best start of the season, he faces a Marlins team that was shut out against Tim Lincecum the night before. The Marlins are one of the league's most strikeout-prone teams, ranking 26th in whiffs. Bumgarner should not only have an easy chance at a quality start, he should have a good shot at striking out at least seven. The only scary proposition is Giancarlo Stanton, who bats an ungodly .615 against Bumgarner with an absurd 1.897 OPS, but MadBum will be smart and pitch around him. With the Giants a -170 favorite in a game with only a 6.5 predicted run total and Bumgarner coming off an eight-inning, two-hit gem against the Padres, the Giants ace is poised to demolish his $10,200 price tag.
Carlos Martinez ($8,100)
This is one of those questionable games with weather, and if there's any doubt of a cancellation, of course don't use him. That said, Martinez is the steal of the night at $8,100 and will be in almost all my lineups if the weather report is clear. Martinez squares off against the league's fifth-worst offense Saturday in the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates scored 12 runs combined in their last two games but totaled only five runs in their previous five games, including three games against these Cardinals. Also, Martinez was incredible in April, going 3-0 with a 1.73 ERA, averaging nearly a strikeout per inning. With Martinez's upside, he is the best GPP play of the night at $8,100.
Catcher
Buster Posey ($3,400)
Posey is coming off one of his best FanDuel games of the season Friday as he posted eight points on a two-hit, three-walk, three-run performance against the Marlins. Posey faces righty David Phelps on Saturday night and could abuse the stop-gap replacement pitcher. The best part of the Posey play is the safety he provides at just $3,400. Posey is the night's fourth-ranked catcher, but he should always be the No. 1 catcher in my book. Players like Stephen Vogt and Yasmani Grandal are far more expensive than Posey, and that's just criminal. Look for Posey to build off his strong Friday night performance and show why he is the best catcher in the league.
First Base
Matt Adams ($2,800)
This is my final play from the potential rain games, but this price tag is absurd for the righty-killing Adams. Adams cannot hit lefties, and that is just fine here as he faces right-hander Vance Worley. A career .197 hitter against lefties, Adams has a .306 career average against righties. While his power is lacking, he could provide some value through his ability to get on base and drive runners in. There are only three first-base starters who have lower prices than Adams for Saturday, so it shouldn't be difficult for him to return value. I expect the Cardinals to put up a crooked number in this matchup, and Adams should be in the heart of the lineup to pounce on Worley.
Second Base
Daniel Murphy ($2,800)
Murphy is finally starting to get hot and faces a righty he's had success against in Aaron Harang. Murphy is 8-for-26 in his career off Harang, but the intriguing part is that six of those eight hits went for extra bases. Over the last six days, Murphy is 6-for-22, and it appears he's found some form after struggling the first month of the season. Philadelphia also sports one of the most hitter-friendly parks in the league, which should benefit Murphy as well. All things considered, Murphy is a good bet to exceed his $2,800 price tag.
Third Base
Kyle Seager ($3,000)
Seager absolutely destroys righty-pitching and faces struggling righty Jesse Hahn on Saturday night. Seager is tied for the eighth-ranked third basemen with Martin Prado and is behind the likes of Yasmani Tomas and Jacob Lamb. Seager is far better than those players and should be a value play by exceeding their production. Seager has a career .274 average against right-handers and has hit nearly 70 percent of his career homers off righties. And, perhaps surprisingly, Seager hit 16 of his 25 home runs last season at his pitcher-friendly home park, the site of Saturday's game. With a low strikeout rate and unlucky BABIP this season, Seager is just around the corner from a breakout. We'll bet on him having a breakout Saturday night.
Shortstop
Jean Segura ($2,600)
This season has been a revival for Segura as he dealt with injuries and personal issues all last season in a difficult campaign. Segura has been great this year, hitting .268 with 11 runs, six steals and 11 RBI. This production is fantastic for a shortstop and against a lefty, he should have a yet another productive game Saturday. This is the first of my Brewers stack, and Segura is the cheapest at only $2,600. Segura is the 10th-ranked shortstop for this slate and should have an easy time returning value at that cheap price. Squaring off against lefty Travis Wood is just another benefit as Wood has not been good against righties in his career, allowing a .754 OPS the last three seasons. This is a great play as Segura can provide through runs, steals and RBI, which makes him incredibly valuable.
Outfield
Carlos Gomez ($3,800)
Gomez sat out Friday's game, but it seemed to be more of a precaution as he just returned from the DL earlier in the week. Gomez is the second piece of our Brewers stack and is a value outside the top-10 outfielders on FanDuel. As mentioned, Wood really struggles against righties, and as you'd expect, Gomez has his way with lefties. There is not a better speed-power combination available then Gomez at less than $4,000. Gomez likely will return to the leadoff spot and will see at least four at-bats. The volume play here makes Gomez very encouraging, and becaus the Brewers should blow up Wood, Gomez will be the firestarter.
Ryan Braun ($3,500)
For the final part of my Brewers stack, we'll ride the Hebrew Hammer to see if he can stay hot. After a difficult start to 2015, Braun seems to be finally turning it on. Since April 28, Braun has gone 10-for-37 with 11 runs, 12 RBI and five home runs. Clearly the power stoke is back for Braun, who faces a lefty he has owned in his career. Braun has six extra-base hits and seven RBI in 27 career at-bats against Wood. It's surprising to see Braun at such a cheap price, outside the top-20 outfielders on just a nine-game slate. We'll ride the hot hand at a relatively cheap price.
Jorge Soler ($3,000)
Soler is one of my favorite players in the league, and he is coming off a home run Friday. Soler will look to build on that against Kyle Lohse, who has really struggled this season with a 7.01 ERA. Soler is a threat to contribute in many ways as he has a .336 OBP this season and 13 RBI. The youngster has shown major power in lower levels, posting an .862 SLG at Double-A and a .618 SLG at Triple-A. Soler is just coming out of his shell and is ready to become a star before our eyes. Look for him to do big things Saturday in a great hitter's ballpark against one of the most struggling pitchers in the league.
