Fantasy Baseball Value Picks, April 28, 4 Best Bargain Bats
DFS Fantasy Baseball value hitters for Thursday's nine-game MLB slate at DraftKings
Fantasy baseball gets an early start this Thursday since there are only a pair of evening contests and a juicy nine-game slate that starts in the early afternoon. Make sure to get your lineups in early and enjoy some nice daytime baseball before locking in for the NFL Draft or whatever else is in your plans for the evening. I previewed the entire slate for DraftKings Playbook, but in this post, I’ll be focusing on my four favorite value hitters who have a good chance to outproduce their affordable salaries.
Yesterday’s bargain bat hero was Max Kepler, who went off for 30 DFKP at just $3,100. I was still disappointed my other picks didn’t fare better, but it’s a start and hopefully a good sign of things to come for my picks. If you enjoy this post and find it helpful, be sure to subscribe to get these picks delivered every day.
There are plenty of bargains to choose from with 18 teams lined up for daytime action, and here are the four cheap hitters that I think bring the most upside.
1B Garrett Cooper, Miami Marlins at Washington Nationals, $3,300
I highlighted the Marlins as one of my favorite stacks of the day on Playbook and included Cooper’s teammate Miguel Rojas ($3,200) as a bargain infielder. I like Cooper a lot as well against a struggling Patrick Corbin ($6,500). Cooper has been a solid middle-of-the-order bat for the Fish most of the season, occasionally moving up to the second spot, which gives him even more upside.
Cooper went 0-for-4 last night but had collected multiple hits with at least one extra-base hit in each of his two previous games. He has gone 14-for-51 (.275) on the season with three doubles, a home run, a .118 ISO and a .363 wOBA. He has a 33.3% hard-hit rate on the season, but that has been trending in the right direction over the past week or so. Last season, Cooper feasted on lefties, hitting .344 with a .415 wOBA. He should be set up well against Corbin, and the Marlins provide plenty of value to pay up for some big-name hitters to blend in with their value plays.
OF Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners at Tampa Bay Rays, $3,000
I admit it—I didn’t want to be sucked into this. From the goofy J-Rod nickname to the overhype, I tried to fade Rodriguez coming into the year, but he has won me over, and I love getting all the upside at only $3K. I tend to be pretty pragmatic with my fantasy baseball lineups, so if a player gets me points I’ll come around quickly (even on a Yankee in some cases).
Rodriguez started slow but has surged lately, primarily using his speed. He has four stolen bases in his 10 most recent games, helping him average a solid 8.7 DKFP per contest. He’s still looking for his first MLB home run, but he had a string of four straight games with at least 9.0 DKFP which came to an end last night. After starting the season only 3-for-28 (.107), he has improved to .250 (9-for-36) with three doubles and a 56.0% hard-hit rate over his past nine games. Against lefties Jeffrey Springs ($4,000) and Jalen Beeks ($4,000), he should be in some good opposite-hand matchups to put up points. Having the stolen base potential as well gives an added safety net to his production while also raising his ceiling.
3B Alec Bohm, Philadelphia Phillies vs Colorado Rockies, $3,300
Fielding adventures and off-field issues aside, Bohm has been pretty solid this season at the plate and seems locked in as a regular in the Phillies’ lineup, normally batting sixth or seventh. Philadelphia has been pounding the Rockies in the first three games of this four-game set, and they’ll look to finish the sweep against Antonio Senzatela ($6,300) this afternoon.
Bohm is hitting .333 (14-for-14) with two doubles and a home run over his first 17 games with a .362 wOBA and 53.8% hard-hit rate. The extra-base hits haven’t been quite what we’d want, resulting in just a .119 ISO, but he is hitting the ball well enough and just getting unlucky sometimes. His good plate approach and solid position in a productive lineup make him worth a look at only $3,300 if you need a cheap play with good upside at the hot corner.
OF Anthony Santander, Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees, $3,300
Santander usually hits in the top three in the order for the O’s. In his past eight games, he has gone 7-for-29 (.241) with a .241 ISO and .393 wOBA. He brings the extra-base potential and solid contact that would be expected from a top bat even though he comes at a very affordable price.
He has a home run in his four career at-bats against Jameson Taillon ($8,100) and has homered in each of the past two games against the Yankees. He has shown he can be a good producer when he’s in the zone, and I like him as a nice play under $3.5K, especially since he is 7-for-24 (.292) in his eight day games this season with a home run and a.437 wOBA.
Enjoy your NFL Draft day, and hopefully, these bargain bats can deliver us some fantasy baseball thunder to str the day. I’ll update you @ZT_sports if any of these plays aren’t in the lineup and let you know who I’m pivoting to if needed. I also had a quick question for you, my readers: Do you prefer more picks with fewer details or fewer picks with more details? In other words, would this daily post be more helpful if it had more lists of four (4 bargain OF, 4 bargain IF, 4 boom-or-bust plays, etc.) even if the description of those picks was just a sentence or two? I’m trying to find the right blend and would love your input. Feel free to let me know on Twitter or in the comments if you have any feedback.
Have a great Thursday and good luck!