TGIF! Happy Friday and this evening presents a 13-game slate for us to dissect! Robbie Ray, Carlos Rodón, Framber Valdez and Shohei Ohtani will cost you a pretty penny, as will all the Toronto bats in Camden Yards. Below, I point out my eight favorite value bats of the day that can be used in cash games, GPPs, or maybe even both! Keep on reading to enjoy the goodness that is the Value Vault and use this to help round out your lineup after your core plays are locked and loaded!
Without further ado…
All Sites
Harold Castro, 2B DET ($2,200 FD/$2,600 DK/$10 Yahoo) - Michael Wacha has allowed a .283 batting average and .352 wOBA to left-handed hitters this year, and Castro has put up a .297 batting average against righties. Castro is hitting .417 thus far in September, and for the 2021 season as a whole, he’s sporting a .271 batting average at home. UPDATE: Castro is not starting tonight for Detroit.
Harrison Bader, OF STL ($2,500 FD/$3,000 DK/$7 Yahoo) - Tyler Mahle has reverse splits, so when targeting him, you want to look at right-handed bats. Bader hasn’t exactly set the world on fire against right-handers, hitting .247 against them with a .719 OPS, but what he does have is substantial success against this particular right-hander. Bader is 3-for-7 with two home runs in his career against Mahle, good for a .429 batting average. Mahle has been much better on the road this year than at home, I’ll give him that, but the St. Louis lineup can pack a punch, and he has allowed 22 home runs on the year.
Yahoo!
Mitch Haniger, OF SEA ($14) - In six at-bats against Madison Bumgarner, Haniger has three hits, one of which was a home run and two RBI. Haniger has an .850 OPS against southpaws in 2021, and over the past week, Haniger is hitting .308 with an .823 OPS. He’s sporting a .417 batting average against Arizona pitching in 2021, not to mention a .563 on-base percentage and 1.229 OPS. I love this price point on Yahoo tonight, and will be looking to roster him everywhere.
Yadier Molina, C STL ($9) - On Yahoo, where you have to play a catcher, if you aren’t interested in Carson Kelly, Yadier Molina is a great option. Yes, Mahle has been good on the road, as explained above, but Molina is a right-hander, and he’s hitting .278 with a 1.048 OPS over the past week. Oh, Molina is also 9-for-20 with two home runs and five RBI in his career against Mahle.
FanDuel
Jonathan Villar, 2B/3B/SS NYM ($2,900) - Jordan Montgomery in his home park has been solid this year, but he’s been a bit more generous on the road this year, posting a 3.65 ERA (3.25 ERA at home), and an opponent batting average that is 15 points higher on the road (.243) than at home (.228). Villar has a .275 batting average against southpaws in 2021 and he’s sporting a 1.099 OPS over the last two weeks.
Carson Kelly, C ARI ($2,700) - Kelly is 1-for-3 with a home run in his career against Marco Gonzalez, who has allowed a .268 batting average and .371 wOBA to right-handed hitters. On the other hand, Kelly has a .323 batting average and 1.068 OPS against southpaws in 2021, and an .899 OPS on the road. Kelly is my favorite value catcher of the evening, with Molina being a close second.
DraftKings
Edward Olivares, OF KC ($2,300) - Olivares has homered once in two official at-bats against Minnesota’s Griffin Jax and he could add to that ledger today. Olivares has a .786 OPS against righties this year, with a total of four home runs in just 52 at-bats. He may only be hitting .250 thus far in the month, but I love the upside with Olivares’ powerful bat against Jax and his 2.62 HR/9 in the 2021 season. UPDATE: Olivares isn’t starting. Look to Aquino or Bader.
Aristides Aquino, OF CIN ($2,600) - Aquino may only be 1-for-8 in his career against Jon Lester, but Aquino has an .834 OPS against southpaws this year, to go along with a .231 batting average. There’s plenty of pop in Aquino’s bat and at this price on DraftKings, I’ll slide him in a few lineups. Aquino does have three hits in his last six at-bats, and if he’s in the starting lineup tonight, he’s a boom-or-bust GPP play.