This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Perhaps casual baseball fans aren't enthused by the World Series matchup, but Game 1 certainly delivered from a drama perspective. Corey Seager blasted a game-tying two-run homer in the ninth inning before Adolis Garcia went yard in the 11th to give the Rangers a walk-off win. Texas protected home-field advantage in the opener and will look to do the same Saturday.
As a very brief explanation for those new to showdown slates, there are no position designations. Instead, managers have $50,000 to fill six roster spots ($8,333 per spot). One of those slots is a "Captain", who scores 1.5X points and also has their cost increase.
Pitchers
We'll begin with Merrill Kelly ($16,800 Captain/$11,200 Util), as he's the highest-salaried player. His profile has moved in extremes in the playoffs relative to his regular-season marks. For example, his K% is 28.4 percent but his walk rate has ballooned to 11.9 and his home rate to 1.6 HR/9. That last number is heavily influenced by a three-homer performance against the Phillies in the NLCS, so that can largely be ignored. Kelly's inflated walk rate introduces more risk, but overall he's delivered over 25 DK points in two of his three starts this postseason. The other risk is that he was significantly worse on the road.
On the opposite end of the matchup is Jordan Montgomery ($16,500/$11,000). He's produced a very depressed strikeout rate (15.6 percent) in the postseason, so despite limiting mistakes better than Kelly, he's been less valuable from a fantasy perspective by only registering 9.8 and 9.5 DK points from his last two appearances - and another start with -1.
Hitters
Kelly doesn't have significant splits by handedness, but as was noted he was considerably less productive on the road. Corey Seager ($14,400/$9,600) is the obvious place to start, and he's a viable captain given the risk associated with the pitching options. Based primarily on his success on the postseason, Adolis Garcia ($14,100/$9,400) is the other potential star to build around. But given the proximity of his salary to Seager's, he's a less desirable option. Potential bargains for the Rangers include Mitch Garver ($10,500/$7,000), who maintained a. 267 ISO against righties – good for second on the team. He's also regularly batted fifth in the lineup during the playoffs. Leody Taveras ($8,700/$5,800) is in punt play territory, though he's an intriguing option given the salary he'd free up elsewhere for a star hitter or pitcher in the captain slot. Given his .329 wOBA and .174 ISO against righties in the regular season, you could do worse at that value.
The Diamondbacks haven't done all that much differently with their lineup with lefties on the mound, with the exception of Alek Thomas being out of the lineup. The star against southpaws should be Christian Walker ($12,600/$8,400) given his stats against them during the regular season when he posted a .381 wOBA and .319 ISO. The problem is that he's been ice cold of late hitting only .179 with a .333 SLG and .154 ISO. He's a nice option based on track record and falling salary. Ketel Marte ($13,500/$9,000) is less of a power threat, yet he regularly gets on base and has enjoyed a a strong postseason. While not quite in the territory of punt plays, Gabriel Moreno ($10,800/$7,200) and Lourdes Gurriel ($9,900/$6,600) will serve as salary savers. Evan Longoria ($7,500/$5,000) is the true punt play given his .202 ISO with the handedness advantage.
Conclusion
The three players I'd consider for captain are Seager, Garcia and Kelly.
The best punt play is Longoria. Rostering both Longoria and Taveras opens the path to a build that includes both Seager and Kelly or Seager and Garcia.
