Manny Machado (BAL) - Manny Machado continues to suffer from significant bad luck with a really low .223 BABIP and .213 batting average. That number is 80 points below his career BABIP average, which makes this current phenomenon even more ridiculous since Machado is hitting the ball at the hardest rate of his career at 41%. That hard hit rate, along with his tendency to pull the ball more this season, is a big reason why he's still hitting home runs at his normal (if not higher) pace. Does the higher pull rate impact his BABIP (and consequently his batting average)? Yes, probably a little, but not the extent that he's down. Look for Machado to start seeing his luck start swinging the other way and Tuesday's matchup looks like a nice place for him to start as he takes on the left-handed Derek Holland. He makes for a very strong daily option with deflated price tags on DraftKings ($4,100) and FanDuel ($3,800).
Lance McCullers (HOU) - Lance McCullers landed on the disabled list on Tuesday with a sore back. McCullers has been so dominant because he combined an elite groundball rate (>60%) with an elite strikeout rate (approaching 30%). That's a rare combination and something that can place his ceiling among the game's elite. The offset to that, of course, is his inability to pitch late into games. Fortunately, the Astros have arguably the best bullpen in baseball, so maintaining a lead isn't usually a huge concern and he usually racks up enough strikeouts to boost his points before exiting. Fortunately, General Manager Jeff Luhnow said he didn't expect it to be a long stay on the disabled list. This may just be a way for the major league leading Astros to give their pitchers a little extra rest.
Mookie Betts (BOS) - Mookie Betts had a big day at the plate, getting 4 hits including 3 doubles with an RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base. It's the 3rd time Betts has had 4 hits in a game this year, but for the most part, Betts has been a huge disappointment this season. His .277/.359/.479 is very strong for most players, but for a player that was drafted 2nd overall in most drafts, it's very disappointing. His 9 home runs aren't necessarily off-track, but the 33 RBIs and 37 runs scored certainly have to be seen as a bad surprise. Nonetheless, enjoy the discount you're getting on Betts in the DFS world right now. Betts is just $4,600 on DraftKings and a really low $3,700 on FanDuel for Tuesday's action against Ben Lively and the Phillies.
Mitch Haniger (SEA) - One day after being activated from the disabled list, Mitch Haniger was back doing what he does best - terrorizing opposing starting pitching. Haniger enjoyed his 8th multi-hit game in just 23 games played on Tuesday night, contributing 6 runs (4 runs scored, 2 RBI) to the Mariners gaudy team total. Haniger has a fantastic plate approach (13.5% walk rate vs 22% strikeout rate) that allows him to see plenty of pitches and work deep into counts. The result is usually a pretty nice pitch to hit, which he definitely takes advantage of with his 92% in-zone contact % and 34% hard hit rate. His gap-to-gap power is well suited for the Mariners' home park, and while he doesn't possess huge homerun power, he's an ideal #2 hitter as a big time doubles hitter.
Rougned Odor (TEX) - Back hitting 7th for the Rangers, Odor hit his second triple of the season on Monday night. Odor has been teasing fantasy owners with solid performances here or there, but he has failed to put together a sustained streak to break out of his near-season long slump. Odor has really struggled with off-speed pitches this season, posting negative hit values against his opponents' sliders, curveballs, and change-ups. That's not to say he's tearing it up against fastballs, either. In fact, his 0.8 wFB/c rating is an incredible 16.3 value drop from 2016. Considering his terrible 41% chase rate and 13% swinging strike rate, it's amazing his strikeout rate is just 23%. Tread carefully here. He's an attractive piece to own as a "buy low", but there aren't many indicators that are turning favorable for him yet.
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