MLB DFS Value Vault August 4: Plug in the Lefty-Mashing Albert Pujols Today!
Tonight’s slate is pretty consistent across the board as DraftKings, Yahoo, and FanDuel will all use a 7:05 pm ET main slate. DraftKings and FanDuel will use eight games, while Yahoo will use seven (dropping game two of the Cubs/Cardinals doubleheader). We have a solid value on the mound in Noah Syndergaard making his Phillies debut against the Nationals and another arm in Cole Ragans who is making his MLB debut at a very cheap DFS price. There are a couple MLB weather concerns on this slate, so keep up with the weather center leading up to first pitch. Lastly, don’t forget to check out MLB implied runs totals using our Vegas Odds link and to use our MLB DFS lineup generator. Let’s dive into our MLB DFS picks today!
DFS Value Pitchers
Cole Ragans, Rangers (DraftKings - $5100 / Yahoo - $25)
Cole Ragans will make his MLB debut tonight and while it’s a tough matchup, he is extremely cheap and he has been great at AA and AAA this year; he has pitched 94.2 innings in the minors this season and compiled a 3.04 ERA with 113 strikeouts. His price tag allows you to spend up for Justin Verlander or Alek Manoah while still having plenty of money left for bats.
Noah Syndergaard, Phillies (DraftKings - $7600 / FanDuel - $7700 / Yahoo - $34)
Noah Syndergaard isn’t as cheap as Cole Ragans, but he is someone that you can be more confident in because we have more to go off of and he has a better matchup. He is coming off a strong start in which he fired 5.2 innings of one-run ball with 6 Ks and he now has a 3.83 ERA on the year. The Nationals lineup is really bad now that they traded away Juan Soto and Josh Bell.
DFS Value Hitters
Albert Pujols, Cardinals (DraftKings - $2000 / FanDuel - $2400)
Albert Pujols is a lefty-hitting specialist and he absolutely mashes against them as he is slashing .339/.366/.565 against southpaws this season, compared to .173/.283/.317 against righties. He has been swinging a hot bat lately too, slashing .306/.359/.556 with two dingers over his last 10 games. Furthermore, he has been way better at home this year, slashing .253/.348/.413 in St. Louis, compared to .220/.284/.407 on the road.
Vinnie Pasquantino, Royals (DraftKings - $2100 / FanDuel - $2200 / Yahoo - $10)
Vinnie Pasquantino hasn’t been great thus far in the big leagues, but the power is still real and at the minimum price, he is worth a roll of the dice. He has three home runs so far, which is a low total, but he did have 18 in 69 games at AAA prior to his call-up. Nick Pivetta has been getting rocked lately with a 9.38 ERA and a .371 BAA across his last five starts, so that certainly doesn’t hurt.
Kyle Tucker, Astros (Yahoo - $11)
Tucker is your Yahoo special of the day as he is only $11, which makes absolutely no sense. He is hitting just .241 on the year, but the important parts of his season are great as he has 19 dingers, 16 steals, and 67 RBI. He is coming off a strong game in which he went 2-4 with a double and two RBI and now he gets to face Zach Plesac, who has a 4.33 ERA and 1.29 WHIP on the season.
Other Value Plays:
- Jeff McNeil, NYM (FanDuel - $2800 / Yahoo - $9)
- Michael Massey, KC (DraftKings - $2000 / FanDuel - $2000 / Yahoo - $7)
- Nick Madrigal, CHC (DraftKings - $2000 / FanDuel - $2100)
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Player News
Cubs re-signed RHP Caleb Kilian to a minor league contract.
The 27-year-old hurler was released last weekend after being designated for assignment, but after exploring the open market he has decided that a reunion with the Cubs made the most sense. Kilian will continue to function as extra rotation depth at Triple-A Iowa for the time being.
Corey Seager went 2-for-3 with a homer and a walk to help the Rangers take down the Angels 5-3 on Thursday.
Seager had a bad first week and a half while dealing with a calf strain, but he’s collected 14 hits, including three homers, in his last eight games, putting him at .306/.368/.516 overall. Alas, it’s produced just six RBI, mostly because the Rangers are getting terrible production from the ninth and first spots in the order.
Kumar Rocker recorded his first MLB victory after pitching seven innings of three-run ball and striking out eight Thursday against the Angels.
Rocker walked none and surrendered just one double and four singles. Unfortunately, all five hits came in the first and fifth innings, resulting in three runs between them. Still, Rocker was terrific in needing just 78 pitches to get 21 outs. It’s the kind of performance that suggests he might offer mixed-league value at some point. We just wouldn’t trust him quite yet. His next start will come in Sacramento against the A’s.
Robert Garcia picked up his first save of the year with a perfect ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Garcia got the call tonight with Luke Jackson having pitched the previous two days and retired the Angels on five pitches. Even though he’s the better reliever of the two, he’ll likely resume taking a backseat to Jackson on Friday.
Jack Kochanowicz gave up four runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings against the Rangers on Thursday.
The surprising and misguided decision to pick Kochanowicz over Reid Detmers for a rotation spot at the end of the spring isn’t working out for the Angels. The team might reverse course soon, but Detmers hasn’t been used as a long guy and isn’t stretched out to start right away. Kochanowicz is now 1-2 with a 6.20 ERA, but at least he gets the Pirates next.
Joc Pederson went 0-for-4 with a strikeout Thursday, dropping his average to .060.
It’s mostly been hard grounders and routine flies from Pederson thus far, but given that his bat speed is unchanged from last year, we don’t have big concerns here yet. That said, this might not be the weekend he turns it around, given that the Rangers are set to face the Dodgers.