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.
Charlie Blackmon: Outfielder, Rockies
The Rockies are scheduled to play a doubleheader today, and Blackmon has started both games of a doubleheader five straight times over the last three seasons. He’s among the highest-rated hitters in both the Bales and CSURAM88 Player Models, and as mentioned by Matt LaMarca in a previous Three Key Players Blackmon has provided significant value when batting leadoff against right-handed pitchers at Coors Field (per our Trends tool):
Cubs pitcher John Lackey has allowed at least three runs and one home run in five of his six starts this season, and his recent exit velocity of 95 miles per hour is the worst mark in the slate. The Rockies-Cubs night game presently features a 47 percent chance of precipitation, and in the 26 occasions Blackmon has played in a game with comparable chance of precipitation he’s recorded a +6.93 FanDuel Plus/Minus.
Drew Pomeranz: Pitcher, Red Sox
The Brewers have the third-worst strikeout rate against left-handed pitchers this season but the second-best weighted on-base average (wOBA) and fifth-best isolated power (ISO). Their .347 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) against lefties is 90 points above the league average, suggesting that they’ve perhaps been lucky. In fact, the Brewers are the only team in the slate with a projected lineup with more than three hitters to have Recent Batted Ball Luck Scores lower than -50:
Pomeranz possesses many conflicting attributes: His 8.7 K Prediction (the slate’s the second-highest mark) is accompanied with a slate-worst 0.330 opponent wOBA. His 183-foot recent batted ball distance and 53 percent recent ground ball rate are potentially offset by the Brewers’ implied run total of 4.0. Pitchers with similar K Predictions and opponent implied totals have recorded a +3.67 FanDuel Plus/Minus with a 62.5 percent Consistency Rating. In his 14 starts matching this trend, Pomeranz has averaged 36.86 FanDuel points on 7.4 percent ownership.
Trea Turner: Shortstop, Nationals
Turner received a day of rest yesterday, and it’s possible he may still be dealing with a strained hamstring suffered in early April. The most expensive shortstop on DraftKings, Turner has had steady tournament ownership across stakes in his last three games (per our DFS Ownership Dashboard), but his ownership peaked on Sunday with an average of 24.08 percent:
His recent 0-for-13 slump with six strikeouts might drive down his ownership tonight. Ubaldo Jimenez takes the mound for the Orioles, and he’s allowed the most stolen bases in the American League this season. Turner ranks second among players on the slate with 0.398 stolen bases per game. The Nationals-Orioles game will have Laz Diaz as the umpire, and he’s historically provided a +0.3 DraftKings Plus/Minus for hitters and a +1.07 FanDuel Plus/Minus for visiting leadoff hitters.
Good luck, and be sure to read Bryan Mears’ MLB Breakdown later today!
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:
