This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Monday features a robust 11-game slate that is light on quality pitchers. This means that hitters abound, which gives us a nice opportunity to get some cheap bats in our lineups in order to pay for the priced-up selections.
Pitchers
Chris Bassitt, OAK at ARI ($9,400): I don't exactly love all of the matchups for the top-priced pitchers on Monday, but Bassitt is someone we should be able to rely on. The right-hander has logged a 2.62 ERA this season while keeping his walks and homers low enough to compensate for his lack of strikeouts. It's also worth noting that Bassitt will enter the contest having logged a 2.6 RAA with his fastball, and the D-Backs hold the second-lowest RAA in the league against the heater.
Zach Davies, SD at TEX ($8,200): Davies' 2020 season is progressing in much the same way as Bassitt's, but his notably low 68 percent strand rate may be an indication that his ERA could drop a bit lower than the current 2.78 he boasts in 22.2 innings. It should be tough to roster a non-elite pitcher in the Texas heat, but that simply hasn't been the case this year, as the Rangers have logged the third-lowest wOBA at home (.272).
Alex Cobb, BAL vs. TOR ($7,300): Cobb may be post-hype enough to garner this kind of low salary, but DFS players will likely be paying plenty of attention due to the 2.75 ERA he has notched in 19.2 innings (four starts). The Blue Jays, who are playing their home games in Buffalo, New York this season, are a bottom-5 team away from Sahlen Field.
Top Hitters
Juan Soto, WAS at ATL ($5,600): The way Soto is hitting, it's almost a surprise not seeing him as the most expensive hitter on the slate. The 21-year-old has been incredible since returning after a positive Covid-19 test, tallying a .667 ISO and a .705 wOBA in 21 at-bats against right-handed pitchers. Meanwhile, Touki Toussaint has allowed four runs to right-handed opposition in 7.2 frames.
Freddie Freeman, ATL vs. WAS ($5,300): This game figures to have a lot of offense on both sides. A good deal of that may come from Atlanta hitters, as Anibal Sanchez has kept a 9.69 (!) ERA in three starts this season, as well as a .758 slugging percentage against left-handed hitters. This should be music to the ears of Freeman, who holds a .300 ISO in 50 at-bats against his opposite hand.
Xander Bogaerts, BOS at NYY ($4,700): Bogaerts has really come alive against southpaws in 2020, recording a .393 ISO and .497 wOBA in 28 at-bats. Jordan Montgomery has done well against lefty batters this year but has gotten absolutely pummeled by right-handed hitters, as evidenced by the .565 slugging percentage he has allowed in 11.2 innings.
Best Values
Tim Anderson, CWS vs DET ($4,500): Anderson seems to be building nicely on his breakout 2019 season, as he currently holds a .385/.415/.692 slash line in 41 plate appearances. In a somewhat confusing development, Matthew Boyd is the third-highest priced pitcher on the slate, despite allowing a .712 slugging percentage to right-handed hitters, which has contributed to a 10.24 ERA in 19.1 innings.
Eric Hosmer, SD at TEX ($3,700): Hosmer finally seems to be putting things together after back-to-back disappointing seasons, tallying a .333 ISO against righty pitchers in 21 at-bats. Jordan Lyles has somehow prevented runs against left-handed batters to start the season, but the 6.95 xFIP he has logged against opposite-handed hitters should be all the evidence we need to lock in this play.
JaCoby Jones, DET at CWS ($3,400): Jones has come out of nowhere to be a force at the plate in 2020, registering a .314/.375/.725 slash line in 51 at-bats. Gio Gonzalez has been a successful pitcher in the past but simply can't get out of his own way in the shortened campaign. He currently holds a 6.61 ERA in four games (three starts).
Stacks to Consider
Braves against Anibal Sanchez: Freddie Freeman ($5,300) Marcell Ozuna ($4,700) Nick Markakis ($3,500)
We have another powerful lefty hitter added to the stack in Markakis (.261 ISO versus right-handers), but no one need be excluded in a matchup against Anibal Sanchez, who has also allowed a .750 ISO against same-handed opposition. This allows us to sneak in Ozuna and his .218 ISO against right-handed hurlers.
White Sox against Matthew Boyd: Luis Robert ($4,600) Eloy Jimenez ($4,500) Tim Anderson ($4,500)
I'll reiterate here that it makes little sense to have Boyd priced up on this (or any other) slate, as he has allowed at least four runs in each of his four starts. Jimenez has notched a .500 ISO in his 18 at-bats against southpaws this year, and while Robert hasn't done much against lefty pitching, he showed tremendous power throughout his career in the minor leagues.
