All 30 MLB teams are in action Tuesday evening, giving DraftKings daily fantasy players a wide variety of pitching options to choose from. Chris Sale is the biggest name on the board, but there are also several quality bargains available at much more affordable prices.
Here are five pitchers who should provide the best bang for your buck on June 30.
Chris Sale ($12,800) at St. Louis Cardinals
Chris Sale’s salary is $2,100 higher than any other starter going, but his resume of late makes him well worth it. In his last time out, Sale surrendered five earned runs in 6.2 innings while taking a loss against the Minnesota Twins. But he still recorded 19 fantasy points, in large part because he struck out 10 batters.
Sale struck out at least 10 in each of his last seven starts, one shy of tying the major league record dating back to 1914. He has a total of 85 strikeouts during the seven-game streak. Before his minor slip-up in Minnesota, Sale recorded 30 or more fantasy points in five consecutive outings, including over 40 in four of the five.
For the season, Sale has 129 strikeouts, the fourth-most in baseball, in just 95.1 innings pitched. His 0.98 WHIP also ranks eighth in the majors.
Dallas Keuchel ($9,800) vs. Kansas City Royals
Dallas Keuchel’s 23.6 fantasy points per game is the second-highest scoring average of any pitching on the mound Tuesday, yet he comes cheaper than Sonny Gray, Cole Hamels and Lance Lynn.
Keuchel is a workhorse, leading MLB with 116.1 innings pitched. He’s also tied for the top spot in both complete games and shutouts:
The lefty ranks eighth in baseball with a 2.17 ERA, while his 0.96 WHIP is sixth and his .194 batting average against is third. Keuchel also has the added bonus of matching up against Royals starter Danny Duffy, who boasts a 5.44 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP.
Shelby Miller ($7,900) vs. Washington Nationals
Like Keuchel, Shelby Miller is tied for the major league lead with two shutouts. At just $7,900, Miller can provide an ace-like performance at a significantly lower cost.
As noted by Fox Sports South, in his last start against the Washington Nationals, Miller faced the minimum number of hitters through six innings:
He finished the game with a no-decision after yielding three hits, a walk and one earned run in seven innings.
Miller has never given up more than four runs in a single outing this season and allowed two or fewer earned runs in 13 of his 15 starts. Both his 1.94 ERA and .200 batting average against rank among the top five in the majors.
Mike Montgomery ($6,800) at San Diego Padres
Through five major league starts, Mike Montgomery is averaging an impressive 19.8 fantasy points per game. That stat is skewed, however, by the 45.7 points he registered the last time he took the hill.
MLB.com’s Paul Casella noted Montgomery’s rare accomplishment:
Even without Montgomery’s one spectacular showing, his overall numbers are quite consistent to this point. He surrendered two or fewer runs in four of his five appearances, giving up four in the other. Montgomery also lasted at least six innings in all five of his starts.
On Tuesday, he faces a San Diego Padres team with a .244 team batting average, the fourth-worst in the National League.
Marco Estrada ($6,300) vs. Boston Red Sox
After allowing a total of three hits in 15.2 innings over his past two games, Marco Estrada is as hot as any starter in baseball.
Estrada became the first pitcher since Dave Stieb in 1988 to take a no-hitter into the eighth inning in back-to-back starts. In his last outing, Estrada was perfect through seven until he allowed an infield single with one out in the eighth.
It’s an extremely small sample size, but if you’re going to spend below $6,500 on a pitcher, you might as well ride the hot hand.
Estrada’s season stats are also perfectly respectable—a 3.45 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP and 63 strikeouts in 73 innings. And with baseball’s highest-scoring offense behind him, the Toronto Blue Jays righty is a decent play for the money.
All prices courtesy of DraftKings. Statistics via MLB.com unless otherwise noted. Mark Vandeusen is an MLB Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @LucidSportsFan.
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