MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Recommendations for 3/29/18
*Mike Barner — @rotomikebarner*
MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Recommendations for 3/29/18
The long wait is finally over. Opening Day has arrived! There’s nothing quite like the excitement of the first day of the baseball season. Let’s kick this season off in style with a successful daily fantasy baseball lineup. Sign up for our Newsletter and try our Playerlab tool, where you can filter the stats that matter the most and help build a winning entry on FanDuel and DraftKings.
STARTING PITCHERS
Chris Sale vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Stadium – Tropicana Field
FanDuel = $11,200
DraftKings = $12,200
Sale (hip) started off his Red Sox career in style, posting a 17-8 record and finishing second in the voting for the Cy Young Award last year. He dominated the league, recording a 2.90 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and a career-high 12.9 K/9. His ERA was no fluke either as his FIP was a sparkling 2.45. Sale was hit by a comebacker in his final start this spring, but he should be fine for Opening Day. He gets a great matchup against a rebuilding Rays squad that lost Evan Longoria, Steven Souza Jr. and Corey Dickerson over the winter. Their lineup is lacking power as a result, setting up Sale to have a strong start to the 2018 campaign.
Garrett Richards vs. Oakland Athletics
Stadium – Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
FanDuel = $8,000
DraftKings = $6,800
Richards showed promise in his first two full seasons as a starting pitcher in 2015 and 2016, going a combined 28-16 in 376 innings. His ERA was 3.65 or lower in both seasons and he had 340 total strikeouts. However, injuries have taken a toll on him the last two seasons, resulting in him throwing only 62.1 innings combined. He pitched well when he was on the mound, allowing only 16 total earned runs during that stretch. He’s healthy now and had a strong spring, recording a 2.84 ERA and 9.9 K/9. Thursday’s opponent in the Athletics has a lot of power, but they also have several players who strike out a lot. If you don’t want to pay up for Sale, Richards could provide value at a much more budget-friendly price.
OFFENSIVE STACKS
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Ty Blach (San Francisco Giants)
Stadium – Dodger Stadium
The Giants were hit hard by injuries to their starting rotation before the season even started, losing both Madison Bumgarner (hand) and Jeff Samardzija (pectoral). Because the injury to Bumgarner happened so late in spring training, the Giants did not have enough time to adjust their rotation. That left Blach lined up to start the opener. He did not have a strong season in 2017, finishing 8-12 with a 4.78 ERA and 1.36 WHIP. He struggled to get right-handed batters out as they hit .295 against him last year compared to lefties batting only .250. Most teams are throwing out their best starter in the first game of the season, which could lead to some low-scoring games. Take advantage of Blach taking the mound by stacking Dodgers hitters.
Players to consider stacking: Yasiel Puig, Chris Taylor, Matt Kemp
Chicago Cubs vs. Jose Urena (Miami Marlins)
Stadium – Marlins Park
The Marlins traded away the vast majority of their good players and are lined up to be one of the worst teams in baseball this season, Their starting rotation is particularly bad, likely leaving them as a good team to stack against most nights. At first glance, Urena’s numbers from 2017 don’t look bad. He finished 14-7 with a 3.82 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. However, his ERA could have been much worse as his FIP was 5.20. He also only struck out six batters per nine innings. Not having overpowering stuff immediately puts him behind the eight ball pitching against the potent Cubs lineup. On a day full of star pitchers, Urena is another defacto ace you can take advantage of.
Players to consider stacking: Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber, Ian Happ
SPLIT KINGS
This season we’ll dive even deeper into the matchups to provide you with some hitters that have favorable splits each day. All areas that will be considered are splits against certain teams, starting pitchers, home and road games, and success against either right-handed or left-handed pitchers. Outside of the favorable offensive stacks already discussed, these hitters could also help you create a winning lineup.
Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels
FanDuel = $4,800
DraftKings = $5,400
It’s not hard to find great numbers for Trout. Although he was limited to only 114 games last year due to injury, he still hit .306 with 33 home runs, 72 RBI, 92 runs scored and 22 steals. Trout has owned Athletics starting pitcher Kendall Graveman, hitting .370 with two home runs and four RBI against him in 30 career plate appearances.
Mookie Betts, OF, Boston Red Sox
FanDuel = $4,200
DraftKings = $5,000
This might not seem like an obvious advantage for Betts against a tough starting pitcher in Chris Archer on Thursday. Archer is a big-time strikeout pitcher, posting a K/9 of at least 10.4 in three straight seasons. However, Betts has excelled against him during his career, batting .387 with four home runs, 10 RBI and eight walks in 39 career plate appearances.
Evan Gattis, C, Houston Astros
FanDuel = $2,500
DraftKings = $3,300
Gattis is eligible at catcher, but he figures to see most of his time at designated hitter for the Astros this season. Injuries have limited him to only 212 games in the last two seasons combined, but he still managed to hit 44 home runs during that stretch. He gets to face Cole Hamels on Thursday, who he has hit .360 with three home runs against in 25 career plate appearances.
Albert Pujols, 1B, Los Angeles Angels
FanDuel = $2,500
DraftKings = $3,700
Pujols is a shell of his former self, hitting just .241 last season. He still showed he can hit for power though, slugging 23 home runs and recording 101 RBI. He has hit even better against Graveman than Trout has during his career, batting a loft .433 with three home runs and 10 RBI in 33 plate appearances.