This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Each of The League Championship Series have certainly delivered, as both the ALCS and NLCS will come down to Game 7 matchups. On Monday, the Rangers punched their ticket to the World Series, and the Phillies and Diamondbacks have the chance to do the same Tuesday. We have a showdown slate to work with.
As a very brief explanation for those new to showdown slates, there are no position designations. Instead, managers have $50,000 to fill six roster spots ($8,333 per spot). One of those slots is a "Captain", who scores 1.5X points and also has their cost increase.
Pitchers
Given the way the schedule fell, we perhaps have an underwhelming pitching matchup as Ranger Suarez ($17,100 Captain/$11,400 UTIL) will square off against Brandon Pfaadt ($16,500/$11,000). Suarez has been excellent in the postseason, allowing only one earned run across 14 innings while maintaining a 13:2 K:BB. The primary downside has been his lack of working deep into the game, as he's completed no more than 5.1 innings in any of his three postseason outings.
Pfaadt has had something of a mini breakout this postseason, with his best performance coming in Game 3 of the NLCS, delivering 5.2 scoreless innings with nine strikeouts and no walks. Like Suarez, he's failed to work deep into games, as he combined to cover only seven innings across his other two outings.
While each of these pitchers has performed admirably, it's tough to invest in them in the captain slot given the decent possibility that they'll have a quick hook. Adding in the top price tags is another consideration. If I were to roster one, it would be Suarez due to his more proven ability to keep the ball in the yard. Pfadt has value because he's likely to be rostered at a minimal rate, and he has illustrated the potential to deliver big games.
Hitters
Potentially fading both pitchers – or at a minimum keeping them out of the captain slot – will open up salary for hitters. Pfaadt allowed 2.1 HR/9 in 96 innings during the regular season, so the Phillies are the starting point. He struggled more against lefties overall, making Kyle Schwarber ($13,500/$9,000) and Bryce Harper ($14,400/$9,600) worthy captain considerations. Getting both in the lineup (one as captain) is possible for those who fade pitching altogether. I've become a broken record, but Bryson Stott ($7,600) is a decent value given his spot in the order, and Brandon Marsh ($5,800) is a punt option if needed.
As we saw Monday night, no matter what the matchup looks like on paper, we have to consider alternative outcomes. Christian Walker ($12,300/$8,200) isn't having a great postseason, but he racked up a .319 ISO against lefties this season. If I were building through the Diamondbacks, he'd likely be the choice. The other star-level player that should be considered is Ketel Marte ($12,600/$8,400). He gets there a different way than Walker, but he maintained a .377 wOBA against southpaws during the regular season and has been excellent throughout the postseason.
The other draw of the Diamondbacks is that they have several intriguing cheap pieces, though using the Phillies big bats and filling in the roster with cheap Arizona bats will likely be very chalky. For those going that route, Gabriel Moreno ($6,800), Lourdes Gurriel ($6,000) and Evan Longoria ($5,000) are all sensible.
