This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Early spring weather has crept back into the mix, at least for the next day or two, which puts a few games in danger of delay and postponement Friday. As a result, keep a close eye on the game-time forecast throughout the afternoon and up until lineup lock.
The White Sox-Cubs matinee is the only other game removed from the Main Slate, and there are three aces to choose from, for those preferring to spend up for premium pitching, which a handful of interesting mid-tier and cheap options as consideration for the SP2 slot, and in tournaments.
In addition to the Rockies-Brewers matchup in Colorado, stacks against Andrew Triggs at Yankee Stadium, Eric Lauer in Petco (Cards) and Matt Koch (Nationals) appear viable.
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Pitcher
Cash: Chris Sale, BOS at TOR ($12,400) -- There are three aces on the board Friday, and Sale is the cheapest of the bunch with Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer priced at or above $13K. If money is no object in your lineup, I prefer Verlander of the three, but the small difference in expected output between the trio makes it easy to steer toward the cheapest option of the bunch. Although his average fastball velocity for the season is down more than 1.5 mph from 2017, Sale's velocity was its highest in a game over the last three seasons in his last start. Even with that overall reduction in velo, Sale is fanning batters at a 32.3% clip in 2018. The Jays haven't whiffed a ton against southpaws (20.6%) this season, but they were no-hit by one earlier this week (81 wRC+), and Sale is matchup-proof anyway.
Also in play among the pricey starters: Justin Verlander, HOU vs. TEX ($13,000), Max Scherzer, WAS at ARI ($13,300)
Cheap 2nd SP Consideration: Luke Weaver, STL at SD ($7,900) -- The Padres are frequently used as a mark for those looking to squeeze extra value of starting pitchers, and Weaver was a buzzy breakout candidate during draft season whose occasional struggles to begin 2018 will have many looking at this matchup as a "get well" opportunity for the young right-hander. The Padres have an 82 wRC+ against righties this season and a meaty 25.9% K% as a team, which will likely push ownership rates to a point where those using Weaver will want to be sure they have other contrarian twists in their lineup.
Tournaments Only: Jameson Taillon, PIT vs. SF ($7,300) -- The Giants were targeted heavily as their series with the Phillies unfolded this week, and it's reasonable to think that trends will continue as they head west in the Keystone State for their series with the Pirates. Taillon has 14 strikeouts over his last five starts, and he's failed to finish four innings in two of those outings, which may scare some owners away. Consider that he's had a swinging-strike rate just over 8.0 percent in each of this three seasons with the Pirates, so the strikeout rate is probably going to be closer to 7.5 K/9 in the short term than at the levels some expect based on his prospect pedigree. A home matchup against a below-average offense (93 wRC+) that strikes out enough to prop him up a bit (24.5% K%) is worth the risk.
Catcher
James McCann, DET vs. SEA ($3,000) -- If you're looking for an alternative to using Manny Pina at the same price against Chad Bettis at the Rockies, McCann is the most interesting pivot. With a righty-lefty matchup against Marco Gonzales at the Mariners, in a game featuring an over/under total of 9.0, take advantage of McCann's elite production against southpaws Friday night. Since the start of last season, he's hitting .313/.389/.586 in that split (.985 OPS), while Gonzales' 1.72 HR/9 and .342 wOBA against lefties since the start of 2016 are among the worst splits on the board.
First Base
Jose Martinez, STL at SD ($3,400) -- I feel like a broken record. Martinez for less than $4,000 against a lefty -- especially an inexperienced one (Eric Lauer) -- is an automatic cash-lineup consideration for me. Yes, it's still a relatively small body of work against southpaws, but there is no doubting Martinez's raw power, and his .378/.469/.732 line (1.200 OPS) against lefties is simply ridiculous. This is your bi-weekly reminder that Petco Park doesn't squash right-handed power the way it squashes left-handed power.
Assuming he's in the lineup for the Brewers, Jesus Aguilar ($3,900) against Chad Bettis is a viable alternative, but both Aguilar and Martinez figure to be among the highest-owned players at first base Friday night.
Second Base
Brian Dozier, MIN at LAA ($4,200) -- Second base is weirdly terrible for a 14-game slate. Dozier crushes lefties, and Tyler Skaggs struggles enough against righties to make it a good match. Jose Altuve against Cole Hamels is fine if the money is available, but in most cases, it probably won't be. I'm willing to take the potential chalk option at the keystone and mix it up elsewhere. Because of his low lineup placement, Gleyber Torres ($3,900) is a tournament-only option. Beyond that, the focus will be limited mostly to the cheap options that end up high in the batting order when lineups are released (i.e. Chase Utley at $3,000 against Matt Harvey, if he's not buried in the bottom-third for the Dodgers).
Third Base
Alex Bregman, HOU vs. TEX ($3,700) -- Bregman was given a day off back on April 18, presumably to clear his head after a slow start to the season. In the 20 games since, he's hit .301/.414/.493. Cole Hamels is still very effective against lefties, but his numbers against righties are soft enough (1.28 HR/9, .322 wOBA) to target him with righties who mash in that split, which is exactly what Bregman has done during his time in the big leagues. There is a lot of quality at the hot corner Friday, with Jedd Gyorko ($3,800) against a lefty at Petco and Travis Shaw ($4,300) against righty Chad Bettis at Coors also garnering plenty of interest.
Shortstop
Jean Segura, SEA at DET ($3,800) -- Segura against lefties is one of my regular considerations because the price is rarely out of reach (he's hit .335/.390/.453 against them since the start of last season). Tigers starter Matt Boyd has been effective to this point, but with significantly diminished velocity across the board. One of the most appealing alternatives to Segura is Orlando Arcia with a road matchup at Coors against Chad Bettis at $3,100, as he offers very cheap exposure to the game with the highest over-under total on the board.
Outfield
Nelson Cruz, SEA at DET ($4,200) -- As Cruz's reputation as a lefty-killer has been embedded in scouting reports, his walk rate against southpaws has jumped, while his average and slugging percentage have dropped. The assumption here is that teams are simply trying to pitch around him, which has made the past year splits less dominant (.845 OPS) than his overall body of work against lefties over the last three years. Nevertheless, Cruz is on my radar at this price, since he's at least $600 less than similarly talented bats with equally friendly matchups. Unfortunately, there is a significant threat of rain at Comerica Park on Friday, which may force a hard pivot. In that event, Michael Brantley ($4,300) is one of my preferred replacements.
Yasiel Puig, LAD vs. CIN ($3,400) -- The Matt Harvey reclamation project takes the mound for Cincinnati on Friday, and while the optimal target against Harvey would be a hitter from the left side of the plate, Puig is cheap, and appears to be healthy again following his stint on the DL. Considering that his splits against righties are in line with Aaron Altherr's ($3,600 vs. Steven Matz) splits against lefties, the ownership gap between those two outfielders may be surprisingly wide Friday. Plus, Puig will likely get a few swipes at the league's worst bullpen after Harvey's exit.
Matt Joyce, OAK at NYY ($3,000) -- Joyce should be in the lineup, and high in the order against Sonny Gray and the Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Friday night. Dustin Fowler ($3,400) might garner a lot of interest too, and lineup position for both players will be interesting to see with Fowler's expected inclusion as the team's new center field against righties. The early struggles in 2018 may put Joyce's roster spot in jeopardy in the coming weeks, but his 126 wRC+ against righties since the start of 2016 is enough to use him as an option for salary relief Friday.
