This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
This week's Friday slate has just one omission -- an afternoon matchup at Wrigley between the Cubs and Brewers -- leaving 14 games to build lineups around (weather permitting).
The biggest question to determine is your willingness to pay the premium for Corey Kluber, whose near-$13K price tag on DraftKings might be cost prohibitive with so many quality bats to choose from.
Plenty of starting pitchers with poor splits offer up stacking opportunities, including:
- Cleveland vs. Erasmo Ramirez (at Progressive Field)
- Cincinnati vs. Phil Hughes (at Target Field)
- St. Louis vs. Steven Brault (at PNC Park)
- Baltimore vs. Mike Fiers (at Camden Yards)
Fortunately, the early outlook on weather is mostly positive, with the Rays-Red Sox matchup in Boston looking most susceptible to rain as of early Friday morning, but keep an eye on things throughout the day, particularly in Cleveland.
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Pitcher
Stephen Strasburg, WAS vs. ARI ($10,800) -- Considering the matchups, Strasburg could easily cost more than Corey Kluber ($12,900, vs. SEA) on Friday. With the gap, the ownership rates will shift accordingly, but at least in cash games, locking in Strasburg as one of your two starters makes perfect season. The D-backs have been a league average offense to this point in 2018, hitting .230/.315/.411 in a little more than 900 plate appearances. As the base skills go, Strasburg is right in line with his 2017 numbers with his strikeout rate and walk rate, and there is little reason to think he's anything less than a top-eight starting pitcher in the game at the present time.
Also in play among the pricey starters: Corey Kluber, Jacob deGrom, NYM at SD ($12,400), Luis Severino, NYY at LAA ($10,400)
Cheap GPP Consideration: Miles Mikolas, STL at PIT ($7,400) -- The Cards head to Pittsburgh as road favorites (-140) on Friday night, and with lefty Steven Brault pitching for the Bucs, run support shouldn't be much of a concern for Mikolas with the Cards' ability to load up a righty-heavy cadre of bats. The Pirates don't whiff uncontrollably (18.6% K% against righties), but they've been a slightly below average offense to this point in that split (97 wRC+), while Mikolas has pitched at least six innings in three straight starts, keeping the ball in the yard (one homer) and yielding just two walks during that span.
Fade: Dallas Keuchel, HOU vs. OAK ($8,800) -- At the first glance, I was considering Keuchel as a fair-priced option for my second pitcher spot, but the A's have a lot of righties and switch-hitters, and while a complete blow-up seems unlikely, there may be extra interest in him thanks to last season's success (3-1, 1.98 ERA) against Oakland. This year's iteration of the A's is better, especially compared to the lineup they trotted out in the first half of 2017, and the early results against lefties include a 115 wRC+ against them to begin 2018.
Catcher
Welington Castillo, CHW at KC ($3,100) -- Castillo gets a tough lefty with a matchup against Danny Duffy, but his success against southpaws overall is enough for me to consider Beef as one of the best plays on the board behind the plate Friday. When Duffy gives up homers, it's much more likely to be against a righty (1.29 HR/9), and Castillo's combination of pop and lineup placement makes him chalky, but it's at least a cash-game worthy play. Paying up for Gary Sanchez ($4,500) against Angels lefty Andrew Heaney is ideal. If the Orioles start Chance Sisco on Friday, he's a nice cheap pivot for tournaments at an even $3,000 against Mike Fiers.
First Base
Joey Votto, CIN at MIN ($4,100) -- The Reds are on the road for an Interleague series against the Twins, and the first matchup of the series comes against Minnesota right-hander Phil Hughes. While the magnitude of Hughes' struggles can be attributed to major injuries over the last two seasons, his .432 wOBA and 2.11 HR/9 against lefties makes him an easy target with Cincinnati bats, and even before the injuries, Hughes was susceptible to the long ball in that split (and not just during his time at Yankee Stadium pre-2014). Votto could be priced at $5,000 and he would still be a consideration in this matchup, so be careful not to inhale too much chalk dust elsewhere if you're building a lineup around him. The other chalk machine at first base will be Jose Martinez at $3,600 vs. lefty Steven Brault. Yonder Alonso at $3,800 at home against Erasmo Ramirez won't be sneaky, but should be low enough ownership-wise to consider in tournaments.
