Mike Moustakas (3B, KC) - The Royals will face James Shields on Saturday at Guaranteed Rate Field, where he owns a 6.46 ERA. Shields also allows lefties to hit him at a .317 clip, and 12 of his 17 HR allowed have come to lefties as well. Combine the fact that Moustakas has hit 24 home runs against righties and is 3 for 7 against Shields, and he is clearly the guy you want at the hot corner in DFS Saturday. Sure, he is the most expensive 3B on the slate at $4200, but if you pivot off the higher priced pitchers, he should be easy to squeeze in.
Mike Clevenger (SP, CLE) - In Game two of the series, Clevenger will square off against Chris Archer and a Rays offense that is hitting .252 at home. If you have been paying attention, you know that the Rays offense also strikes out A LOT, and are second in all of baseball behind the Brewers in that category. Clevenger has hit a rough patch recently, which could help force his ownership % down a bit. Despite is late poor performance, he still owns a road ERA of 3.10, and is 4-2 on the road as well. At $7700, he makes for a cheaper option to fit in some big bats on Saturday's slate.
Cole Hamels (SP, TEX) - Hamels was able to collect the win Friday as the Rangers bested the Astros 6-4 at Globe Life Park. Hamels made it seven innings, allowing zero earned runs, on three hits while striking out five and walking two. On the year, Hamels' record sits at 7-1 with a 3.31 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. Despite the ups and downs, it has been an overall solid season for Hamels, as he is in his age 32 season. With the overall numbers being good, Hamels has seen the strikeouts dip to a career low of 5.59 K/9, as well as a strand rate of 70.6%, which is a 6% decrease from his career mark. He has been able to limit the home runs, and has an 11.5% HR/FB rate, which is right on his career high. He is currently sitting around the top 60 starting pitchers, and makes for a nice middle of your rotation target in 2018 drafts, but it appears his Cy Young contender days could be over.
Marcus Stroman (SP, TOR) - Despite tossing a solid outing Friday, Stroman did not figure into the decision, as the Blue Jays fell to the Pirates 4-2. Stroman went eight innings, allowing zero earned runs, on four hits while striking out four and walking just one. The outing lowered his ERA to 3.00, and his WHIP to 1.29. The 26-year-old has struck out 124 batters in 153 innings this season, and is currently performing as a top 25 option in 2017. The metrics show Stroman is doing a lot of things right. He is allowing less than a home run per nine innings, as well as stranding 79% of base runners. FIP shows he is able to get batters out himself, and with the xFIP of 3.61, he figures to be more consistent. With his smaller stature, there will always be durability concerns, but Stroman has done his best to quiet those concerns so far in 2017, and will be one of the top 25 starters off the board in 2018.
George Springer (OF, HOU) - In his third game back from the DL, Springer picked back up with his power display as he hit his 28th home run of the season in the 6-4 loss to the Rangers Friday. On the year, Springer is slashing .308/.383/.587, with 68 RBI. He is currently on pace for 39 home runs and 96 RBI, and ranks as a top ten outfielder thus far in 2017. While the speed has not translated to the major league level, Springer has made owners forget about the lack of steals with some solid hitting. He is currently posting a hefty 3.8 WAR, which is a result of his .332 BABIP, and .402 wOBA. The home run total is a result of a 38.4% hard contact rate, and a .274 ISO. Springer will be one of the first outfielders off the board in 2018 as he seems to be hitting his prime.
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