Wednesdays are one of my favorite days of the week, pretty much everyone is in play. The one obvious game on this slate is the Arizona vs. Colorado matchup, which has the largest over/under at 11.5. Due to this fact, we’re going to stray away from recommending players in this game. While all of the bats are obviously in play there, we don’t need to take the easy road and give you plays from such a predictable spot. Mixing some values with the chalky Arizona/Colorado bats will be critical and that’s going to be our goal here.
Catcher
J.T. Realmuto, PHI vs. STL
DK ($4,600) FD ($3,400)
There aren’t too many great cheap catchers on this slate, so we’re going to pay up for Realmuto. What we like here is that he gets the platoon advantage against Genesis Cabrera, who’s making his first career start in the Majors. Any pitcher making their debut is worth stacking against and that’s why the Phillies are projected for nearly six runs here. Realmuto should be in the heart of that stack. Let’s get back to the platoon splits though, with Realmuto posting a .940 OPS against southpaws so far this season.
First Base
Edwin Encarnacion, SEA vs. TEX
DK ($4,500) FD ($3,500)
I really want to get some exposure against Drew Smyly and the powerful, long ball specialist, Edwin Encarnacion, is the perfect candidate. We’re talking about a guy who’s one of the league leaders in home runs over the last decade, as his .233 career ISO is one of the best marks in baseball. His .245 ISO this season shows that he hasn’t fallen off at all and we really love him against lefties as Encarnacion is posting an .864 OPS and .376 OBP against southpaws throughout his career. Smyly is one of the worst pitchers in the league but we’ll go over that more in our outfield write-up.
Second Base
Hansel Alberto, BAL vs. DET
DK ($4,200) FD ($2,700)
This guy is not getting the credit he deserves! What we really like here is that he gets the platoon advantage against a lefty. Alberto is posting a 1.018 OPS against southpaws so far this season. We particularly like him against Ryan Carpenter, who’s posting a 9.00 ERA and 1.57 WHIP so far this season. Alberto is red-hot right now, posting a .448 average and 1.174 OPS over his last eight games.
Third Base
Nolan Arenado, COL vs. ARI
DK ($5,600) FD ($4,900)
Alright, I’m cheating a bit here but fading Arenado is NOT an option. Not only does Arenado destroy left-handed pitching, he also gets to hit in the best hitter’s park in the Majors. In fact, Arenado has a 1.257 OPS against southpaws since 2017. The Rockies All-Star is also posting a 1.076 OPS at home since 2017. Arenado is probably the hottest hitter in the league right now, collecting 12 doubles, 15 homers, 35 runs scored and 40 RBIs over his last 36 games while providing a .373 average. In 34 at-bats against Robbie Ray, Arenado has five doubles and three homers maintaining a 1.289 OPS, if you needed any more incentive.
Shortstop
Adalberto Mondesi, KC at CWS
DK ($5,200) FD ($3,800)
I really want to pay up for Mondesi here, I truly believe he will go nuts against Reynaldo Lopez. He is posting a 6.03 ERA and 1.56 WHIP so far this season. That’s pretty much the pitcher we’ve been seeing for years now. He’s clearly one of the worst arms in the majors. This puts Mondesi squarely in play, as he’s one of the only hitters in the league averaging more than 10 DK points per game. Kansas City’s star shortstop is cruising right now too, posting a .364 BA over his last 11 games while averaging 10.5 DK points per outing in that span. Considering 60 percent of his career stolen bases have come against right handed pitching, a stolen base or two is not out of the question!
Outfield
Domingo Santana/Mitch Haniger, SEA vs. TEX
DK ($4,500) FD ($3,900) DK ($4,400) FD ($3,700)
All of that buildup from the Encarnacion write-up is finally here and we’ll explain why we want to stack against Smyly. So far this season, Smyly has recorded a 6.15 ERA and 1.69 WHIP while posting an ugly .368 xwOBA. He’s actually been even worse against right-handed batters, which is why we love both of these stud outfielders. Let’s start with Haniger, as he’s one of the league leaders in the AL with 13 home runs. Six of those have come in the last 20 games, as he’s posting a .911 OPS against lefties so far this season. Santana’s splits aren’t so drastic but his season-long numbers are better. We’re talking about a guy who has provided 10 homers, 26 runs scored, 42 RBI and five steals holding a .278 average so far this season. Those are incredible numbers and it’s hard to fade these guys against a gas can like Drew Smyly.
Yasiel Puig, CIN vs. PIT
DK ($4,200) FD ($3,200)
Puig has had a down year but recent results are really promising. Over his last 14 games, Puig has been hitting .263 while contributing five homers, two steals and 14 RBI. That’s the guy we’ve been waiting for all year and it’s really no surprise when you consider the fact that Puig is typically a slow starter. We also like that Puig gets the platoon advantage here, as his OPS against lefties is 100 points higher than his OPS against right handed pitchers this season. Steven Brault is not a guy we need to fear, with the southpaw generating a 7.11 ERA and 1.74 WHIP.
Eloy Jimenez, CWS vs. KC
DK ($3,800) FD ($2,900)
I think Jimenez is one of the best buy-low candidates in season-long formats and his DFS prices are making him a nice value play in DFS as well. We’re talking about a guy who just destroyed the minor leagues, posting a wOBA north of .400 in his minor league career and an ISO just shy of .250. That made him one of the best prospects in baseball and it’s only a matter of time before he starts raking at this level. Recent results are hopefully a sign of things to come, as Jimenez has hit three dingers over his last six games.
