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It’s Friday and we have quite the slate on our hands! There’s a slew of expensive pitchers on this slate, as well as some higher tier bats you want to get in your lineup, and the only way to do that is finding value at various spots. Fortunately, there’s a lot of good value on the slate, and you can take a couple of these bats below to offer you some financial flexibility on this fine Friday. Without further ado, let’s head to the Value Vault for tonight’s main slate!
Both Sites
Mitch Moreland , 1B OAK ($2,300 FD/$3,300 DK) - The higher Moreland hits in the order tonight the better value he becomes. While Moreland has been better against southpaws than right-handers in 2021, Matt Shoemaker is someone he’s quite familiar with. Moreland is 7-for-14 off Shoemaker, and five of those hits sailed over the fence! Seven for 14 with five home runs. Good grief! Shoemaker has served up an OPS north of 1.000 to left-handed hitters, not to mention a .327 batting average and .432 wOBA.
Jarred Kelenic, OF SEA ($2,100 FD/$2,000 DK) - Kelenic, an uber-hyped prospect, went 0-for-4 in his debut, but he’s incredibly cheap and his potential is out of this world. Aaron Civale has been solid, but his 3.38 ERA on the road is far higher than his 2.60 ERA at home, and lefties have had slightly more success this year against him. This is more so a bet on Kelenic and his price point, than an offensive explosion against Civale. Kelenic might be higher owned since he’s the shiny new toy, but it’s hard to ignore the price point and potential return on investment.
FanDuel
Jared Walsh , OF LAA ($3,300) - Walsh is hitless in his last two games, but fear not in this one. He’s pummeling righties this year, to the tune of a .369 average and a 1.110 OPS. Nick Pivetta has some solid numbers for the year, but he’s also been fortunate in facing some of the weaker offenses in the league. Also, for what it’s worth, Walsh’s numbers are better on the road than at home, and there’s a nice porch in right field for him to park one.
Jean Segura , 2B PHI ($3,000) - BvP! BvP! Segura is 8-for-15 with two home runs in his career against Steven Matz , and furthermore, Segura is a cool .300 hitter against southpaws in 2021. For Segura’s entire career, he’s a .278 hitter against southpaws with a .422 slugging percentage and .144 ISO. While Segura might just be my favorite play from the Phillies tonight, considering price, Alec Bohm is also in a great spot (.294 hitter against lefties in 2021).
DraftKings
Tyler O'Neill , OF STL ($3,100) - There are a couple of Cardinals who have some good BvP numbers against San Diego’s Joe Musgrove , but considering the price point, I’m willing to take a chance on O’Neill in this one. He’s 4-for-11 with two home runs off Musgrove, and this year, all seven of O’Neill’s four-baggers have come against right-handed pitching. Musgrove has been solid this year, and tough on righties, so O’Neill is only in GPP consideration for me.
Tyrone Taylor, OF MIL ($2,200) - Taylor hasn’t started either of the past two games, but it would behoove Milwaukee to have him in the lineup tonight against Drew Smyly . Taylor is hitting .381 with a 1.076 OPS against lefties this year (21 ABs), and Smyly has served up an .882 OPS against right-handed hitters. Despite hitting just .246 on the year, Taylor has a .193 ISO and 45.2 percent fly ball rate, and Smyly has a 3.24 HR/9 through 25 innings of work.
Player News
Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.
José Soriano allowed three runs over five innings while not factoring in the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Soriano left with a 4-3 lead, but it was erased quickly after his departure. The 26-year-old was not exactly dominant in his outing with eight hits allowed and four free passes, but he did strike out six to help balance things out a smidgen. Soriano takes an even ERA of 4.00 into a scheduled start against the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday. There should be better options for that one.