This article is part of our FantasyAces MLB series.
Fantasy Aces has a great baseball product that offers games at every level and in a variety of formats. Whether you play Traditional or Salary Pro, this article will help you find the optimal plays and build a lineup that'll help build your bankroll.
Pitcher:
Clayton Kershaw ($8,500): The best pitcher in baseball gets the most strikeout-prone team and gets to do it at home. At this point, I'm a broken record recommending Kershaw. I won't spew out all of the stats because it's not needed. Just take the fact that you should expect a lot of strikeouts and few to no earned runs.
Taylor Jungmann ($5,650): Recently, Jungmann has been fairly mediocre, hence the discounted price, but the last time he got to face Cincinnati it resulted in an eight-inning, one-run beauty of a game. Cincinnati has an OPS of .515 over the last three days, and they appear to be in a dormancy stage just awaiting for the offseason.
Catcher:
Russell Martin ($4,800): This is kind of a matchup play and depends on the fact that Martin is due because he really hasn't done much lately. Martin is, however, an affordable way to buy into a Blue Jays lineup that is expected to score a ton of runs against the less than impressive Matt Boyd.
1B/3B:
Miguel Sano ($5,100): Anybody that is already planning on next season in their season-long games better have this guy high on their mind. He hits the ball hard, and often. If not for the catwalk in Tampa Bay, Sano would have three home runs in his past four games. The kid is crushing the ball, and it looks like we'll have the pleasure of watching him do it for a long time to come.
Edwin Encarnacion ($5,800): Encarnacion just hits, and I mean that literally, riding a MLB best 22-game hit streak. And with Encarnacion, MANY of those hits are home runs. He's hit double-digit fantasy points in two of his last four and has five home runs in his last eight.
2B/SS:
Enrique Hernandez ($4,600): When he's in the lineup, he's an excellent use at an affordable price in a tough to fill position. Friday night against Jason Hammel is no different. If he bats near the top of the order, he's that much more pertinent.
Andres Blanco ($3,750): Blanco continues to be sneakily good. His season-long OPS is .901, which in itself makes him a supreme value. You simply don't get guys at this price range hitting consistently this well.
Ketel Marte ($3,650): Determined to save money at this position to splurge on big guns, namely for teammate Nelson Cruz and Kershaw, Marte is the perfect way to do so, and he bats leadoff.
Outfield:
Franklin Gutierrez ($4,250): The Mariners, yes that lousy offensive team in Seattle, have the second highest projected run total according to Vegas, and my man Gutierrez has back-to-back games with a dinger coming into Friday night.
Nelson Cruz ($6,000): Cruz against a lefty with a super high run projection? Yes, please. Three home runs in the past week puts him one shy of the magic 40, and Friday night is an excellent opportunity to be the first player in the majors this season to do so.
Jayson Werth ($4,850): Werth, at his best, is ridiculously better than this price. Thursday night he shelled a home run and if that is any sign of his health, along with his new move to the leadoff spot, this is a good time to start investing while the price is right.
DH:
Evan Gattis ($5,100): Three homer runs in two nights, a 1.210 OPS over his last seven games, and a he's not striking out. Gattis has been putting it in play consistently and doing so with extreme success.
