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There are baseball games on this afternoon, but we don’t care about those. Today, I am only contractually obligated to care about the eight contests starting after 6:35 p.m. ET. You heard me, the Reds. I don’t have to deal with whatever your franchise deems an MLB caliber roster for at least 24 hours.
Let’s dive in and go position-by-position.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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PITCHER
Stud
Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins at Atlanta Braves, $9,900 - It has been an underwhelming start to 2023 for the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, but Wednesday presents an interesting buying opportunity, as the public perception of Alcantara appears at it’s lowest point in two seasons. At first glance, this is also a terrible matchup. The Braves are amazing — their 115 wRC+ is fourth-highest in the league — yet the team has been known to strikeout quite a bit. Across the past two weeks, Atlanta owns baseball’s second-highest swinging strike rate (12.9%) and it’s third-highest strikeout rate (26.7%). Zig while everyone’s zagging. Alcantara remains the highest-ceiling asset on the slate.
Value
Patrick Sandoval, Los Angeles Angels vs. Oakland Athletics, $6,500 - Another starter who is struggling coming into Wednesday’s action, though one who should still be infinitely popular. For as real as some of Sandoval’s red flags are — a 14.1% walk rate isn’t going to cut it — the left-hander remains in the 88th percentile of pitchers in hard hit rate (28.1%) and the 77th percentile in whiff rate (11.9%). There’s an obvious base to build off of, and expecting instantaneously improvement against the lowly Athletics isn’t a bad strategy. Oakland’s bats have been better than it’s arms in 2023, yet that’s only translated into a .301 wOBA, which ranks 23rd in the league.
INFIELD
Stud
Pete Alonso, New York Mets vs. Washington Nationals, $5,900 - Let’s not get too complex at the top. You simply play Alonso whenever’s he’s facing a left-handed opponent like MacKenzie Gore ($7,500). For his career, Alonso owns a .304 ISO within the split, and that figure has only gone up so far in 2023. In his 35 plate appearances versus southpaws this season, Alonso is slashing .333/.429/.867 with a 243 wRC+. Not too shabby.
Stud
Jeremy Pena, Houston Astros at Tampa Bay Rays, $4,200 - Pena just feels too cheap on this slate. While the World Series MVP began 2023 a little slowly, his bat has been heating up across his past 10 games, with Pena slashing .270/.325/.514 with a 133 wRC+ within that span. Sure, it’s not the most appealing thing to pick on the Rays’ bullpen; however, if there’s one element of the season that’s gone wrong for Tampa, it’s been the Calvin Faucher ($5,300) opener experiment. It might be the team’s lone weakness.
Value
Brandon Drury, Los Angeles Angeles vs. Oakland Athletics, $3,600 - I won’t sugarcoat it. Drury has looked awful in April, making it seem more and more likely that his success in 2022 was an aberration. Still, when it comes to tonight’s slate, the Angels have the highest implied total of any team in action. Everyone in their lineup is viable — including Drury. At the very least, the veteran has been able to exploit Oakland’s underwhelming pitching staff, as Drury’s collected five hits, two home runs and six RBI in this series’ first two contests.
Value
Wilmer Flores, San Francisco Giants vs. St. Louis Cardinals, $3,300 - I’m struggling to see how Flores is this inexpensive on Wednesday evening. The veteran is locked into the Giants’ lineup when the team is facing a lefty, generally hitting somewhere in the the upper-half. There’s a reason for that. Flores has registered a career .809 OPS against LHPs, and in 35 plate appearances in 2023, that figure is sitting at a very heathy 1.006. Flores is a classic platoon bat and he should take advantage of Steven Matz ($6,000), who is allowing a .423 wOBA to the RHBs he’s faced through four starts.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels vs. Oakland Athletics, $5,900 - Here’s a stunning development: Mike Trout is still amazing. The veteran comes into Wednesday slashing .326/.426/.605 with a 186 wRC+ over his first 101 plate appearances of 2023. This evening, he’ll get his first taste of that funky cold Medina, as Oakland will send 23-year-old Luis Medina ($5,000) to the mound for his MLB debut. Medina’s pitched just 9.1 innings above Double-A in his career. I feel like this is going to go poorly for the RHP.
Stud
Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres, $5,100 - The wind will be blowing in at Wrigley tonight, but I’m still looking to invest in some of the Cubs’ left-handed bats. Michael Wacha ($8,300) has struggled mightily within the split so far in 2023, with opposing LHBs compiling a .735 slugging percentage and a .477 wOBA off the veteran RHP. This is all great news for Happ, who continues to be a much more potent DFS asset as a left-handed hitter. Happ is batting .357 with a 192 wRC+ versus right-handers this season.
Value
James Outman, Los Angeles Dodgers at Pittsburgh Pirates, $4,000 - Outman finally finds himself with a salary of at least $4K, yet he remains too inexpensive for an asset with his level of production. Across 90 plate appearances, the rookie outfielder sports a jaw-dropping .392 ISO and a 195 wRC+. Matchup is also something to consider in this spot. Roansy Contreras ($5,700) has had his issues with LHBs in 2023, allowing opponents to hit .371 with a .439 OBP within the split.
Value
Jarred Kelenic, Seattle Mariners at Philadelphia Phillies, $3,900 - Kelenic is in a similar boat as the aforementioned Outman. Just a young stud whose price never seems to increase. The former top prospect owns a .384 ISO and a 210 wRC+ over 81 plate appearances. He’s managed seven home runs since April 10. I don’t really care who Seattle is facing at this point. If Kelenic’s less than $4K, he’s viable.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (my username is theglt13) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.