This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
DraftKings has decided to heavily segment its slates for Thursday while offering a variety of different formats. Those who wish to play along with me should note that we will be focusing on the six-game early slate, which begins at 2:05 p.m. ET.
One hurler in this grouping can be looked upon as the king, with the others being his subjects. This means that finding that cheap secondary option can be the difference between winning and losing.
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PITCHER
David Price, BOS vs. TB ($12,100): Price may not be the most interesting play on the slate, but he may be close to necessary on a short day against the Rays, who finished 2017 as a bottom-five team against lefties according to wOBA. They struck out against southpaws at a 26 percent clip, which was tied with the Brewers for the highest mark in the league. Price made easy work of the Rays in his first start of 2018, firing seven scoreless innings with five strikeouts at Tropicana Field.
GPP Fade: Kyle Gibson, MIN vs. SEA ($8,700): Gibson used his curveball to great effect in his first outing of the season against the Orioles, throwing six no-hit innings and striking out six batters in the contest. That sounds great until we remember that he issued five walks in that game and sports a 512:262 K/BB rate over 736.1 career innings. While he didn't surrender a homer against Baltimore, Gibson has had trouble keeping the ball in the yard during the last two seasons, as evidenced by his 1.3 HR/9 over that span. It may be tempting to look to Gibson due to his dominance to begin the year, but there just doesn't seem to be much room for upside at that price.
Cheap GPP Consideration: Tyler Anderson, COL at SD ($7,900): Anderson is that odd duck who consistently pitches better at Coors Field. While this matchup will be away from home, there is still plenty to like about the 28-year-old against the Padres, as they notched the second-lowest wOBA in the league against lefties last season, while striking out against them at a 25 percent clip. Anderson has had a bit of an issue with homers historically but boasts a 183:58 K/BB ratio over 202.1 career innings. Anderson got tagged for seven runs in just 2.1 innings in his first start this season, which could give us some scarcity on a talented pitcher with a solid matchup.
CATCHER
Chris Iannetta, COL at SD ($3,600):Joey Lucchesi was a strikeout maven in the lower levels of the minor leagues, but I'm not convinced his prowess will translate to stiffer competition. His average fastball velocity for his Opening Day start didn't top 91 mph, contributing to just one punchout in 4.2 innings in his debut against the Brewers. Iannetta was a force against left-handed pitching last season, notching a .263 ISO and a .409 wOBA over 80 at-bats.
FIRST BASE
Hanley Ramirez, BOS vs. TB ($3,900): The Rays will be the first team to throw a bullpen game in 2018, and the first person to take the mound will be Yonny Chirinos, who pitched four scoreless innings against the Red Sox earlier this season. Chirinos is a control artist who doesn't get much in the way of strikeouts, and though he has shown good ERAs on the farm, a bullpen game should be a good opportunity for Ramirez, who has notched a .304/.333/.522 slash line with a home run in five games this season.
SECOND BASE
Scott Kingery, PHI vs. MIA ($3,200): Opposing starter Caleb Smith turned heads in his major-league debut, striking out eight cubs in just 5.1 innings. Much like Gibson, however, a cursory glance at the rookie's peripherals may tell us those numbers are deceiving. Smith has walked 13 batters over just 24 career innings with the Yankees and Marlins, while allowing five homers over that span. Meanwhile, Kingery logged a .608 slugging percentage with Double-A Reading in 2017 and could be someone to test the fellow prospect as he enters a hitter's environment.
THIRD BASE
Matt Davidson, CWS vs. DET ($4,700):Jordan Zimmermann had a strong outing in his season debut against the Pirates but remains someone to be considered a stack target after allowing slugging percentages over .500 to both sides of the platoon in 2017. Davidson has had a lot of hype surrounding him since launching three homers on Opening Day and could find himself in a position to put another ball or two into the stands, as he kept a .242 ISO against right-handed pitching over 302 at-bats in 2017.
SHORTSTOP
Chad Pinder, OAK vs. TEX ($2,900):Martin Perez consistently outperforms his peripherals, but he's still worth testing after logging just a 12.3 percent strikeout rate and allowing a .479 slugging percentage against righties in 2017. Pinder is off to a nice start this season after keeping a 10.2 percent walk rate and .165 ISO against lefties over 85 at-bats last year.
OUTFIELD
Nick Castellanos, DET at CWS ($4,900): Opposing starter James Shields is a primary target for lefties, but we can also look to exploit his matchups with same-handed hitters, as he allowed 10 homers in 62.2 innings against righties in 2017, while yielding a 34 percent hard-contact rate over that span. Castellanos performed better against lefties last season but still notched a .193 ISO against right-handers over 477 at-bats.
Cameron Maybin, MIA at PHI ($2,700): Maybin isn't considered much of a DFS option these days but did log a .165 ISO and a 13 percent walk rate against his fellow righties in 2017. This makes him a nice potential value play against opposing starter Nick Pivetta, who allowed a .605 slugging percentage against righties while walking 27 batters over 67 innings last season.
Mitch Haniger, SEA at MIN ($3,400): Haniger played in just 96 games in 2017 due to various injuries but was productive against right-handed pitchers during his time on the field, notching a .213 ISO and a .375 wOBA over 277 at-bats. We mentioned Gibson's issues above but can narrow that focus to mention he finished 2017 with a 1.70 HR/9 rate against righty hitters.
