This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
We are in the home stretch for major league baseball, with preseason football ramping up. We have a full 15-game slate today and here are some value plays to help you make your way to the top.
Starting Pitcher
Chris Bassitt ($7,600)
It's tough to recommend a guy who is 1-4, but the case for Bassitt as a top value play is compelling. He has a 2.60 ERA and 1.01 WHIP, numbers that are too good for him to have a record that bad. He faces a Rays team that has the fourth highest strikeout percentage and a bottom third batting average against right-handed pitching. He is at home in Oakland, which is a friendly pitchers' park, and while he is not a huge strikeout guy, he does have four consecutive starts with double-digit fantasy points, averaging about 14 points per game over that span. His offensive support is suspect, so while a win is not guaranteed, he should pitch well enough to be in line for it.
Catcher
Welington Castillo ($3,400)
Arizona has a great matchup Friday and has been one of the hottest offenses in the league since the All-Star break. They face the young left-handed pitcher David Holmberg, who has already allowed right-handed batters to hit .275 against him with four homers in only 14 innings. Castillo has a .427 wOBA and .366 ISO this year against southpaws, which are huge numbers for a catcher. Castillo has cooled off from his home-run barrage, but against Holmberg I would not be surprised if that power shows up again.
First Base
Joey Votto ($4200)
Votto has seen his price come down to a point where he makes for a solid value play. He faces Rubby De La Rosa, who has allowed left-handed batters to hit .309 against him with 17 home runs in 69 innings. Votto has a .414 wOBA and .241 ISO against right-handed pitching this season, he plays in a hitter-friendly park in Cincinnati and should be third in the order. Votto has hits in eight of his last nine games and has scored 45.5 fantasy points during that run. That translates to over five points per game, which is why he is a great value at this price.
Second Base
Andres Blanco ($2,800)
Blanco is a great salary-saving option Friday. He is batting in the two hole and now has three multi-hit games in his last five. He has scored over 20 fantasy points over that span, which gives him an average over four per contest. He faces Kendry Flores, the young relief pitcher getting his first start. He will likely not go deep into the game, so the bullpen should be in play. For only $2,800, you will not find many better options.
Shortstop
Carlos Correa ($4,300)
How can Correa be a value play when he is the top priced player at the position? That is a valid question with an easy answer: he is going to have a huge game. Correa faces Brett Anderson, who has allowed right-handed batters to hit .273 with 11 homers in 94 at-bats and is getting a huge park downgrade. Correa is mashing left-handed pitching with a .410 wOBA and .288 ISO. He is batting .315 with five homers in 73 innings against lefties and should see ample opportunities to add to his numbers from the three hole in the lineup. Despite the high price tag, he can put up a huge score, making it absolutely worth it to pay up for him.
Third Base
Derek Dietrich ($3000)
Dietrich is great against right-handed pitching and gets a matchup Friday against a rookie who struggled with left-handed bats in Triple-A and is making his first start in the bigs. Dietrich has a .405 wOBA and .269 ISO against right-handed pitching this year, though his numbers were much more appealing when he was second-base eligible. There are a lot more options at third base, but that only helps keep his ownership low. He has put up at least six fantasy points in four of his last six games, and the potential low ownership and low prices make him an intriguing tournament option.
Outfield
Adam Jones ($3,900)
Jones has a very favorable matchup Friday, as he faces Tommy Milone, who has allowed right-handed batters to hit .292 against him with 12 home runs in 60 innings. Jones has always mashed left-handed pitching during his career and currently has a .410 wOBA and .278 ISO against southpaws this season.
Andre Ethier ($2,700)
Ethier is too cheap not to consider. He has been batting in the clean-up spot recently and now faces Mike Fiers, who has allowed left-handed batters to hit .253 against him since he was acquired. Ethier is 4-for-6 lifetime against Fiers with two extra base hits. While that is not a large sample size, it does help add to his case. A clean up hitter for only $2,700 with a favorable splits matchup in a hitters' park is someone that makes sense to use on your roster.
Carlos Gonzalez ($5,000)
Gonzalez is the most expensive option in the outfield Friday, but he is also far and away the best. He faces Bartolo Colon, who has allowed left-handed batters to hit .302 against him this year. The games is at Coors Field, the friendliest park in the league for hitters. Gonzalez has been on fire since the All-Star break as well, raising his wOBA to .411 and his ISO to .324. He has not had a home run in a few games, but against Bartolo Colon's arsenal of fastballs, that may change.
