This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
We have data! One game's worth of data! Okay, there is little to take from the first game of the Tokyo Series, but we go from that to the second game between the Dodgers and Cubs over in Japan. You get another shot at single-game DFS contests this week, and then there's a brief break until the 2025 MLB season begins with real gusto.
Over at FanDuel you get $35,000 in salary for five players. One is your MVP, who nets double points. Then, you have your Star, who earns you 1.5 times the points. In terms of making deductions, not only has there been only one game this season, but this pitching matchup sees Justin Steele going up against Roki Sasaki. This will be Sasaki's much-anticipated MLB debut, but of course that means we have seen him pitch in zero competitive MLB games. Nevertheless, I have a lineup that looked good to me. Oh, and the game starts at 6:10 a.m. ET again, so get your lineups in before you go to bed!
MVP
Teoscar Hernandez, LAD vs. CHC ($8,500): Hernandez was my MVP on Tuesday, and he picked up a hit, a walk, a run and an RBI. That's not remarkable, but there were a total of 10 hits and four RBI picked up in the game, so it's not like it was a barnburner. Steele is a very good pitcher, and particularly he is good at preventing home runs. He's also a southpaw who held lefties under the Mendoza Line last year, so I wanted a righty who can hit for average from the Dodgers. Since 2022, Hernandez has hit .288 against lefties, and you can lock him in for right around 30 doubles every season. Even if the ball stays in the park, the former Blue Jay can do damage.
STAR
Kyle Tucker, CHC vs. LAD ($9,000): Cast your mind back to this time last year. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, one of the most-hyped overseas pitchers in history, was taking the mound for his MLB debut. The Padres tuned him up for five runs in a single inning of action. Now, that is not to presuppose Sasaki is in trouble, but let's not assume he's primed to take the league by storm from day one. Tucker's Cubs debut was unremarkable, but his track record has earned an abundance of confidence. Since 2022 he's slashed .281/.378/.523 against right-handed pitchers, and he's been in the 30 homer, 25-to-30 stolen base range his last two full seasons.
UTILITY
Tommy Edman, LAD vs. CHC ($6,500): Edman's 1.299 OPS against lefties last year comes with a huge asterisk, as it was in all of 36 plate appearances. His impressive playoff performance for the Dodgers was also a limited sample size. That being said, since 2022 he has an .811 OPS against lefties, and Steele is a lefty. The switch-hitter is much worse against right handers, but a couple at-bats against a southpaw may be all Edman needs.
Pete Crow-Armstrong, CHC vs. LAD ($5,500): I wanted to roster Crow-Armstrong for one, simple reason: speed. The guy had six triples and 27 stolen bases in 123 games last year, and he was only caught stealing twice. His ability to do damage with his legs has always been his calling card. If he gets a hit Wednesday, he has as good of a chance of swiping a bag as anybody. Crow-Armstrong has the chance to take an extra base off of a hit. That's worth taking a gamble on in a single-game scenario like this.
Andy Pages, LAD vs. CHC ($5,000): On Tuesday, I started with Hernandez and ended with Pages, and I see no reason not to do that again. I'm surprised that Pages drew two walks in the opener, but young hitters often learn patience. Why I like him is that he's a low-salary player effectively locked into the starting lineup (even if he's batting ninth) against a left-handed pitcher. As a rookie Pages had a .917 save percentage against southpaws, and that kind of production, even in a single-season split, is not easy to find at this salary level.
