A full slate of action Saturday gives daily fantasy baseball competitors plenty of options when it comes to selecting pitchers. As a result, you don’t necessarily need to draft the top names on the board.
Here is a look at the best value picks available from around the league.
Jon Lester, Chicago Cubs ($9,500)
Chris Sale has been statistically one of the top pitchers in baseball this season, but his counterpart Saturday might end up having the better game. Jon Lester comes into his matchup against the Chicago White Sox with no earned runs allowed in his last two starts while totaling 15 strikeouts and three walks in 14 innings.
The White Sox offense has also struggled mightily this year, especially against left-handed starters, as noted by Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs:
Look for Lester to continue his recent hot streak against a team that hasn’t been able to hit any southpaws this year.
A.J. Burnett, Pittsburgh Pirates ($9,400)
Considering he has a 1.99 ERA, it’s clear A.J. Burnett has been great no matter where he is pitching. However, he is even better at home where he has a 1.28 ERA in eight starts.
Only once has he allowed more than one earned run in a game at PNC Park, and that was when he gave up two runs in seven innings in early May. Unlike Dallas Keuchel, who also has great home splits but will pitch on the road this week, take advantage of Burnett’s success by plugging him in your lineup.
John Lackey, St. Louis Cardinals ($8,400)
Burnett could have a strong performance, but it still will be a challenge to get a win with John Lackey starting for the St. Louis Cardinals. The 36-year-old veteran allowed 10 runs in Colorado last month, but since then has gone at least seven innings with two or fewer runs allowed in five straight starts.
Even without high strikeout totals, Lackey can give fantasy owners enough points to justify the selection.
Mat Latos, Miami Marlins ($7,300)
The Cincinnati Reds have been wildly inconsistent at the plate lately, which will make things interesting when they face the inconsistent Mat Latos on Saturday. The veteran pitcher struggled mightily to start the year, but he is back on track, as he has lowered his ERA each month:
After allowling just one hit in seven innings in his last start, Latos is becoming a more trustworthy option for fantasy owners.
Ryan Vogelsong, San Francisco Giants ($6,600)
After being ejected in the fifth inning of his last start, Ryan Vogelsong should be relatively well-rested coming into this one. James Wagner of the Washington Post described the incident:
Including the shortened outing, however, Vogelsong has only allowed five earned runs in his last 22.2 innings. Opponents are struggling to make quality contact, and he is keeping runs off the board.
While the Philadelphia Phillies have played better as of late, they could struggle in a ballpark that rates as the worst hitter’s park in the league this season, via ESPN.com.
Note: All prices courtesy of DraftKings. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.
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