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June has been a month saturated with thunderstorms, a troubling condition for the DFS gamer given the unpredictability of when those thunderheads will pop with precipitation. Rain canceled the game between the Tigers and Reds yesterday, washing away a handful of intriguing options from the DFS slate, and Cincy remains under threat of weather-related postponement. I've posted it once before, but it bears repeating that Kevin Roth (Twitter handle @KevinRothWx) provides unparalleled coverage of the weather in MLB cities. He posts regular updates throughout the day to help you set a roster before getting locked into a damp evening of frustration.

The Bats

Alex Gordon, OF ($4300)

vs. LHP: .254/.328/.421 in 1442 PA

vs. RHP: .275/.356/.443 in 3193 PA

Gordon is quietly enjoying one of his strongest seasons, with a .271/.381/.452 slash that represents the highest OBP and second-highest OPS of his career. The heavy weight of expectations that have chased Gordon for much of his career effectively skew the perspective of his performance, and though his walk-heavy performance leaves much to be desired in standard Roto leagues, the free passes count for two points apiece on Draft Kings to better reflect his on-field contributions. Roto gamers are likely dismayed by his 1-for-3 performance on stolen bases thus far, following four consecutive seasons of double-digit swipes, but the Royals are certainly pleased with the overall results.

Join Doug in playing Baseball Prospectus Beat the Expert League on Draft Kings – click here for tournament lobby.

Details ($3 Entry):

  • Baseball Prospectus Private Daily Fantasy League
  • Starts tonight
  • Salary Cap Style Drafting. $50,000 to select 10: 8 fielders and 2 pitchers
  • Roster Format: 2 pitchers, 1 C, 1 1B, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 SS and 3 OF

Chase Utley, 2B ($3400)

vs. LHP: .261/.366/.452 in 2085 PA

vs. RHP: .291/.366/.493 in 4490 PA

Utley is enduring the type of late-career swoon that could spell in the clouds that the end is nigh for one of the top second basemen of his generation. He hit a pitcher-like .099 over the team's first 30 ballgames, and though he rebounded in May to get his head above the Mendoza line, a 3-for-37 stretch over the past couple of weeks have sent him back down to a .181/.258..281 slash that is barely playable for any player, even if he does play up the middle, signaling that a move out of the top third of the order is long overdue. He gets a soft opponent today in Tyler Lyons, but the rookie's left-handedness is enough of an advantage over the quickly-aging Utley to invoke avoidance (not that you needed another reason) – Utley has a very minor platoon split in his career, but the current iteration has hit just .219 against southpaws over the last five years (as compared to .278 against right-handers).

The Arms

Matt Wisler, ATL vs. NYM ($6100)

Wisler arrived in Atlanta via San Diego in the Craig Kimbrel trade over the off-season, adding to the stable of future commodities that Atlanta has obtained as they reload for the future. He draws a tough assignment against Jacob deGrom and the Mets, decreasing the likelihood of a W in the eyes of DFS gamers, and the finer points of his profile spell out Wisler's limited fantasy upside. The former seventh-round pick of the 2011 draft entered the season as the number-three prospect – and top pitcher – in the Padres system, and his no. 53 ranking on the BP Top 101 was just ahead of new system-mate Lucas Sims. The strikeouts have been modest for the past two seasons in the minors but Wisler is adept at keeping the ball within the strike zone to limit free passes, as evidenced by a career rate of 2.3 walks per nine innings in the bush leagues. His fastball sits in the low 90's and his breaker has plus potential, but Wisler's main attraction is an excellent changeup with deceptive fade that allows his heat to play up a notch.

Phillippe Aumont, PHI vs. STL ($4000)

Aumont will be pitching for MLB's worst team against the club with the best record in baseball, a seeming mismatch that stacks the odds against Aumont, but the ray of hope shining through those dark clouds is the Cardinals modest total of 3.86 runs scored per game (fourth from the bottom in the NL) as well as a green opposing pitcher in Tyler Lyons who is making just his fifth career start. The former 11th overall pick of the 2007 draft, Aumont came to Philly via the Mariners in the team's first off-loading of Cliff Lee, but Aumont has failed to produce even a modest fraction of Lee's value in the eight years since the deal. The big issue has been a lack of control, with 27 walks over 39.7 innings of work in the majors over the last three seasons, and his walk rate in the minors has been even worse over that span at 6.8 walks per nine innings (16.9 percent). The price tag says it all, coming in at the salary of an average hitter and the cheapest of all SP options on today's slate; Aumont presents a tremendous stacking opportunity tonight for DFS gamers.

Recency Bias

Adrian Gonzalez, 1B ($4600)

Gonzalez was the hottest hitter in the game to start the year, with five homers in his first three games including a three-homer performance against Andrew Cashner and the Padres in the third game on the schedule. The line stayed elevated and he Gonzalez swatted three homers on the month, closing April with a robust .383/.432/.790 line, but he has gone deep just three times since.

Gonz has continued hitting doubles, tallying an MLB-high 22 two-baggers on the season, but even the dubs have dried up in recent weeks. In past fortnight, Adrian is just 6-for-48 (.167 average) with one extra-base hit (a double), watching his OPS on the season drop by 130 points in the process. His current line of .295/.373/.520 is still strong and has settled in near his career norms, but his poor performance of the past two weeks will keep me away from his services until the power re-emerges from hibernation.

Weather

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Resources used for this article:

Baseball Prospectus Stats and Player Cards

Draft Kings player prices

Brooks Baseball

Baseball-Reference

www.Weather.com

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