MLB

4 Daily Fantasy Baseball Value Plays for Thursday 6/10/21

Randal Grichuk stands out as a top value play on Thursday. Which other low-salaried players should we target?

With production being highly variable on a night-to-night basis, daily fantasy baseball plays a bit differently than other sports.

An 0-for-4 dud from a chalky high-salaried slugger is a lot more common than a total dud from a top-salaried NBA player or even than a stinker from a top quarterback or running back.

That means that it's not uncommon for value plays to end up doing the heavy lifting in carrying your lineup. The fact that they can be the difference between a good and a great lineup isn't much different than other sports, but value plays being able to make up for a whiff on a high-salaried play completely is somewhat unique.

Let's get right into it and take a look at the top value options on today's six-game main slate, which locks at 7:05 PM Eastern.

Anthony DeSclafani, SP, San Francisco Giants ($7,000)

To be frank, passing up on Max Scherzer ($11,000) or Trevor Rogers ($10,100) is probably not the best idea on this small slate, but if you are inclined to do so, Anthony DeSclafani might just be your best bet, especially in tournaments.

The veteran right-hander has decent enough surface numbers this season, as he sports a 5-2 record and 3.51 ERA. Things aren't quite as pretty when you look under the hood, as his 21.4% strikeout rate and 4.19 SIERA are far from amazing, but they're not terrible either, and his 3.62 xERA is encouraging.

DeSclafani's been the victim of some brutal matchups this season, as he's gone up twice against the Los Angeles Dodgers and three times versus the San Diego Padres already this campaign. However, in his six matchups versus teams that are below league average in wRC+ against righties, the 31-year-old has posted a 1.50 ERA through 36 innings to go with 35 strikeouts and four quality starts. Tonight, he faces a Washington Nationals team that ranks fifth-worst in the league with an 85 wRC+ against right-handed pitchers this season, per FanGraphs.

Gary Sanchez, C, New York Yankees ($2,700)

According to numberFire's Matchup Heat Map, the New York Yankees' 5.8 implied run total tonight is far higher than any other team on the slate.

New York will be matched up with veteran southpaw J.A. Happ, who simply hasn't been very effective this season. Through 51.1 innings, Happ's strikeout rate is just at 16.8%, and his 5.61 ERA is backed up by a 5.04 SIERA and 5.43 xFIP. The 38-year-old has also ceded 1.4 dongs per nine innings, which doesn't bode well against an offense like this.

While most of the Yankees' top bats are pricey, Gary Sanchez is fairly affordable and should benefit from this matchup. For his career, Sanchez possesses a .282 ISO against opposite-handed pitchers.

Alex Kiriloff, OF, Minnesota Twins ($2,400)

Aside from the Yankees, the only other team with an implied run total over five are the Minnesota Twins, who currently sit at 5.20.

The Twins will be squaring off against Michael King, who has struggled against left-handed hitters in his young career. Lefties have averaged 1.61 homers per nine innings versus King thus far, and they've been getting on base at a .347 clip against him.

That brings us to Alex Kirilloff. Since starting his career with an 0-14 slump, Kiriloff has posted a .292 average and .330 on-base percentage over his last 25 games. He's been especially scorching at home, as he's hitting .386 with a 1.212 OPS over his last 48 plate appearances at Target Field.

Randal Grichuk, OF, Toronto Blue Jays ($2,700)

Toeing the rubber for the Chicago White Sox will be lefty Dallas Keuchel, who has proven to be plenty hittable at this stage of his career.

So far in 2021, Keuchel's strikeout rate sits at a measly 12.0%, and his 4.25 ERA pales in comparison to his 6.18 xERA. The 33-year-old is also surrendering 1.23 dingers per nine innings.

The Toronto Blue Jays are stackable top to bottom, but one economical play that stands out is Randal Grichuk. In 120 trips to the dish against southpaws since the start of 2020, Grichuk has garnered a .345 average, 1.005 OPS, .293 ISO, and 171 wRC+. That'll play.