Fantasy Baseball Picks, May 2, Top 4 Bargain Bats
DFS Fantasy Baseball bargain hitters for Monday's six-game MLB slate at DraftKings
On this first Monday of May, Major League Baseball is ready to roll into a new work week with a solid six-game slate of DFS fantasy baseball options. I previewed the full slate on DraftKings Playbook and highlighted several of my top plays at every price range and position. In this post, I’ll focus on four of my top ultra-cheap bargain bats that can help you afford some big-name, big-upside hitters to blend into the perfect lineup to take home a win to start the week.
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If you’re looking for value bats, I highlighted my man Julio RodrÃguez ($3,700), Sheldon Neuse ($3,600) and Max Kepler ($3,400) over in that Playbook preview, but what if you want to go even cheaper to free up salary? While I base these daily picks on DraftKings salary and scoring, the same payers are relatively affordable on other fantasy sites as well. If you have specific format questions, I’m happy to answer those in the comments or on Twitter.
Here are my top plays under $3K on DraftKings coming into this Monday.
OF Anthony Santander, Baltimore Orioles vs. Minnesota Twins ($2,900)
1B Ryan Mountcastle, Baltimore Orioles vs. Minnesota Twins ($2,900)
Santander and the Orioles took two of three games from the Red Sox over the weekend and are actually 5-4 at home compared to a woeful 3-10 on the road. They’ll be going for their third straight win as they take on Chris Paddack ($7,200), who I actually like as a value SP, but I don’t think he’s unhittable.
The Orioles have a ton of bargain bats to choose from with their whole projected lineup aside from Cedric Mullens ($4,000) priced under $3K. Santander and Mountcastle usually hit in the heart of the order and both have been hitting the ball well lately, so they can make a bargain mini-stack that can complement the high-priced, high-thunder AL East bats in the Yankees-Blue Jays matchup.
Santander has gone yard three times this season and is batting .243 with a .369 wOBA. Both his home runs have come in his six most recent games when he also has nine of his 11 RBI. In those six games, he has a .231 ISO and has at least one hard-hit ball in four of his past five starts including two barrels. He brings good upside in the second slot in the lineup and is a solid OF play under $3K.
Mountcastle’s numbers are similar to Santander’s with two home runs and a .250 average over his 20 games this season. He has also been trending up over his past few games with nine hits in his past eight games including a home run with a 52.2% hard-hit rate over that span. He’s been hitting the ball a little harder than Santander this season overall, and I’d go with him as a slightly better play if you’re using one of these two Orioles’ options. The exception to that is if you are looking to pay up for an elite 1B bat, in which case, the opportunity cost of filling that spot with Mountcastle makes Santander a better option.
3B/OF Brian Anderson, Miami Marlins vs. Arizona Diamondbacks ($2,900)
I love Anderson’s flexibility since he can fill an IF spot at 3B or take up one of your OF spots depending on what other bats you’re trying to build into your lineup. He seems like a veteran in Miami where they continually restock on young talent, but he’s still only 28 years old himself. He struggled a little bit last season while playing through a shoulder injury but has looked very good to start this season, although his .419 BABIP is buoying his production.
In his 17 games, Anderson is hitting .269 with a .154 ISO and .373 wOBA. He hit his first homer of the season on Sunday to extend his hitting streak to five straight games. He has gone 6-for-20 (.300) over that span with three doubles along with that home run. He’s seeing the ball well and will hope to continue his success as he takes on former Marlins prospect Zac Gallen ($7,600) and the visiting Diamondbacks.
OF Travis Demeritte, Atlanta Braves at New York Mets ($2,000)
Demeritte is carving out a role for himself in the Braves’ outfield rotation, and his salary is still at the minimum for another day. He has started each of the past six games for Atlanta and hit safely in each of his past four, including a double and a home run. He has gone 6-for-14 (.429) over that four-game span with a .528 wOBA, although he has still struck out five times as well.
In his time in Triple-A, Demeritte was also an extra-base hit machine with six doubles, two triples, two home runs and a .422 wOBA along with a pair of stolen bases in 12 games with the Gwinnett Stripers (who have top-notch swag, FWIW). He will continue to be an elite value play while his salary is the minimum as long as he keeps getting so much work in a good Braves batting order.
I hope you have a great start to the week and the month and that you get the fantasy baseball win you’re looking for today. Reach out if you have any questions or comments and be sure to follow @ZT_Sports for updates throughout the day.
Happy Monday and good luck!