This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We have an 11-game main slate with all teams back in action on Tuesday. DraftKings has gotten aggressive on pricing the current form of pitchers, leaving underachieving veterans as the best potential values available. Like Monday, Great American Ballpark stands out as a strong offensive environment, though the White Sox-Angels and Dodgers-Angels matchups are also potential games to target.
Pitchers
Gerrit Cole ($10,900) hasn't delivered any contest-breaking performances since mid-April, but he's reached 20 DK points in six of his last 11 starts and over 15 DK points on eight occasions. That makes him a good cash-game option, and a matchup against the Mariners – a lineup that strikes out at the second-highest rate in the league – pushes him into tournament consideration.
The way pricing was done, Tuesday looks to be a day primarily to pay all the way up or down at the position. With that said, we'll highlight two more pitchers at the five-digit price point in Clayton Kershaw ($10,500) and Framber Valdez ($10,200). Kershaw leads all available pitchers with a 29.3 percent strikeout rate and is second with a 3.26 SIERA. The Angels are a tough matchup, which takes some shine off an otherwise excellent profile. Valdez has the best SIERA among the arms on the main slate, and he has some additional positive variance as compared to Cole. Across his last five starts, he's managed performances of 40.9 and 29.6 DK points.
There are interesting mid-tier pitchers, but Justin Verlander ($7,300) has to be the highlighted option. The backlash against him, both in public opinion and his price tag, is curious. He's had two blowup outings in his last five starts, though one came at Coors Field. In the other three starts, he's posted 28.2, 22.7 and 21.7 DK points. A matchup against the Astros isn't as detrimental as it's been in the past few seasons.
Kutter Crawford ($5,400) is an intriguing punt play. His recent form isn't indicative of his potential, as he's transitioned from a bullpen to starting role. Minnesota has the highest-strikeout rate in the league and has otherwise been a roughly average offense this season.
Top Hitters
The Guardians' offense hasn't been one to target this season, but Jose Ramirez ($5,200) and the rest of the lineup will be in a good spot Tuesday. They square off against Ken Waldichuk and Luis Medina, who have each served up over 2.0 HR/9.
Both Ryan McMahon ($4,300) and Nolan Jones ($4,000) are potential building blocks. They're on the road but still in an exceptional offensive environment with the benefit of Great American Ballpark. Ben Lively has had shockingly positive results, but he has still given up 1.7 HR/9 this season.
Value Bats
Everything in his track record suggests it won't continue, but Mike Tauchman ($2,400) has served as the Cubs' leadoff hitter against righties in recent weeks. Across his last 10 games, he's averaged 9.8 DK points per game. That's a good combination, and a matchup against Johan Oviedo is no reason to look elsewhere.
Most often, we want to target players hitting high in their team's respective batting orders. Leody Taveras ($2,800) is a decent exception to that rule, as he hits in the high-powered Rangers lineup and is both a power and speed threat (3 HR, 2 SB in last 10 games).
Stacks to Consider
Los Angeles Dodgers at Los Angeles Angels (Reid Detmers): Mookie Betts ($6,300), Freddie Freeman ($6,100), Will Smith ($5,700)
It's a pretty strong slate for pitching, and the obvious arms to target are facing uninspiring lineups. The Brewers and Guardians are potential options, but I'd either bank on the general quality of a lineup over matchup or use the subpar offenses as secondary stacks. Given that, Detmers doesn't really have many of the characteristics we'd look for to stack against, but the Dodgers are a top-five offense against lefties and the game is in a good hitting environment.
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Milwaukee Brewers (Colin Rea): Geraldo Perdomo ($3,800), Corbin Carroll ($5,700), Christian Walker ($4,400)
The Diamondbacks are a more palatable option from both a matchup and price perspective. Rea has a 12.4 K-BB% and has allowed 1.4 HR/9, good for a 4.44 SIERA. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks are a sum of their parts offense as they lack star power outside of Carroll. Perdomo has taken over in the leadoff role and comes at a nice price as a result. Meanwhile, Walker is on a heater, bashing three homers across his last 10 games while averaging 12.2 DK points per game.
