Friday's First Baseman/DH Value Rankings
Here are theScore's first baseman/DH value rankings for Friday, May 6 (all stats exclude Thursday's games):
Value Rankings
C | 1B/DH | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | SP
Top Options
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Carlos Santana (CLE) | vs. KC | 9 |
| Miguel Cabrera (DET) | vs. TEX | 9 |
| Brandon Belt (SF) | vs. COL | 9 |
| Jose Abreu (CWS) | vs. MIN | 9 |
| Joe Mauer (MIN) | at CWS | 8 |
| Eric Hosmer (KC) | at CLE | 8 |
| David Ortiz (BOS) | at NYY | 8 |
Santana matches up very well against Royals' erratic flame-thrower Yordano Ventura. Santana, an extremely patient hitter, hits the fastball very well. He has a 4.6 wins above average when facing the fastball (wFB) this season, and two years ago his 24.6 wFB was the fifth best in all of baseball. Ventura relies heavily on the heater and has already surrendered 20 walks in 27 innings.
Cabrera is one of the most dangerous hitters of all time when he's seeing the ball well. It seems like he will drive any pitch on the outer half to the gap in right-center, and anything inside he'll pull out of the park. Right now he's in one of those zones. He has a .405 OBP in his last 10 games with three home runs.
Mauer and Hosmer don't have the raw home run power that many first baseman do, and their DFS price takes a hit because of it. What they do well is hit for a high batting average and get on base. This makes both of them excellent cash game options.
Mid-Tier Targets
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Joey Votto (CIN) | vs. MIL | 7 |
| Victor Martinez (DET) | vs. TEX | 7 |
| Byung Ho Park (MIN) | at CWS | 7 |
| Mark Reynolds (COL) | at SF | 7 |
| Jerry Sands (CWS) | vs. MIN | 6 |
| Chris Carter (MIL) | at CIN | 6 |
| Paul Goldschmidt (ARI) | at ATL | 6 |
| Edwin Encarnacion (TOR) | vs. LAD | 6 |
| Justin Smoak (TOR) | vs. LAD | 6 |
| Adrian Gonzalez (LAD) | at TOR | 6 |
| John Jaso (PHI) | at STL | 6 |
| C.J. Cron (LAA) | vs. TB | 6 |
| Darin Ruf (PHI) | at MIA | 5 |
| Hanley Ramirez (BOS) | at NYY | 5 |
| Albert Pujols (LAA) | vs. TB | 5 |
| Logan Morrison (TB) | at LAA | 5 |
| Wil Myers (SD) | vs. NYM | 5 |
Martinez, a switch hitter, has been a slightly more productive hitter from the right side than the left. This should give him the upper hand on Friday, even though he'll be facing a tough lefty in Cole Hamels. V-Mart has an OBP of .500 in his last 10 games to go along with three home runs.
Ruf is an intriguing GPP option. He has a career slash line of .300/.385/.549 against left-handers, but his price has spiked as a result. Nonetheless, his 16 homers in 253 at-bats against southpaws can't be overlooked. Marlins LHP Wei-Yin Chen has been solid, yet unspectacular this season.
Nothing to See Here
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Prince Fielder (TEX) | at DET | 3 |
| Lucas Duda (NYM) | at SD | 3 |
| Chris Davis (BAL) | vs. OAK | 3 |
| Mark Teixeira (NYY) | vs. BOS | 3 |
| Freddie Freeman (ATL) | vs. ARI | 3 |
| Yonder Alonso (OAK) | at BAL | 3 |
| Billy Butler (OAK) | at BAL | 3 |
| Adam Lind (SEA) | at HOU | 2 |
| Kendrys Morales (KC) | at CLE | 2 |
| Mark Canha (OAK) | at BAL | 2 |
| Tyler White (HOU) | vs. SEA | 1 |
Davis has a career OBP of just .292 against lefties, compared to a .346 OBP vs. righties. Davis is prone to striking out, making him a strong fade against Oakland's LHP Rich Hill. After struggling to hold onto a big league job for most of his career, Hill has reinvented himself as a strikeout pitcher. The 36-year-old has a 2.53 ERA and has struck out 41 batters in 32 innings this season.
Alonso, Butler and Canha have all received significant price bumps on most DFS sites because of the matchup in Baltimore against the struggling Ubaldo Jimenez. However, it's an unwarranted price increase, as the trio is a combined 28-for-158 (.177 batting average) this season.
HEADLINES
- Jokic's 42-point night helps Nuggets steal Game 1 from Thunder
- Maple Leafs' Stolarz injured after collision with Panthers' Bennett
- What's next: Where the West's 1st-round outs go from here
- Nylander scores a pair as Maple Leafs beat Panthers in Game 1
- Padres' Shildt tossed after expletive-laden exchange with umpire