This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A somewhat smaller 10-game slate awaits Tuesday evening, with a 7:10 p.m. EDT start time. It's particularly top heavy on pitching, so finding value there while attacking offenses successfully will go a long way towards cashing. Our "top target" bats are all surging, and aren't traditional names, so this slate seems to have some volatility.
Pitching
Shane Bieber, CLE vs. MIN ($12,000): The salary here clearly shows Bieber has been the best pitcher in baseball, coming in with a 37 FDP floor while delivering at least 51 points five times. The matchup isn't ideal against a potent Twins lineup, but they do fan 24.8 percent of the time. Budget concerns are really the only reason to fade.
Gerrit Cole, NYY at ATL ($11,000): At $1k in savings, Cole has appeal. He's had a similar floor to Bieber, but not quite as high a ceiling. He does face an Atlanta squad that fans 25.6 percent of the time against righties. They also rank third with a .352 wOBA, so maybe that will scare off some and leads to lower usage. Atlanta is also welcoming back Ronald Acuna from a wrist injury. Similar to Bieber, the ultimate decision to use Cole here will come down to allocation of funds.
Lucas Giolito, CWS vs PIT ($10,400): I wouldn't normally start a column with the slate's three most expensive arms, but given the heat above Giolito and this matchup, it seems necessary. Gioliot is coming off a 70 FDP outing against Detroit in which he fanned 13 over seven frames. He's been worth 40 FDP or more in four of his last five, and gets a Pirates side that is simply awful, owning a league-low .257 wOBA and .116 ISO. He'll be a very popular option Tuesday.
Luis Castillo, CIN at MIL ($9,100): Castillo has been hurt by bad luck, as he comes in with a .403 BABIP but an encouraging 2.04 FIP and 12.3 K/9 rate. Facing a Brewers side that fans 27.2 percent of the time while boasting a minimal .138 ISO and 66 wRC+ against righties, there appears to be a lot of upside here.
Sean Manaea, OAK at TEX ($6,600): Manaea appears to be righting himself, having allowed only three runs and eight hits over his last 10.1 frames after struggling in four starts prior. Those outings yielded a total of 55 FDP, and if he maintains that pace here, he would return better than 4x value. The Rangers have a targetable 25.9 percent K rate against lefties and only a 66 wRC+ and .148 ISO.
Top Targets
Tim Anderson, CWS vs. PIT ($4,000): The White Sox bats are white hot, and while Jose Abreu's homer streak is the chalky play, Anderson comes in at the same salary and (albeit unsustainable) terrific success against lefties, carrying an obscene .917 ISO, .833 wOBA, 454 wRC+ and 81.0 percent hard-hit rate.
Cody Bellinger, LAD at SFG ($4,200): This truthfully is just a name drop on a hot bat that has struggled prior to the past week. Bellinger has homered in four of his last five outings. That's almost it; that's the appeal. He's 6-of-17 (.353) against Johnny Cueto, too small of a sample size for us to trust. The play is purely that the reigning NL MVP is rounding into form.
Luke Voit, NYY at ATL ($4,100): In skimming the list of top bats, Voit seemed like a clear outlier, but it's impossible to deny his current form. He's homered five times in his last four games and carries a nine-game hitting streak into Tuesday, having collected multiple hits in four of those contests. Atlanta hasn't made their pitching plans known as of Monday evening, but rumors suggest Ian Anderson will make his debut, which seems inopportune for him and opportune for the Yankees' offense. The ball has been carrying well at Truist Park of late too, hopefully reinforcing Voit's .328 ISO against righties.
Value Bats
Jose Ramirez, CLE vs. MIN ($3,600): This is just a weird price point for Ramirez; he's struggling to find some power production but is still swinging well overall, resulting in a .428 wOBA and 171 wRC+. Maybe he's more of a cash game top target than a value bat in any format, but getting Ramirez at somewhere near a $400 discount seems ideal.
Wilmer Flores, SFG vs. LAD ($3,000): Flores brings a .476 wOBA and .500 ISO against lefties into Tuesday, and while he's hitless in his last two, that is preceded by a three-game homer streak. Dodgers' starter Julio Urias hasn't been awful and he's had a short leash, potentially giving Flores fewer opportunities than usual with the platoon advantage, but even if he only gets two kicks at the can against Urias, the trends suggest success.
Raimel Tapia, COL at ARI ($2,300): This will require some patience to see the Rockies lineup, but Tapia has been getting regular playing time, and would be a lock if Charlie Blackmon is unfit following Monday's scratch. Tapia has surprisingly posted a .551 wOBA and 239 wRC+ against same-handed arms, and D'Backs starter Alex Young has been victimized more by lefties, allowing a .389 wOBA.
Stacks to Consider
Cardinals vs. Matt Harvey: Paul Goldschmidt ($3,700), Kolten Wong ($2,700), Brad Miller ($3,100)
Harvey just isn't a capable MLB arm at this point in his career. He's allowed a 6.35 FIP or greater in two of his last three seasons, and that number stands at 11.14 after his first start. The Cardinals don't have a ton of power, but that can lend itself to value, particularly atop the order. Goldschmidt can anchor here, as his .433 wOBA and 178 wRC+ ISO suggest. Wong and Miller bring opposite-handed bats to the equation from the top portion of the order, with Wong having hit safely in seven straight and Miller bringing a .416 wOBA and 167 wRC+ to the table.
White Sox vs. Steven Brault: Anderson, Yoan Moncada ($3,400), Eloy Jimenez ($3,400), Yasmani Grandal ($2,900)
The White Sox as a team boast a .412 wOBA, .314 ISO and 47.7 percent hard hit rate against lefties, so it's fair to target nearly all of their bats, and there's value to be found even if you avoid paying up for Abreu and/or Anderson as noted above. All three of these less expensive choices have at least a .383 wOBA, 147 wRC+ and .235 ISO, so it truly is pick your poison, so long as they don't pelt Brault so much he's forced out early.