Second Base
Jedd Gyorko, STL at PIT ($3,400) -- Like his more popular teammate Jose Martinez, Gyorko's splits against lefties continue to make him an intriguing piece for lineups when the matchups put him up against a southpaw. Steven Brault is opposing Gyorko and the Cards on Friday night, whose splits against right-handed hitters include a 6.2% K-BB%, 1.24 HR/9, and .362 wOBA since the start of 2016. Gyorko has a career 119 wRC+ against lefties, and he peaked in that split with a 150 mark in 2017.
Third Base
Todd Frazier, NYM at SD ($3,900) -- Frazier's ability to produce against lefties gets somewhat overshadowed by Wilmer Flores and Asdrubal Cabrera. Flores ($3,300 at first base) will be very chalky by comparison, but Frazier at a slightly higher price is a nice way to get exposure against Padres lefty Clayton Richard on Friday. Richard's two-year splits against righties include a very low 4.5% K-BB%, 1.33 HR/9, and .371 wOBA, and the park factors at Petco Park are much more favorable for right-handed power hitters (three-year park index: 97) than they are for lefties (85).
Shortstop
J.P. Crawford, PHI vs. ATL ($3,200) -- I'm usually pretty quick to drink the "new swing" Kool-Aid. Crawford has been a top prospect for a few years, and as he advanced closer to the big leagues, it seemed like the ceiling with his bat continued to fall. He *should* be in the lineup Friday, but be sure to double-check any recommendations in this piece since it's written during the morning, as opposed to the final hours before lineup lock. Crawford isn't much of a cash-game option, since his placement in the lineup is typically in the bottom-third of the order. Still, in tournaments, he's positioned in his hitter-friendly home park against one of the league's worst pitchers against left-handed hitters (Julio Teheran). From the more expensive options on the board, Francisco Lindor ($4,700 against Erasmo Ramirez) is the player I would prefer to build around at the shortstop spot Friday.
Outfield
Michael Brantley, CLE vs. SEA ($3,900) -- The Indians have several lefties and switch-hitters primed to take advantage of a matchup against Erasmo Ramirez at Progress Field on Friday night. With a 2.12 HR/9 against lefties since the start of 2016, Ramirez is more prone to the long ball than any other starter on the board Friday, and he's pitching in a park that boosts left-handed home runs. Brantley has topped 15 points on DraftKings once this season since returning from an ankle injury, and he's got a great opportunity to do it for a second time in this setup.
Jesse Winker, CIN at MIN ($3,300) -- It was fair to wonder if the power surge we saw from Winker after he was called up for good last season was going to be even remotely sustainable. As we get closer to flipping the calendar to May, he's still looking for his first homer of 2018. Winker's ability to control the strike zone, hit the ball to all field, and draw walks makes him an ideal fit atop the Reds' lineup. Since Friday's matchup is an Interleague affair with American League rules, Winker, Scott Schebler and Adam Duvall should all be in the lineup together. As noted above with the Joey Votto recommendation, Winker and the Reds are in a great spot against Phil Hughes, and the Minnesota bullpen has been a mess to begin the season as well, serving as a replacement-level unit thus far.
Mac Williamson, SF vs. LAD ($3,000) -- Williamson was held out of the lineup Wednesday due to neck stiffness resulting a from dive around the bullpen mounds while he was pursuing a ball in Tuesday's game. Williamson homered after that incident Tuesday night, his third long ball in five games since being recalled by the Giants last weekend. In a San Francisco lineup desperately in need of more pop, Williamson should have every opportunity to stick even after Hunter Pence returns from the DL, and to move into a prominent run-producing spot in the batting order. Hyun-Jin Ryu is by no means a bad left-handed pitcher, but the value here on Williamson is too great to pass up.
