This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
The pricing on Monday's three-game slate will allow us to take a stars and scrubs approach to pitching, which means that we should be able to build a team of hitters who have solid floors and potential ceilings.
Pitcher
Luis Severino, NYY vs. BOS ($9,400): Severino struggled with the home run ball at various points in the 2018 season but appeared to figure something out in September, as he didn't allow any homers while notching a .291 wOBA in 20.1 innings. Severino dominated the Red Sox at home during the campaign, as evidenced by the 1.37 ERA he maintained in 19.2 frames. He struck out 23 batters over that span.
Cheap GPP Consideration, Rich Hill, LAD at ATL ($8,100): The Braves didn't have much trouble against left-handers during the regular season but have been completely stifled by southpaws in the first two games of this series, scoring zero runs while collecting just six hits in 15 innings against Hyun Jin-Ryu and Clayton Kershaw, respectively. Hill put up a pedestrian 3.90 ERA in September but his peripheral stats tell a story of dominance, as he struck out 37 batters while keeping a .250 wOBA against opposing offenses in 30 innings.
GPP Fade, Mike Foltynewicz, ATL vs. LAD ($9,000): Those of you who read this column regularly may be asking how Foltynewicz went from a target to a fade in just four days. While I still like him as a pitcher just as much now as I did before the first game of this series, his price has risen by a whopping $1,000. It is also worth noting that the Dodgers, who have now hung eight runs on Foltynewicz in seven innings this season (two starts) finished 2018 with the second highest wOBA against right-handed pitching.
Catcher
Tyler Flowers, ATL vs. LAD ($3,300): Flowers put up just three points in his only start this postseason but needs to be a consideration at this price due to the .258 ISO and .447 wOBA he tallied against southpaws in 66 at-bats during the regular season. For as good as Hill was in the month of September, he did keep a 1.5 HR/9 rate in his five starts.
First Base
Cody Bellinger, LAD at ATL ($4,800): DraftKings has driven Max Muncy's price even further into the stratosphere ($5,600) in advance of Monday's contest but Bellinger would make a fine substitute at first base thanks to the .240 ISO and .369 wOBA he notched against opposite-handed pitchers in 371 at-bats during the 2018 season.
Second Base
Neil Walker, NYY vs. BOS ($3,800): Walker struggled for most of the year but began to showcase his power in the season's final two months, posting an ISO no lower than .209 over that span (127 at-bats). Nathan Eovaldi has thrown the ball well against the Yankees since being traded but struggled overall on the road in 2018, as we can see from the 5.14 ERA he logged in 63 innings. He surrendered a .460 slugging percentage to opposing hitters in that time.
Third Base
Josh Donaldson, CLE vs. HOU ($4,500): Donaldson seems to have rediscovered his power stroke since returning from an extended absence, as he tallied a .240 ISO and .396 wOBA in 50 September at-bats. Dallas Keuchel threw the ball reasonably well in 2018 but saw a noticeable spike in his walk rate during the final month, which contributed to a 4.58 xFIP in 31 innings.
Shortstop
Marwin Gonzalez, HOU at CLE ($3,700): Gonzalez makes for a solid value play at this price, as he tallied a 7.3 RAA against the fastball as well as a 37 percent hard contact rate versus right-handed pitching in 324 at-bats. Meanwhile, Mike Clevenger allowed a 37 percent hard contact rate against left-handed batters in 2018 and owned a heater that rated only slightly above average. (0.6 RAA).
Outfield
Enrique Hernandez, LAD at ATL ($4,000): Hernandez launched a homer off a right-handed pitcher in Game 1 of this series and could be in position to deliver once again, as he finished 2018 sporting a .243 ISO and .349 wOBA against same-handed opposition in 202 at-bats. Foltynewicz threw the ball well against righties this season but did allow a 35 percent hard contact rate in 88.1 frames.
Andrew McCutchen, NYY vs. BOS ($4,100): McCutchen had an underwhelming season in 2018 overall but seems to have found new life as a member of the Yankees, as he collected a .421 OBP and a .471 slugging percentage in 87 at-bats after being acquired towards the end of August. Eovaldi fared well in his last visit to Yankee Stadium but we can still look to target him due to the 1.4 HR/9 rate he kept on the road.
Yasiel Puig, LAD at ATL ($4,200): I will recommend Puig against most right-handers during the playoffs as long as his price is reasonable due to the .267 ISO and .390 wOBA he notched in 266 at-bats during the season. He struck out just 18 percent of the time over that span, which could work to mitigate Foltynewicz's strikeout prowess against right-handed batters.
