MLB

3 Under-the-Radar MLB FanDuel Plays for 9/20/18

Kenyatta Storin  —  @KenyattaStorin Sep 20th, 2018
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J.D. Martinez, OF, Boston Red Sox

FanDuel Price: $4,300

On paper, the Boston Red Sox draw an unfavorable matchup against Masahiro Tanaka, who has a 3.46 SIERA, 25.6% strikeout rate, and 5.7% walk rate. But Tanaka isn't exactly known for his consistency, and home runs have haunted him his whole career. This year has been more of the same, with a 17.3% home-run-to-fly-ball rate and 1.40 home runs allowed per nine innings. Plus, it's not like the confines of Yankee Stadium with help his cause, either.

Therefore, rostering a guy like J.D. Martinez at low-ownership could be a shrewd move on a short slate. Martinez trails only Khris Davis for the league lead in home runs with 41, and he's put up a fantastic 44.6% hard-hit rate, .428 wOBA, and .300 ISO this season. This is also the cheapest we've seen Martinez in a while as his salary is often at or around the $5,000 mark.

Even if Tanaka has a solid performance, it wouldn't be shocking to Boston hit a few jacks, and Martinez is the right man for the job.

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