Josh Bell-Pirates-1B
Josh Bell was 4-4 with a HR (10), 3 R, and 5 RBI against the Cardinals. Bell has been one of the few bright spots in the Pirates offense. He is hitting .319 with 10 HR, 26 R, 26 RBI, and 0 SB. Bell was someone that showed good plate discipline in the minors with a good hit tool. He flashed the power in 2017 but had a disappointing 2018 season. This year he has put both the average and power together in what looks like a true breakout season for the 26-year-old. The underlying skills like what he is doing with an increase fly balls (38%) and hard contact (48%). The strikeouts are up but they are still at a respectable rate (22%) and he still has a good eye (10% BB). The stat that best signifies what he is doing this year is his average exit velocity (94.6 mph) which is fifth best in all of baseball.
Nick Margevicius-Padres-SP
Nick Margevicius went 5 IP and gave up 5 ER on 8 H, 1 BB, and 5 K's against the Rockies. Margevicius had been successful at the big league level so far with a 3.47 ERA and 1.21 WHIP through 36.1 IP. His ER now sits at 4.14 after today's tough start. This was a scenario in which we were waiting for the shoe to drop because his skills did not support his traditional numbers. He doesn't miss many bats (9% SwStr, 17% K) and has an average walk rate (8% BB). Margevicius does not have the pure stuff to dominate hitters so his success would be more believable if he had elite control/command which he does not. He is benefiting from a .262 BABIP which is not going to hold all year which means he is in store for serious regression and his SIERA (4.91) is evidence of that.
Max Fried-Braves-SP
Max Fried went 5 IP and gave up 3 ER on 9 H, 1 BB, and 7 K's against the Diamondbacks. Max Fried has been awesome for the Braves to start the year. He has a 3.25 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. His biggest improvement has been the drop in walks from 14% last year to just 5% this year. Fried has done a much better job of getting ahead of hitters with 67% first-pitch strikes this year compared to 58% last year. The strikeout rate is not great at 21% but if he can continue to limit the walks and get 53% GB that is a profile that works. He's not likely to maintain the sub 3 ERA he had coming into today's game but a mid 3's ERA with a plus WHIP will make him a very valuable starter in today's environment. It as also good to see him pitch well after leaving his previous start after getting hit on the hand.
Jose Martinez-Cardinals-OF
Jose Martinez was 3-5 with a HR (3), 2 R, and 2 RBI against the Pirates. He also had a second home run robbed by OF Bryan Reynolds. Martinez has been playing as a regular in the month of May and this has been a huge boost to his fantasy value. He is hitting .339 with 3 HR, 21 R, 19 RBI, and 1 SB in 128 PA. Martinez is a legitimate .300 hitter and there aren't many left in today's game. The power isn't great but it is serviceable in the 15-20 range over the course of a full season. The other aspect to consider is that he is going to be hitting in the middle of the Cardinals lineup which is a good spot to be with the likes of Paul Goldschmidt and Marcell Ozuna.
Raimel Tapia-Rockies-OF
Raimel Tapia was 3-4 with a HR (5), 2 R, and 2 RBI against the Padres. Tapia is finally getting regular playing time in the month of May which is something that the Rockies had not given him in the past. Tapia has earned it by hitting .313 with 5 HR, 11 R, 18 RBI, and 1 SB in 105 PA. The power is most likely not real considering he's never hit more than 12 HR at any level. He's got enough power to hit go double-double with 10 HR/10 SB with a .280ish AVG over the course of a full season. This has value in today's game and playing half your home games at Coors Field is a big bonus as well.
DraftKings Value Plays: SP Reynaldo Lopez (CWS) $6,800 and C Francisco Cervelli (PIT) $2,800
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