Tonight’s slate is loaded with offensive fireworks upside. You’re going to want ample exposure to some pricey bats, and that means spending down at pitcher. Thankfully, there are a few intriguing middle-tier priced pitchers, and a trio that’s all priced under $8,500 is featured below. The hitting selections include a team’s top two hitters in the order, a three-man stack that’s sure to draw ownership, and a one-off at the hot corner who might fly a bit under the radar.
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Pitchers
Carlos Rodon (CHW): $8,300 at Tigers
Every member of Detroit’s lineup yesterday was a right-handed batter or switch-hitter. Facing a lineup full of players with the platoon advantage is scary and not ideal, but it’s not reason to entirely dismiss Rodon. The 26-year-old southpaw has a 3.27 ERA (1.83 FIP, 3.68 xFIP, and 3.62 SIERA), 1.14 WHIP, and jaw-dropping 30.2% K% through his first four starts spanning 22.0 innings, according to FanGraphs. The lefty’s gaudy strikeout total is fueled by a 12.7% SwStr% that’s more than two ticks up from his career-high 10.3% SwStr% in 2017 and way up from his 9.0% SwStr% last year. The surge in empty swings can be tied to Rodon ramping up the usage of his best pitch. He’s featuring his slider 41.2% of the time this year after hovering between 25-27% each of the last three years. The pitch has an awesome 23.3% SwStr% this year, and he’s not afraid to throw it to right-handed batters. He’s thrown the pitch 40.11% of the time to right-handed batters and generated a 22.92% whiff rate this season, per Brooks Baseball. A slider-heavy pitch mix has worked wonders for Patrick Corbin, and it’s doing so for Rodon thus far. His strikeout potential makes him appealing in GPPs at his price point as a strong pivot for a couple hundred dollars more than the likely chalky next pitching selection.
