This series uses the FantasyLabs Tools to analyze three key MLB players in the day’s slate. The series does not provide play or fade recommendations. It provides analysis.
Marcus Stroman: P, Blue Jays
It was the tale of two seasons for Stroman last year. Although Stroman had roughly the same expected FanDuel points throughout the season, his first half/second half splits are significant (per our Trends tool):
First Half
Second Half
Going from a -2.35 Plus/Minus to a +4.51 is dramatic. With that, his Consistency Rating shot up 12.5 percentage points and his ownership jumped 3.8 percentage points.
What accounts for the improved performance? His strikeouts completely exploded in the second half of the season. Stroman went from 6.44 strikeouts per nine innings and a 16.9 percent strikeout rate to 8.49 K/9 and a 22.7 percent K rate. The projected Rays lineup has a 29.97 percent K rate against right-handed pitching over the last 12 months. If Stroman can carry over the K rate from the second half last year, his upside is high tonight.
Ryan Schimpf: 2B/3B, Padres
You may not have heard of Schimpf, but he can absolutely crush the baseball. Accessible for Pro subscribers in our Player Models, Schimpf’s 12-month average batted ball distance of 245 feet and fly ball rate of 64 percent lead the slate. Through three games this season, Schimpf (a lefty) has been batting fifth even against lefties, so he will probably be there again tonight:
On the other side of the ball, Brandon McCarthy is taking the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers. His batted ball numbers from last season aren’t great: For instance, his 12-month hard hit rate of 36.4 percent is the third-worst mark in the slate. On the positive side of his hitting splits, Schmipf has a matchup that he could exploit with a low FantasyLabs projected ownership, which Pro subscribers can review in our DFS Ownership Dashboard shortly after lineups lock.
Miguel Cabrera: 1B, Tigers
Cabrera has been around forever, but he is still just 33 years old and showing no signs of slowing down. Miggy has crushed the ball over the last 12 months with an exit velocity of 94.5 miles per hour and batted ball distance of 231 feet. And he’s in a good spot tonight. With a Park Factor of 65 (the second-highest mark on the night), the Tigers are implied for a slate-high five runs (per our Vegas Dashboard):
Tigers: DFS Scouting Report
The Tigers are taking on James Shields, a subpar pitcher at this point in his career. Last season, he allowed a ridiculous (and slate-high) 2.097 home runs per nine innings to go along with his sad 1.648 WHIP and 6.76 K/9. If you don’t mind being a little chalky with some stacks while using our Lineup Builder to create DFS rosters, then Miggy and the Tigers should be in consideration.
News Updates
After this piece is published, FantasyLabs is likely to provide news updates on a number of players herein mentioned. Be sure to stay ahead of your competition with our industry-leading DFS-focused news blurbs:
