This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We'll switch things a bit Saturday and move away from analyzing the main slate in favor of the set of games beginning at 4:05 PM EDT. There are nine games to work with, giving us enough of a player pool to find plenty of intriguing hitting and pitching options.
Pitchers
Brandon Woodruff ($10,000) has the highest price tag among starters and rightfully so. He is the only pitcher with a strikeout rate better than 30 percent, and he also draws a matchup against a Pittsburgh lineup that has the second-highest strikeout rate in the league and third-lowest wOBA.
Framber Valdez ($9,700) has nowhere near the ability to rack up strikeouts to match Woodruff, but he owns the second-lowest SIERA on the slate and has posted no fewer than 16.1 DK points in his last 11 starts. He doesn't possess the most exciting ceiling, but his consistency and a matchup against Oakland make him an easy cash contest choice.
In contrast, Carlos Carrasco ($7,500) has had a very inconsistent season, but he reminded everyone of his ceiling with a 26.6 point performance in his last outing. Miami is an average lineup but strikes out at a high rate, which could allow Carrasco to put together another solid start.
Braxton Garrett ($6,300) has emerged as a viable punt play. His price is slowly on the rise, but he remains one of the cheapest players available at the position. The Mets are a tough matchup by nearly any measure, but Garrett has the groundball and strikeout rate to return low teens points -- making him a nice potential value play.
Top Hitters
Zach Logue has allowed two or more home runs in half of his six starts this season, making him a strong pitcher to target. The Astros have a lot of different options to choose from, but Jose Altuve ($5,900) has a .433 ISO and .471 wOBA across 66 plate appearances against lefties on the season. That's a small sample, but the fact that he also leads off and has averaged 9.5 DK points per game on the season presents enough value on its own.
The Brewers are another team I'd generally like to target. Zach Thompson has struggled with the long ball and has failed to work deep into his most recent starts. Even if he manages to pitch well, the Pirates are likely to be heavily reliant on a bullpen that lacks quality arms outside of its highest-leverage relievers. A few Milewaukkee bats are priced up to an extreme level, but both Willy Adames ($6,000) and Rowdy Tellez ($5,600) offer a lot of power upside.
Value Hitters
All eyes are on Vinnie Pasquantino in Kansas City, but Hunter Dozier ($3,300) has quietly been very productive and is averaging 8.5 DK points per game across his last 10 appearances. Dozier and the Royals take on Triston McKenzie, who has been either unhittable or crushed for multiple home runs in recent starts. He has the skill to shut down the Royals, but it's worth getting some cheap exposure in case McKenzie doesn't have his stuff working.
Josh Smith ($3,300) hasn't gotten going at the plate in his rookie season, but the Rangers appear committed to sticking with him in the leadoff spot. He'll draw a matchup against Devin Smeltzer, who allows the highest contact rate of all pitchers in the pool. That should create a positive offensive environment for the Rangers, so targeting the team's leadoff hitter is logical.
Patrick Corbin is mediocre from a skills standpoint relative to other pitchers on the slate, but he's allowed a 9.9 percent barrel rate and 45 percent hard-hit rate this season. Atlanta is another lineup I'd like to get cheap exposure to as a result, with Michael Harris ($3,300) and Eddie Rosario ($3,400) both fitting the bill.
Stacks to Consider
Guardians at Royals (Jonathan Heasley): Amed Rosario ($5,300), Jose Ramirez ($5,400), Franmil Reyes ($3,200)
Heasley has been a pretty easy target when he's on the mound. He has only a 5.4 K-BB% -- lowest among all pitchers available Saturday – and a 5.22 SIERA – highest among all pitchers on the mound. He's also been chased early regularly, which means the Royals' bullpen that owns a 4.73 ERA could be heavily exposed. Relatively speaking, this is a cheap stack that could check in with relatively low popularity.
Rays at Reds (Hunter Greene): Yandy Diaz ($4,500), Wander Franco ($4,600), Ji-Man Choi ($3,700)
Greene likely has a bright future ahead of him in the majors, but he's gone through some growing pains in his rookie season. He's allowed 2.5 HR/9 overall this season, including multiple long balls in three of his last four starts. Greene has also walked multiple hitters in four of his last five starts. Add in a hitter-friendly environment at Great American Ballpark and the Rays are a viable and affordable stack to build around.
Astros at Athletics (Zach Logue): Jose Altuve ($5,900), Aledmys Diaz ($3,000), Yordan Alvarez ($6,500)
This is the obvious stack of the day, though the extreme price tags of some of the elite hitters in the lineup could dimmish the roster rate. Diaz has hit second in the absence of Jeremy Pena and offers some savings. The struggles of Logue have already been covered, but in addition to his homer problem, he has also maintained just a 9.7 K-BB% with a 4.99 SIERA. The hitting environment is poor, but the Astros didn't struggle to put up runs Friday night against a superior pitcher as compared to Logue.
