The Underdog Fantasy pick ’em lobby’s cup runneth over tonight with options. All 30 MLB teams play tonight, giving gamers a vast collection of picks to choose from. This piece narrows the options down to five excellent choices.
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Tuesday’s Top Underdog Fantasy MLB Pick ‘Em Picks
Bryce Harper: 8.5 Fantasy Points – Higher
Harper hit the ground running in his return from Tommy John surgery. According to FanGraphs, he has three homers, two stolen bases, a .406 OBP, .176 ISO, 139 wRC+ and .375 xwOBA in 101 plate appearances this season.
The left-handed-hitting outfielder thrives with the platoon advantage. In 761 plate appearances against righties since 2021, Harper has had a .421 OBP, .317 ISO and 177 wRC+. He’s also unloading on righties this season. In 61 plate appearances against them in 2023, Harper has a .508 OBP, .224 ISO and 200 wRC+. Harper can punish any righty, and Kodai Senga hasn’t been a top-flight right-handed hurler. So, Harper is a good bet to score more than 8.5 fantasy points tonight.
Tyler Anderson: 4.0 Strikeouts – Lower
Sadly, the magic dust has worn off of Anderson. He had an out-of-nowhere career year in 2022 on the Dodgers. Unfortunately, he’s flopped this season for the Angels. One critical issue for Anderson is a decided lack of strikeouts. In nine starts spanning 48.2 innings, he has 30 strikeouts and career-lows in strikeouts per nine innings (5.55 K/9) and strikeout rate (13.6 K%).
In addition, Anderson has struck out fewer than four batters five times in his last seven starts. He’s also had more than four strikeouts just twice. Finally, Anderson hasn’t avoided bats lately. In his previous three starts, he’s had a 7.0 SwStr%.
Nestor Cortes: 5.5 Strikeouts – Higher
Cortes isn’t having a banner year. Still, he’s striking out batters at a reasonable clip. The veteran lefty has struck out 53 batters in 54.1 innings, tallying 8.78 K/9 and a 23.2 K%.
Thankfully, Cortes’s strikeouts have traveled. In 138.1 innings on the road since 2021, Cortes has had 148 strikeouts, 9.63 K/9 and a 26.2 K%. Moreover, he’s struck out more than 5.5 batters in three of four starts on the road this season.
The matchup is ideal for Cortes strutting his strikeout stuff tonight. The Mariners have the fourth-highest strikeout rate (26.3 K%) against southpaws this year. Seattle has also punched out in 24.6% of their plate appearances over the last 14 days. As a result, Cortes can strike out more than 5.5 batters tonight.
Johan Oviedo: 5.0 Strikeouts – Lower
Oviedo is wildly inconsistent. However, he’s consistently failed to deliver more than five strikeouts in starts this year. The righty has struck out more than five batters only three times in 10 starts. Furthermore, two occurrences happened in his first four starts.
His swinging-strike rate has cratered after flashing bat-missing potential through his first five starts. In Oviedo’s first five starts, he had a 14.1 SwStr%. In his last five starts, it has nosedived to a 7.9 SwStr%. The Giants frequently provide righties with strikeouts, but Oviedo appears ill-equipped to take advantage of the matchup.
LaMonte Wade: 0.5 Walks – Higher
Wade is tailor-made for San Francisco’s leadoff spot. He has an astute eye and works walks at a prodigious rate. Among qualified hitters, Wade is tied for third in walk rate (17.3 BB%). Unsurprisingly, Wade spits on offerings outside the strike zone, tying for the fourth-lowest O-Swing% (19.9%) among qualified hitters this season.
Wade also has a higher walk rate with the platoon advantage. In 161 plate appearances against righties this year, he has an 18.6 BB%.
Oviedo should enhance Wade’s chances to work a walk. The righty has struggled with his control, especially on the road. Oviedo has allowed a 12.6 BB% in 25.0 innings on the road this year. He’s also had a 12.5 BB% in 99.1 innings on the road since debuting in The Show in 2020.
Whether you’re new to fantasy baseball or a seasoned pro, our Fantasy Baseball 101: Strategy Tips & Advice page is for you. You can get started with our Sabermetrics Glossary or head to a more advanced strategy – like Maximizing Your Potential in Multi-Lineup Contests – to learn more.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
