MLB

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on 5/9/18

Jason Schandl  —  @JasonSchandl May 9th, 2018
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Josh Donaldson, 3B, Toronto Blue Jays

Price: $4,000

Even after getting no-hit last night, the Toronto Blue Jays' offense offers plenty of promise on Wednesday, with a decent 4.64 implied total against southpaw Wade LeBlanc and the Seattle Mariners.

LeBlanc has pitched just over 85 innings since the start of the 2017 season, and in that time he has a middling 4.25 xFIP while allowing a 35.4% hard-hit rate to right-handed bats.

He spent most of that time as a relief pitcher, though, and his numbers as a starter are even worse. Extending our view back to 2016 to get a workable sample size, he has faced 166 right-handed hitters as a starter, allowing a 4.75 xFIP and .360 wOBA. To summarize, that's not great, Bob!

It is great for Josh Donaldson, though, as he's off to a slow start to 2018, despite making strong contact (46.7% hard-hit rate) against southpaws. That is in a tiny 24 plate-appearance sample, but going back to 2017, Donaldson has mashed lefties for a .416 wOBA and .361 isolated slugging (ISO) on a 43.0% hard-hit rate. That gives him ample upside against LeBlanc tonight.

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