Fantasy Baseball Picks, May 1, 4 Best Value Batters
DFS Fantasy Baseball bargain hitters for Sunday's nine-game MLB slate at DraftKings
The start of May means we’re creeping closer to summer and that the Major League Baseball season is rolling into its second month of action. The first month of DFS fantasy baseball has been a ton of fun and featured plenty of drama across the board. With nine games on the main slate this Sunday afternoon, there are plenty of bargain bats to consider including in your lineup builds. I highlighted my four favorite cheap hitters below along with my full preview of Sunday’s slate which is posted on DraftKings Playbook.
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Let’s get right to it this Sunday and take a look at four hitters who I think are underpriced for their potential production.
OF Pavin Smith, Arizona Diamondbacks at St. Louis Cardinals, $3,000
Most of the value on the Sunday afternoon slate is in the outfield with Julio RodrÃguez ($3,200) and Josh Lowe ($2,800) strong options that I highlighted in my full slate preview. There are other cheap outfield plays to consider as well like Pavin Smith, who has had a good series in St. Louis and continues to establish himself as one of the Diamondbacks’ best hitters.
In his 26 games, Smith is hitting .276 with one home run, one stolen base and a .351 wOBA. He has gone 12-for-33 (.364) over his 13 most recent games with a 40.7% hard-hit rate and a .446 wOBA. Smith has also moved from the middle or end of the lineup into the top two in his past four starts. He has a hit in each of those four contests and at least 8.0 DKFP in each of his three most recent games. Smith has even hit lefties well in limited opportunities, but this Sunday afternoon he’ll get an opposite-hand matchup against Jordan Hicks ($6,900).
OF Chas McCormick, Houston Astros at Toronto Blue Jays, $2,700
McCormick will probably give up the leadoff spot in the Astros’ order after this contest since José Altuve ($4,600) is expected to return Monday, but he’s still a great play under $3K for one more day if he slots into the top spot ahead of a powerful Astros’ batting order.
Right after moving to the leadoff spot, McCormick had a couple of clunkers, but he has been pretty solid with hits in each of his past four games (all in the leadoff spot). In those four games, he has gone 6-for-17 (.353) with two doubles, a home run and a .442 wOBA. His 41.2% hard-hit rate during that span exactly matches his rate for the season, so his production has been somewhat due to positive regression with more of his smashes finding landing places. He’s also had two barrels during that four-game stretch after having just one barrel all season before this nice run. The 27-year-old doesn’t have a stolen base on the season, but he’s getting enough hits that the extra at-bats and run production potential of being in the leadoff spot make him a good play under $3K.
3B Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals vs. New York Yankees, $3,300
The 21-year-old entered the season as the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball according to MLB Pipeline, but he got off to a slow start and was ultimately moved down in the Kansas City lineup to help ease some of the pressure off him. It seems to be working since he’s finding his footing and starting to deliver on his sky-high promise as a true five-tool prospect.
He went 5-for-39 (.128) over his first 10 games, but since moving out of the top third of the lineup, Witt has hit safely in nine straight games going 11-for-35 (.314) with three doubles and three stolen bases averaging 7.3 DKFP per contest. He still has much more upside to tap, so use Witt at this affordable sub-$3.5K salary while you still can.
OF Trayce Thompson, San Diego Padres at Pittsburgh Pirates, $2,000
With injuries in the Padres’ outfield mounting, Thompson has entered the mix for playing time after being recalled from Triple-A on Thursday after Wil Myers (thumb) went on the IL. He started on Friday night and went 1-for-3 with a walk and two RBI to total 12 DKFP. He did appear as a defensive replacement Saturday but went 0-for-2.
Before being called up, Thompson was hitting very well for the El Paso Chihuahuas, going 18-for-57 (.316) with four doubles, nine home runs, 17 RBI and a .491 wOBA. Thompson has proven to be a little of a quadruple-A hitter in his career so far (crushing Triple-A but not quite ready for the Majors), but he’s hoping to change that narrative and stick with the Padres to complete his comeback from major back surgery several years ago. If the weather cooperates, San Diego is another one of my favorite stacks of the day, making Thompson a very nice play for the minimum salary if he gets another chance in the starting lineup.
I’ll be keeping a close eye on the weather in Pittsburgh and Baltimore throughout the morning and let you know on Twitter @ZT_Sports if there are any adjustments to these picks leading up to the first pitch. Let’s all start the new month off with a fantasy baseball win.
Have a great Sunday and good luck!