This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
There's baseball throughout the day Saturday, which is great for those looking to have a full viewing experience. It's not ideal from a contest perspective with the main slate kicking off at 7:05 p.m. EDT with only four games. Given that limited selection, we'll shift our focus to the set of nine games starting at 4:05 p.m. EDT.
Pitchers
It's a top-heavy group of pitchers to work with, so we can't really focus on projected point-per-dollar production. Even so, I'm willing to avoid the most expensive tier and drop down to Logan Gilbert ($10,300) and Hunter Greene ($9,000). There's obviously quite a salary discrepancy, and I'd prefer Greene as a result. The two have comparable skills nearly across the board, with Greene serving up fewer homers and Gilbert fewer walks. On the surface, Greene has a tough matchup against Houston, though the Astros only list a 99 wRC+ this season and will be without Yordan Alvarez (oblique). Gilbert draws the White Sox, which is also quite an attractive matchup.
We only drop a bit further to get to Braxton Garrett ($8,400). He boasts the fifth-best K-BB% (20.9%) of all available pitchers Saturday afternoon to go with a stellar 3.36 SIERA, which has translated to least 20 DK points in four of his last six starts. Garrett draws a Nationals lineup that isn't particularly threatening (.312 wOBA), but also strikes out at the lowest rate in the league. Griffin Canning ($8,200) is in the same salary tier while carrying a significant home run problem (1.7 HR/9), but offers an intriguing skills profile headlined by a 15.5 K-BB%.
There aren't many great options below $8,000. But for those desperate for value, Connor Seabold ($5,900) is worth taking a chance on. He's put up 18, 14.5 and 19.3 DK points across his last three starts and has maintained a 15:5 K:BB across 17.1 innings. A matchup at Atlanta certainly isn't ideal, which slightly deters from his potential.
Top Hitters
Things have come crashing down for Jake Irvin, who only has a 2.1 K-BB% this season. He's also allowed at least four earned runs in three of his last five starts. The Marlins aren't a lineup we want to target heavily most days, but Jorge Soler ($4,800) should be able to take advantage of the matchup.
All eyes are on Elly De La Cruz in Cincinnati, though Matt McLain ($4,600) has produced five extra-base hits across his last 10 games with seven runs scored and two steals. That's the perfect skillset for a matchup against Brandon Bielak, who's given up 1.9 HR/9 this season.
Value Bats
Carlos Santana ($2,800) has hit lefties quite well in recent seasons, and that remains the case in 2023 with a .349 wOBA and .137 ISO while hitting fourth. He'll draw a matchup against Wade Miley, who's set to be activated off the injured list and has only produced a 14 K% this season.
There's no arguing Teoscar Hernandez ($3,000) has been disappointing to start the campaign, but it's still surprising to see him valued at only $3,000 - particularly given he's averaged 9.8 DK points in his last 10 appearances. A matchup against Lucas Giolito isn't worth targeting, but he also hasn't been good enough to avoid at all costs.
Stacks to Consider
Blue Jays vs. Rangers (Dane Dunning): George Springer ($5,100), Bo Bichette ($5,400), Vladimir Guerrero ($5,200)
We have to immediately acknowledge this stack will be difficult to roster with the lack of value pitching. On the other hand, the Jays are in a favorable spot to put up plenty of runs in this game. Dunning has posted a 2.76 ERA and 4.88 SIERA. That doesn't mean all that regression will come in one game, but his skills don't match the surface results he's been able to maintain to this point. As for the stack itself, Cavan Biggio ($2,200) is one way to get particularly cheap with Toronto, and he could stumble into production as he immediately precedes the top of the team's order.
Mets vs. Cardinals (Adam Wainwright): Brandon Nimmo ($4,000), Starling Marte (3,800), Francisco Lindor ($4,700)
The Mets offense loses some of its intrigue due to the absence of Pete Alonso (hand), yet they still offer plenty of quality hitters who can post runs. It's also a relatively cheap stack, meaning it shouldn't be hard to roster anywhere between three-to-five players while spending up at pitcher. Wainwright is an ideal option to stack against due to an exceptionally low 12 percent strikeout rate and subpar 5.7 K-BB%. His 5.79 ERA is an example of what we can expect, so look for the Mets to take advantage.
