This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
As has been the case since the volume of games per day has fallen, we have two different contest types to work with Tuesday. The first is a combined Tuesday-Wednesday slate that includes Game 2 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) and Game 3 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS). We'll instead focus on the Showdown slate for the ALCS due to the larger contest sizes and prize pools.
As a brief primer for Showdown contests, there are no positions. Instead, each team selects a "Captain," who has their score multiplied by 1.5 but at an increased price. The remaining five positions are all utility and can be filled in any way that fits within the salary cap.
Captain
We shouldn't expect a ton of offense in this matchup with Gerrit Cole ($18,000) and Tanner Bibee ($16,800) on the mound. Given that, they are the two obvious places to look when rostering a captain. The difference in skill, and even results, may not be as wide as name-value suggests:
- Bibee: 59 Strikeouts in his last 55 innings;16.6 DraftKings points per game in his last 10 starts
- Cole: 55 Strikeouts in his last 61 innings; 20.3 DraftKings points per game in his last 10 starts
Cole remains the preference on paper, but in large-field tournaments, Bibee should be in consideration.
From a batted ball perspective, the duo has near identical marks in most measures we turn to, including groundball rate, barrel rate, and HR/FB. Splits by handedness suggest we should attack Bibee with lefty hitters. Juan Soto ($13,500) is the obvious choice as a potential Captain. Austin Wells ($10,800) has had a dreadful postseason but is the Yankees' cleanup hitter. Rostering him as the Captain makes it feasible to roster both Bibee and Cole for those who believe this will be a pitcher's duel.
For the Guardians, the primary hitter that makes sense is Jose Ramirez ($13,800), but Steven Kwan ($12,000) is also a decent option as the team's leadoff hitter.
Utility
Considering any combination of the names above is a good start. We can stick with the lefty theme for the Yankees, which gives us another high-end name in Jazz Chisholm ($8,200) but also cheaper options in Alex Verdugo ($5,000) and even Anthony Rizzo ($5,600). Those latter two names will be key in builds that aim to roster both pitchers.
Kyle Manzardo ($4,200) is in a similar position to Wells in that he occupies a key spot in the order but has yet to produce. He'll likely get pulled if the Yankees turn to a lefty reliever, but he should begin this game second in the Guardians' lineup. Will Brennan ($3,600) is another punt option, as he maintained a respectable .319 wOBA against righties this season – albeit with a disappointing .129 ISO.
The other big bat to consider in Cleveland is Josh Naylor ($7,000). He had a rough Game 1 and hasn't shown up much during the postseason, but he was the Guardians' second-best hitter against righties during the regular season.
