Fantasy Baseball Picks, April 29, 4 Best Value Batters
DFS Fantasy Baseball bargain hitters for Friday's 13-game MLB slate at DraftKings
Friday nights in Major League Baseball usually mean massive slates, and this week is no exception. There are 13 games scheduled for under the lights giving everyone plenty of options to consider for lineup construction. Only the Padres, Pirates, Mariners and Marlins are not on the main slate since their games start just before the 7:05 contest lock.
In this post, I’ll focus on four of my favorite bargain bats, who are poised to outperform their affordable salaries based on form, matchup and opportunity. Yesterday’s picks were solid with Julio Rodriguez (15 DKFP) and Alec Bohm (16 DKFP) both coming up big on Thursday afternoon. Subscribe below to make sure to catch these picks every day, so you can grab the bargains you need to afford the stars that you want.
There are plenty of matchups and options to consider this Friday night, but coming into the day, here are the four best bargain bats to consider.
OF Austin Slater, San Francisco Giants vs. Washington Nationals, $2,800
Slater seems set up for more playing time with Joc Pederson (groin) possibly hitting the IL with a groin injury. The 29-year-old provides potential in both speed and power and has two homers and two stolen bases already this season. He has played 16 games, going 7-for-32 (.219) with a double, four walks, six runs scored and nine RBI. He has entered the game as a pinch-hitter and defensive replacement in each of his past five appearances and had 21 DKFP in his most recent start, which was back on April 22.
Slater could slide into the leadoff spot while Pederson and Mike Yastrzemski (COVID-19) are sidelined, but even if he hits lower in the lineup he still brings intriguing upside. He has gone 5-for-13 (.385) over his past six games with both of his home runs and a .554 wOBA.
2B/3B Sheldon Neuse, Oakland Athletics vs. Cleveland Guardians, $3,500
The Athletics are hosting the struggling Guardians this weekend in Oakland, and they’ll start off the series with a matchup against Aaron Civale ($6,900), who has given up 14 runs in 10 1/3 innings over his first three starts with two home runs allowed and a 41.7% hard-hit rate against. Neuse has been one of the A’s most reliable bats in the early part of the season after the team claimed him off waivers from the Dodgers, after trading him to Los Angeles in February of 2021.
In his return to Oakland, he has locked down the second spot in the order and is hitting .304 (17-for-56) with a double, a home run and three stolen bases. He has all three of those thefts over his past nine games while going 11-for-33 (.333) with a .345 wOBA. In a good matchup and lineup spot, he can provide nice value at a couple of IF positions with limited cheap options that hit high in the lineup even on this mega slate.
OF Tommy Pham, Cincinnati Reds at Colorado Rockies, $2,700
The Reds are one of the most interesting teams on this slate, which is saying something since they’ve done all they can to be very uninteresting in fantasy. On this slate, though they’re all extremely affordable for their visit to hitter-happy Coors Field and taking on Antonio Senzatela ($5,000) in a game with the highest over/under of the night at 10.5. Aside from Jonathan India ($3,500), all the Reds’ batters are still under $3K, though, bringing Tyler Naquin ($2,900), Kyle Farmer ($2,800), Nick Senzel ($2,600), Colin Moran ($2,500) and the recently activated Mike Moustakas ($2,100) into the value conversation.
My favorite option on the Reds in this matchup, though, is Pham, who has hit third in the lineup for each of his 17 games in Cincinnati. He is hitting an underwhelming .186 on the season but does have two doubles, three homers and a stolen base. Over his past nine games, he is 10-for-33 (.303) with a .333 ISO and a .444 wOBA. In his career at Coors Field, Pham is 18-for-54 (.333) with four home runs, a .241 ISO and a .418 wOBA.
OF Derek Hill, Detroit Tigers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, $2,100
If you’re looking for cheap leadoff options, there are a few options to consider with Chas McCormick ($2,600), Kole Calhoun ($3,000), Slater and Hill projected to lead off coming into the day. Hill is such a bargain at barely over the minimum that he deserves a look even though he is a very unproven option and has only played 67 games in the Majors in his career. Last year, he played 49 games and hit .259 with a .305 wOBA and six stolen bases, and this year, he has played three games since being called up and gotten at least one hit in each contest, going 4-for-12 (.333) with just an 11.1% hard-hit rate.
Last year, he hit .311 with a .338 wOBA against lefties, so his matchup with Tyler Anderson ($7,700) makes him worth a look if he hits at the top of the lineup. Spencer Torkelson ($2,900) is another Tiger bat I’m watching in this contest, as the young team heads to Hollywood for their series against the Dodgers.
If there are any updates to these picks needed as lineups come out, I’ll let you know on Twitter @ZT_Sports. You can also let me know if you have any questions or feedback on how these posts could be more helpful to you in your daily fantasy baseball prep.
Have a great Friday and good luck!