Welcome to the Wednesday edition of the FanDuel MLB value plays. Tonight we have 11 games to work with on the main slate on FanDuel. As always, be sure to check the weather and lineups as they are released to make sure these players are in fact active. Let’s go ahead and take a look at my favorite value options for the day.
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Pitcher
Michael Pineda (NYY): $8,600 at KC
Other than a couple of rough starts early on, Pineda has pitched pretty well in 2017 with a 3.27 ERA and a 10.89 K/9. Tonight he has a decent matchup against the Royals, who rank 26th in the league in wRC+ against right-handed pitchers. Also, they are striking out more this season compared to last season, ranking towards the middle of the pack in K%.
Catcher
Willson Contreras (CHC): $2,700 vs. CIN
Contreras and the Cubs finally got their bats going last night against Bronson Arroyo and the Reds. The weather looks like it will be pretty favorable to hitters once again tonight, with warm temperatures and the wind blowing out strongly. Scott Feldman has been decent so far this season, but his FIP indicates he really hasn’t been pitching as well as it appears. If for some reason Miguel Montero draws the start instead of Contreras, he makes for a solid value option as well.
First Base
Nick Franklin (MIL): $2,000 at SD
Franklin has seen an increase in playing time and is hitting sixth in the order against right-handed pitchers while Ryan Braun has been on the DL. His numbers will not jump off of the page, but he should have plenty of RBI opportunities with the middle of the order on base against Jhoulys Chacin, who has been awful this season with a 5.12 ERA and a 3.15 BB/9.
Second Base
Ian Happ (CHC): $2,300 vs. CIN
On Tuesday night Happ hit his second career MLB home run in only his 13th plate appearance. If he continues to hit in the middle of the Cubs’ order while several players are dealing with injuries, it will be difficult to pass on him at this salary. Happ had a strong Spring Training with the Cubs and has been tearing it up at Triple-A Iowa this season. This guy is a pure hitter and it’s a bonus that he will unlikely be lifted late in the game for a pinch-hitter since he is a switch-hitter.
Third Base
Jeimer Candelario (CHC): $2,400 vs. CIN
Another highly regarded Cubs’ prospect who has been hitting in the middle of the order lately is Candelario. Similar to Happ, if Joe Maddon continues to use him in the middle of the order, it’s going to be hard to pass on him given the matchup and salary.
Shortstop
Elvis Andrus (TEX): $3,000 vs. PHI
Andrus normally hits near the top of the order against right-handed pitchers, who he has been crushing this season with a 0.351 wOBA. Zach Eflin has pitched well so far in 2017 with a 2.81 ERA, but his 4.34 FIP suggests he has been pretty lucky.
Outfielders
Matt Joyce (OAK): $2,700 at SEA
Joyce is a solid salary relief option who normally hits near the top of the order against right-handed pitchers. On the surface it doesn’t look like Joyce has been doing too well this season, but when you dig a little deeper you can see he has been unlucky. Joyce currently only has a 0.277 wOBA and a 0.167 BABIP against right-handed despite having a 39% hard contact rate and a 19.1% K%.
Ezequiel Carrera (TOR): $2,800 vs. TOR
Carrera has been hitting near the top of the order against right-handed pitchers lately, and he has really excelled with a 0.349 wOBA against righties. Tonight he has a decent matchup against Mike Foltynewicz, who has allowed a 0.349 wOBA to left-handed hitters this season.
Leury Garcia (CHW): $2,800 at LAA
As a whole, the White Sox have been one of the worst offensive teams this season. However, Garcia has been hitting leadoff for the Sox over the past three games and is now 7-for-18 with two doubles and four runs. Matt Shoemaker has not been great by any means against left-handed hitters, allowing a 0.338 wOBA.
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Kaz is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Kaz, follow him @DraftStars_Kaz. You can find more of Kaz’s work at DraftStars.net.
