Baseball is back!! For those who have been eagerly awaiting baseball, and didn’t want to play the tiny 3-game slate yesterday, today is the first chance to get baseball action in months. Baseball is a sport that is full of advanced stats and each day is unique based on the lineups and pitching matchups of the day. If you know what you’re doing, you can get a great edge and be very successful.
On Fanduel, we have some new scoring rules this year. They have eliminated the -0.25 points for outs and have tripled the points for all other stats for hitters and pitchers. Scoring totals will more closely mirror Draftkings now.
Without further ado, let’s get into the top plays for opening day on Fanduel:
Top Pitchers
Clayton Kershaw – $11,000 – If you’re new to fantasy baseball, you’ll learn two things, 1) Kershaw is money every five days, and 2) $11,000, although the most expensive pitcher on the slate, is cheap for Kershaw. He’ll be up around $15,000 later in the year and you’ll STILL PLAY HIM. So take the discount while you can. He’s the best pitcher in baseball with a 2.24 SIERA and 33.8% strikeout rate last year, both the best in baseball. His opponent, the San Diego Padres, are not an intimidating offense. Their game has the lowest total of the day at 5.5 and Kershaw and the Dodgers are a -190 favorite, and that’s probably not enough. If you only play one pitcher on the day, it should be Kershaw.
Chris Sale – $10,300 – While Kershaw was #1 in both SIERA and K% last year, Sale came in at #2 in both categories with a 2.52 SIERA and 32.1% strikeout rate. Yet, he’s the fifth most expensive pitcher. The A’s were middle of the pack last year against LHP and Sale gets to pitch in pitcher friendly O.Co instead of hitter friendly US Cellular, making him a solid play and saving you $700 on Kershaw.
Raisel Iglesias – $6,400 – If you’re looking to save money and load up on bats in a GPP, Iglesias could be your man. While he’s not a dominant pitcher, and is pitching in very htter friendly Great American Ballpark, the Reds face a paltry Phillies team that may be closer to a minor league team than a major league club. Opposing him on the bump is Jeremy Hellickson, who had a 4.62 ERA and 4.14 SIERA last year. Iglesias is a -165 favorite and a good bet to get you that all-important win on Fanduel for cheap.
Top Hitters
Joey Votto – 1B – $3,900 – Joey Votto had a .423 wOBA and .233 ISO last year against RHP and gets a home matchup (in hitter friendly GAB) against a weak RHP in Hellickson. Votto had 29 HRs last year and may get 30+ this year, starting off on the right foot against the Phillies on opening day.
Jean Segura – SS – $2,400 – Shortstop is always such an ugly position, so when you get great value with a cheap option, hitting at the top of the lineup against a weak pitcher, it’s almost a no-brainer. Segura will start the year leading off for the Diamondbacks who take on the Rockies and Jorge De La Rosa. Segura will have the platoon advantage against De La Rosa and had a decent .292 against LHP last year. With Paul Goldschmidt behind him, it only takes Segura getting on base once to potentially get driven in or steal a base to easily pay off his cheap price tag.
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Top Stacks
SF Giants
ArI Diamondbacks
Cin Reds
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