Every day this season, our team shares who we believe has the best chance to leave the yard. From one-off plays to core parts of daily stacks, we hope this fun article will help you build winning lineups along the way.
Today’s Picks
James: Bryce Harper – “Nothing new out of me here, but when we get Keegan Akin on a slate, you know my home run call is going to be coming from the other dugout. Today, it is the Phillies who take on Akin – a pitcher who has now allowed a home run in seven straight starts. Of the 17 allowed, 13 have come to righties and four to lefties, yet righties do have a 3:1 plate appearance advantage here, so really, they are pretty split. Truthfully, lefties are hitting for about .30 points higher in batting average and another .30 in slugging. So while it does appear the righties are stealing the bombs, lefties are actually my preferred side here. Take the wheel, Bryce.”
Zach: Fernando Tatis Jr. – “I didn’t even know that Scott Kazmir still pitched in the majors. I thought he retired a long time ago so I was surprised to see him listed as the Giants starter tonight. What I was not surprised about him after looking up his stats is that he has struggled in his return to the majors. Kazmir has allowed three home runs in his seven innings of action. Kazmir is allowing hitters to have an average exit velocity of 95.5 miles per hour with a 13.6-degree average launch angle and a 14.3% barrel rate.”
Jared: Xander Bogaerts – “Not only is Bogaerts hitting the ball very well right now (.300 ISO, .650 SLG, 190 wRC+ over the last 5 games), but he’s facing a RHP really struggling with the long ball right now. Taijuan Walker has allowed 7 HR in his last 4 starts, to go along with a 14.5% barrel rate (worst on the slate over the last month) and is rocking an elite 51.6% fly ball rate in that time. When he makes mistakes, they’re getting crushed. And with how well Boston (and Bogaerts) are hitting right now, this is a pretty good situation for us to have exposure to.”
Overall Standings
| James | 36 |
| Zach | 30 |
| Jared | 42 |
