DraftKings MLB Daily Fantasy Picks 5/23/19
Slate News, Injuries, Vegas Totals, & Weather
These are picks just for the two-game night slate, which isn’t really an appealing slate to play. Tampa has a bullpen game going, and the rest of the arms are meh. I am going to look more towards tournaments in this spot, rather than cash games. Friday’s article will be back to the usual format and covering both cash and tournament plays.
Austin Meadows ($5,600) – Dating back to last season, Adam Plutko has allowed a .415 wOBA and .325 ISO to left-handed hitters. He has a 5.45 xFIP in this span, and a sub 20% strikeout rate. Lefties also have tagged him for a 50% flyball rate and 38% hard-contact rate. Austin Meadows is an expensive bat, but has earned that price tag this season. He has a .470 wOBA and .367 ISO off right-handed pitching this season. He also has a 49% hard-contact rate. Plutko uses a low velocity fastball 60% of the time against left-handed pitching.
Jose Abreu ($4,200) – Jose Abreu has homered in the first two games off Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole. He will take on Corbin Martin tonight, who has a small major league sample size. Not much in the minor leagues that flashes upside in the majors, and he is mainly a fastball arm. Against this fastball range, Jose Abreu has a .427 wOBA and .330 ISO. This season alone, Abreu has a .287 ISO against right-handers, and a .350 wOBA. He remains one of the more underrated fantasy first baseman. His price is super reasonable at $4,200 and is my favorite first base option.
Kevin Kiermaier ($4,100) – Kevin Kiermaier has a .203 ISO off changeups, and a .429 ISO off this fastball range. As mentioned with Meadows, Adam Plutko is allowing a .415 wOBA and .325 ISO to left-handed hitters since last season. Kiermaier has a .204 ISO off righties this season, and Kiermaier should be able to get better lift against a flyball lefty. He comes in at $4,100, and hitting 7th should drop his ownership down a bit. On a two game slate, nobody will be greatly low owned, but Kiermaier should be a difference maker.
Lucas Giolito ($8,400) – Houston’s offense is one of the best in baseball, as they are just simply one of the best teams in baseball. Targeting pitchers against them is not something I do, but on a two-game slate and on a site where you need two pitchers, Lucas Giolito is worth a look. He has a 3.87 xFIP, and a 29% strikeout rate this season. His improvement has been with the slider to right-handed bats, throwing it 24% of the time with a 56% whiff rate. Lefties get the changeup, which has a 36% whiff rate. After looking like a major bust, Giolito has pieced together a successful arsenal. Houston’s lineup could still be watered down, and this is going against the grain.
Eloy Jimenez ($3,200) – Eloy Jimenez is rounding into his own after a slow start. He still has a fairly high strikeout rate, but he now has a .242 ISO off right-handers. He is also just $3,200 on this slate, which is an extreme value for such a power hitter. Martin has a small sample size in the majors, but has allowed a .438 ISO and .482 wOBA to right-handers. Hard-contact is up to 46%. Jimenez is one of the first guys going into my lineup even at higher ownership because of the price. Against an arm that throws mostly fastballs, he is an excellent option.
