This article is part of our FantasyAces MLB series.
Be sure to checkout tonight's FAWBC Qualifier, as the winner gets an entry to the $250K Fantasy Aces World Baseball Championship live in Anaheim, California at Angel Stadium August 15. Only 20 will win a trip to the final, with the winner taking home $100K.
OPS is a great indicator of point potential under the scoring system with walks being worth just as much as singles and the progression of points per extra base is one per. Strikeouts are pretty heavily penalized, so be diligent with those prone to strikeouts or those against a high strikeout pitcher. While on the pitching side, strikeouts aren't quite as overpowering as on other DFS sites, and pitchers that can keep their pitch count low and go deeper into games can be better rewarded. Fantasy Aces offers a great selection of contests for Friday night's slate of 13 night games.
Pitcher:
Clayton Kershaw ($8,000): We have Kershaw against the Mets. Anybody in tune with this baseball season immediately understands what that means, but I'll elaborate for good measure. Let's start with Kershaw, the last two years' NL Cy Young winner, who is sporting the best K/9 of his career to this point with a spectacular 11.78, which is second among starters, behind only Chris Sale. The Mets, with the small amount of offense they posses, have their best success from the left side of the plate. That's bad news for them, as lefties are hitting .181 over the past three years against Kershaw. To throw some more numbers your way, Vegas has the over/under at 5.5 (just about a historical low) with the Dodgers favored at the huge margin of -270; Kershaw's 2.70 FIP is sixth among eligible starters (with no shame being behind the likes of Max Scherzer, Chis Sale, Corey Kluber, Chris Archer and Gerrit Cole); and the Mets….oh the Mets…their season-long OPS has fallen to .654 (second-to-last in the majors), with a .410 over the last three days and a 10 K/9 over that span. I love Kershaw, Vegas loves him, sabermetrics love him, you should too.
Other Stud Pitchers to consider:Michael Wacha ($6,950), Chris Archer ($7,500)
Jesse Chavez ($5,650): Chavez has been considerably better at home versus away over the last two seasons with a low-2 ERA at home and an ERA near 4.00 away. With this knowledge in tow, he sports a solid 7.76 K/9 and 3.01 FIP and faces a Seattle Mariners squad that is 25th in K/9 and 27th in OPS. Solid pitcher with solid numbers across the board against a team that has been poor in every category all season long, the perfect scenario for a value pick.
Other Value Pitchers to consider:Noah Syndergaard ($6,050)
Catcher:
Josh Phegley ($4,250): Majors and minors, Phegley has ben spectacular hitting against lefties. With an OPS near 1.000 against lefties over the past couple years and a relatively low strikeout rate, Phegley fits very well in an affordable mini-A's stack of their mid-lineup righties.
1B/3B:
Juan Uribe ($3,900): Uribe is quietly putting together a nice run of games with three homers over his last five with a 1.365 OPS during that span. The Phillies are going with minor league lefty Adam Morgan on the mound, and Uribe is sporting a .902 OPS against lefties this season.
Cody Asche ($3,400): The price is low enough that after a 3-for-5 night with a home run, I'd give Asche a punt at a very low price.
2B/SS:
Neil Walker ($4,850): There may not be a hotter bat right now than Walker, who has two home runs and eight hits over the last two days.
Steve Pearce ($4,250): The logic with Pearce is straight forward as he plays as a middle infield-eligible player on the favored team in the highest over/under game of the night while also getting a nice right vs. lefty matchup.
Outfield:
Torii Hunter ($4,950):Jeremy Guthrie has a poor track record against the Twins, and the Twins' assault (surprisingly still with a legitimate shot at the AL Central title) will be headed by the red hot Hunter, who has four home runs over his last seven games.
David Peralta ($4,750): A 1.259 OPS over the last seven days and the ever-hittable righty Kyle Hendrick on the mound means you should feel safe about giving Peralta a go.
Domingo Santana ($3,500): With George Springer to the DL and Santana filling in with his .216 ISO, he is a very cheap high upside player.
DH:
Billy Butler ($4,500): Simply put, Butler is priced too low despite the position restriction of being a DH. He's batting .400 with a 1.300 OPS over the last seven days and, most importantly, gets a shot at lefty J.A. Happ from the right side of the plate.
