Fantasy Baseball Picks, April 30, 4 Best Value Batters
DFS Fantasy Baseball bargain hitters for Saturday's seven-game MLB slate at DraftKings
Split-slate Saturdays are some of the best fantasy baseball days of the season, bringing multiple chances to build plenty of lineups for a long day of great baseball action. This Saturday is one of those days with a nice afternoon slate of contests followed by seven games under the lights. I’ll give you my top bargain plays on Twitter @ZT_Sports for the afternoon slate, and this post will highlight the best bargain bats on the main slate. For more of my thoughts on the main slate, check out my full preview on DraftKings Playbook.
Last night’s bargain bats started the weekend strong with Sheldon Neuse (20 DKFP), Tommy Pham (22 DKFP) and Austin Slater (12 DKFP) all delivering double-digit DKFP. To get these picks in your inbox each day, subscribe below.
Here are the four hitters with very affordable salaries that I think are poised to make some noise Saturday night.
OF Odúbel Herrera, Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets, $3,000
Herrera has started five games for the Phillies since missing the start of the season with an oblique injury. He has gone 5-for-16 (.313) with a pair of home runs and a .480 wOBA. He struck out in his only two at-bats last night while the Phillies were no-hit, but he should be able to bounce back against Taijuan Walker ($8,400), who is coming off the IL.
In very limited action, Herrera has a 63.6% hard-hit rate and his speed always keeps things interesting. He has tended to be boom-or-bust throughout his career but brings energy and upside when at his best. Herrera had at least 13 DKFP in each of his three prior starts to last night and brings a nice potential from the bottom of the Phillies lineup at only $3K.
1B Ryan Mountcastle, Baltimore Orioles vs. Boston Red Sox, $2,900
Mountcastle returned to the lineup for the Orioles on Friday and went yard for his second home run of the season on his way to 17 DKFP. He has hit safely in five of his past six games, going 7-for-25 (.280) with a .319 wOBA. On the season, he has a 41.5% hard-hit rate and has locked into a spot in the heart of the order.
Nathan Eovaldi ($8,700) isn’t a great matchup, but he has given up seven home runs already this season, including four to right-handed hitters like Mountcastle. It’s unusual to get a cleanup hitter at under $3K, and Mountcastle is a solid low-cost alternative if you go cheap at 1B.
OF Travis Demeritte, Atlanta Braves at Texas Rangers, $2,000
I highlighted Demeritte and Dansby Swanson as two of my favorite bargains in my Playbook post, and I think they’re both heating up coming into this good matchup against Dane Dunning ($6,200) in Arlington. With Dunning and Bryce Elder ($7,500) on the mound, it makes sense that this game has the highest over/under of all the non-Coors Field contests. Getting Demeritte at the minimum opens up so much salary to pay up in other spots, that he has to be considered if he’s in the lineup again.
He started and hit leadoff with Ronald Acuña ($6,000) getting Friday off and hit an inside-the-park home run as part of his second straight multi-hit game. He has gone 7-for-18 with three extra-base hits since being called up six games ago and was 13-for-46 with 10 extra-base hits in Triple-A. Demeritte has a chance to earn his way into more playing time after the DFA of Alex Dickerson, and he’s off to a good start. He was a top prospect and a first-round pick, and he’s still just 27-years-old.
3B Mike Moustakas, Cincinnati Reds at Colorado Rockies, $2,000
I’m also very high on Moose’s teammate Tommy Pham ($2,900), but I highlighted him in my Playbook post, so in this space let’s focus on a second player who makes sense at the minimum salary. Stacking Moustakas and Demeritte allow you to pay up for a Yankees, Dodgers or double-aces stack on this Saturday night slate.
Moustakas was hurt most of last season and only hit .208 in his 62 games. He struggled this season before landing on the injured list again, but he has picked things up since returning, going 3-for-6 with two walks, an RBI and 9.5 DKFP per game. He was an elite power option just a few seasons ago, producing 38, 28 and 35 home runs from 2017-2019 with the Royals and Brewers. While he isn't likely to return to that level of production, he does still bring some pop and upside for only $2K, especially at Coors Field.
I’ll give any needed updates to these bargain picks @ZT_Sports where I’ll be hanging out most of the day. Feel free to hit me up if you have questions or comments about these posts or my picks here or on Playbook.
Enjoy your Saturday and good luck!