MLB

5 MLB FanDuel Value Plays for Opening Day

Jason Schandl  —  @JasonSchandl Mar 28th, 2018
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Lucas Duda, 1B, Kansas City Royals

Price: $2,500

The Kansas City Royals boasts Opening Day's second-highest implied total, at 5.24 runs. This is thanks largely to the fact that they kick off the year with a great matchup against the Chicago White Sox and right-hander James Shields.

Of the 30 pitchers in action on Thursday, Shields ranked bottom-five with a 4.94 SIERA in 2017. He also allowed the highest walk rate (10.3%) and a top-10 hard-hit rate (33.3%). The 36-year-old had an especially tough time with left-handed bats, getting clobbered for a .388 wOBA and 5.97 xFIP.

Lucas Duda bounced back from a weak 2016 campaign with a .341 wOBA and .279 isolated slugging in 2017, managing a career-high 42.1% hard-hit rate. His numbers get even more promising if we look only at his work against righties as well, with just a 12.8% soft-hit rate, a 43.2% hard-hit rate, and a 49.3% fly-ball rate, which he turned into a .360 wOBA and .298 isolated slugging over a significant 380-plate-appearance sample.

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