This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Saturday's 11-game night slate is the biggest I've covered for Rotowire this season, and it's a great night for some cheap plays. With so many options, I'll focus on players $3,500 or cheaper, so that you can fill your lineups with some studs along with some of my value choices. There are many dominant aces on the mound like Felix Hernandez, Max Scherzer and Zack Greinke, so there will be numerous lineups to avoid as well. Let's get to some of these value plays.
Pitchers
Andrew Cashner $8,200
For Cashner to be the seventh-ranked pitcher on the board while pitching at home, there must be a mistake. Cashner has some amazing numbers at home the last three seasons, sporting a 2.11 ERA with a WHIP exactly at 1.00. Those are Cy Young numbers, and considering he faces the Nationals, the $8,200 price tag doesn't make much sense. The Nationals have been one of the worst offenses in the league, and all their big bats are righties aside from Bryce Harper. It will be tough for Cashner to get a win as he opposes Max Scherzer, but he never gets wins anyway as he's only 12-9 with those gaudy three-year home numbers. At $8,200, we don't need a win, we just need him to go deep and provide strikeouts, which is almost guaranteed the way Cashner deals at home.
Mike Leake $7,300
There's nothing exciting about Leake, but he just continues to get it done for the Reds. Leake has been fantastic recently allowing only a single run in his last 22 innings pitched over a three-game span. While strikeouts have been low, it isn't a big deal as were paying only $7,300 for the 12th-ranked pitcher. Yes, strikeouts are crucial on FanDuel, but with how well Leake has been pitching and with his opponent, another quality start seems imminent. Leake faces the Giants, who have scored the third fewest runs. Not to mention, Leake is favored against the struggling Ryan Vogelsong. With all these factors in play, Leake is a fantastic value outside the top-half pitchers.
Catcher
Salvador Perez $2,400
Perez faces CC Sabathia and should have a fine game as he has destroyed lefties throughout his career. Perez is a career .308 hitter against southpaws and sits right in the middle of that surprisingly potent Royals lineup. There aren't many catching options as there have been so many injuries this season, so paying $2,400 for a middle-of-the-order bat is a fantastic catch. Another interesting nugget is that Sabathia throws the majority of his pitches on the outside, exactly where Perez's hot zone resides. While Stephen Vogt, Russell Martin and Buster Posey might have more upside, Perez is a great value at more than $1,000 cheaper than those options.
First Base
Chris Carter $2,800
Joey Votto was my first choice, but you're here for value plays, so we'll give them to you. Carter is the definition of an all-or-nothing home run hitter, and against the likes of Marco Estrada, we'll bet on him going deep Saturday night. With the short porch in left field at Minute Maid Park, Estrada could be in for a short outing with his home run tendencies. Estrada allowed the most home runs of any pitcher last season with 29, which is amazing as he spent the majority of the season in the bullpen for the Brewers. It may surprise some, but Carter tied for second in home runs with Giancarlo Stanton last season with an eye-popping 37 bombs. Carter can provide production with walks as well, and as one of the cheapest first-base options available, he's a great play in GPPs with a potential multi-homer game.
Second Base
Robinson Cano $3,300
Cano's price has steadily dropped this season, and at $3,300, he's become a great value. While Cano hasn't found his power stroke yet, he still has been effective, hitting in 13 of his last 16 games with four multi-hit games in that span. Cano squares off against Rick Porcello, against whom he has solid career numbers. He has batted .429 in 21 plate appearances against Porcello, and while that's a small sample size, it perhaps shows he sees the ball well out of the right-hander's hand. Porcello really struggles against lefties as well, as he has allowed a .350 OBP with a .805 OPS the last three seasons to southpaw hitters. This is a recipe for a big game for Cano, and a long night for Porcello against the lefty-heavy Mariners lineup.
Third Base
Luis Valbuena $3,000
We're going to continue our stack against Marco Estrada with third basemen Luis Valbuena. While Valbuena hasn't provided much in average this year barely hitting above the Mendoza line, he has provided pop, hitting nine homers in 33 games played. After coming off his best season last year with 16 home runs, Valbuena has found a home in Houston and has a nice spot in the lineup batting second behind Jose Altuve and ahead of George Springer and Evan Gattis. Valbuena has homered in two of his last three games, so we're going to ride the hot hitter at a relatively cheap price of $3,000 and bank on one of these Astros going deep.
Shortstop
J.J. Hardy $2,400
Hardy just returned from injury on May 7 and has been his usual self, hitting two home runs in just eight games played. He squares off against Matt Shoemaker, who has been giving up home runs regularly this season. Shoemaker is tied for the American League lead in home runs allowed with 10. If Hardy can run into one here, he'll destroy his $2,400 price tag. Hardy has had five seasons with 22-plus home runs and has always provided surprising pop out for a shortstop. With three hits and three runs scored in his last three games including a homer, Hardy is just starting to turn it on and should be able to keep his momentum going against Shoemaker.
Outfield
Brandon Moss $3,500
Moss recently was moved from first base to outfield on FanDuel, which benefits his value. With so many good options in the outfield, he is much more usable with three slots available and such a better value at only $3,500. He faces Colby Lewis in what should be a big game for the Indians. With all the Indians' lefty bats, they could be in line to put up a crooked number against the inconsistent Lewis. Moss likely will be the clean-up hitter and should see plenty of opportunities for RBI with guys like Jason Kipnis and Michael Brantley regularly getting on-base in front of him. So why not use Kipnis or Brantley? To put it simply, both are more than $4,000, nearing $5,000, while Moss is only $3,500. We'll save some money and bank on Moss having a big game in a prime opportunity.
Kole Calhoun $3,100
Calhoun has been quietly effective all season and is batting leadoff in one of the league's most potent 1-2-3 combinations. Bud Norris is the probable pitcher for Saturday, but he is dealing with a minor illness, so it's possible he'll face Ubaldo Jimenez on short rest. In any case, Calhoun will face a below-average righty arm and should have opportunities for big things. Calhoun can provide in every way possible; runs, RBI, steals and even homers. He is batting .314, with 18 RBI and 14 runs scored out of the leadoff spot this season. Especially attractive is the $3,100 price tag. Calhoun has far too much upside to be valued this low, ranking outside the top-35 outfielders. Calhoun is one of the best bets for an outfielder to get on base and score.
Jay Bruce $2,400
Bruce has been one of the unluckiest players in the majors this season, and a matchup against Ryan Vogelsong could be just what he needs. Bruce has an unfair .189 BABIP and has routinely hit the ball deep. In his last two games, he's had two balls caught on the warning track for loud outs. My favorite part of the play is the incredibly cheap $2,400 price tag. Bruce has been a notorious righty-killer in his career, and Vogelsong has been destroyed by lefties all season. Vogelsong has allowed a .321 average and a 1.163 OPS to lefties this season, while Bruce has had 144 of his 188 extra-base hits against righties the last three seasons. With all these pieces in play, Bruce is my best value of the night.
