This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We have baseball throughout the day Wednesday, though we're still left with a solid eight games to work with on the evening slate. There will also be plenty of storylines, highlighted by the season debut of Gerrit Cole as well as the return of Bobby Miller. As for hitting, there are several positive environments available, which will be important because it's a slate full of fairly strong pitchers.
Pitching
The pitching market has some potential inefficiencies, as the top-priced pitchers don't necessarily have the best skills. For those who want to pay up for more security, Cole Ragans ($9,800) would be my preferred option. He has a strong 29.1 percent strikeout rate this season and draws a matchup against the A's, a lineup that has struck out at the second-highest clip against right-handed pitching this season.
Garrett Crochet ($9,000) rounds out the top tier of pitchers and would be another option to consider. He has an excellent 35.7 percent strikeout rate, though he is hurt by a tough matchup against Houston and a low likelihood of getting a win.
Jumping down into the middle tiers, Taj Bradley ($8,000) is a good option. The Twins have become a good lineup, but Bradley has excellent strikeout upside to mask surrendering a few earned runs. He has 50 punchouts across 38.1 innings this season and has at least seven strikeouts in four of his seven appearances this season.
Hunter Brown ($7,000) checks in just above punt territory but has quietly been quite good his last several turns through the rotation. Since May 11, he's maintained a 2.41 ERA and 0.93 WHIP to go along with a 47:11 K:BB ratio. He draws the White Sox Wednesday, which only bolsters his case.
It's worth briefly discussing Gerrit Cole ($9,000) and Bobby Miller ($7,600). Cole threw a high of 68 pitches on his rehab assignment and draws a matchup against Baltimore but doesn't come at much of a discount. As for Miller, Coors Field has started to play as a very positive hitting environment of late. He is relatively cheap but with Brown priced inefficiently, taking on Miller as a risk is unnecessary.
Top Hitters
Bradley is a good play due to his ability to draw whiffs, but when he gives up contact, it's loud. That's made clear by a 14.7 percent barrel rate against. Meanwhile, as long as Royce Lewis ($6,100) is in the lineup, he's producing. Carlos Correa ($4,600) has also swung a hot bat of late (.512 average and .744 slugging percentage in his last 10 games) and checks in way cheaper.
Even before his injury, Miller struggled with giving up hard contact and home runs. I want some Rockies in my lineup in his first big-league start since April 10, and Ezequiel Tovar ($5,200) has emerged as one of the team's best hitters while hitting in the top third in the lineup.
Value Bats
Tyler Anderson has been the ultimate "he can't keep getting away with this" pitcher this season. He has no standout skills regarding his ability to miss bats or limit hard contact, so it's unclear exactly how he has a 2.58 ERA. The Brewers have some cheap options to consider, and Joey Ortiz ($3,800) has served as the leadoff hitter against lefties for the last three weeks.
Spencer Horwitz ($3,400) has taken over as the primary leadoff hitter for the Blue Jays. Toronto draws a matchup against Brayan Bello, who has allowed at least four earned runs in each of his last three outings.
Stacks to Consider
Kansas City Royals vs. Oakland Athletics (Luis Medina): Maikel Garcia ($4,800), Bobby Witt ($6,500), Vinnie Pasquantino ($4,600)
Medina has a limited sample in the majors this season and for his career, but his numbers are ugly any way they are split. As for 2024, he's allowed 10 earned runs across his last two starts (he's made only three total) and has only 10 strikeouts as opposed to eight walks. As for the Royals, they're a well above-average lineup against righties this season, and rostering the top of the lineup isn't all that challenging from a cost perspective.
New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles (Cade Povich): Anthony Volpe ($4,700), Juan Soto ($6,200), Giancarlo Stanton ($4,900)
This stack could go terribly wrong, as Povich turned things around in his second start and has considerable prospect pedigree. Nevertheless, I'm willing to bet on the Yankees taking advantage of an inexperienced pitcher at Yankee Stadium. Watch the lineup to see if Aaron Judge returns after being hit in the hand Tuesday.
Also Consider: Dodgers vs. Rockies (Ryan Feltner)
