This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We have a nine-game slate Wednesday, a decent number of options given that plenty of teams will be on or heading into travel days. It's also a fairly solid pitching day, so roster rates are likely to condense around pitchers with the obvious flows. Keep that in mind while building teams.
Pitchers
Shane McClanahan ($10,400) and Corbin Burnes ($10,200) top the pitching market from both a skills and price perspective. McClanahan has been the better of the two by nearly half of a run of SIERA, but both have strikeout rates above 30 percent. The downside to both is the matchup -- McClanahan gets the Yankees and Burnes the Mets – but the skills are good enough to overlook opponent if you're comfortable paying up at pitcher.
Jose Berrios ($8,900) takes on the Orioles, and presents a contrasting case to the aces. Berrios boasts mediocre skills but takes on a team that strikes out at the seventh-highest clip and boasts the eighth-worst wOBA in the league.
Spencer Strider ($7,700) isn't quite in punt range but he provides the most obvious upside from the lower tier of pitching. He is very comparable to Burnes and McClanahan with his strikeout rate and SIERA. It is worth noting that the Nationals are a decent lineup, posting a mediocre wOBA and striking out at the second-lowest rate in the league.
Top Hitters
For the second consecutive night, Boston hitters are in a really good spot. James Kaprielian has served up 2.2 HR/9 and has the lowest strikeout rate in the player pool. Rafael Devers ($5,600) is one of the best hitters to build around on the slate.
Toronto also gets a matchup to exploit against Bruce Zimmermann, while also hitting in one of the best parks for homers and offense, in general, this season. Teoscar Hernandez ($4,800) hasn't had a true breakout recently, but he's shown signs of life at the plate and also adds a bit of value as compared to his teammates.
Caleb Kilian has been impressive in his short big-league stint, but his overall inexperience will still lead to some mistakes. Because of that, I like Manny Machado ($5.700) as a solid bat to build around.
Value Hitters
Christian Bethancourt ($3,300) has been hitting the ball very well of late. He still remains cheap and will draw a matchup against Josh Winckowski, who is making only the second big-league start of his career.
Oscar Gonzalez ($2,800) is priced cheaply considering his role as the Guardians' cleanup hitter. That's only exaggerated further with a series in Coors Field.
I like the Cubs as an underrated team to stack Wednesday. Patrick Wisdom ($3,500) and Frank Schwindel ($2,700) should hit right in the middle of the order, but both come at a very easy price to roster.
Stacks to Consider
Boston Red Sox vs. James Kaprielian: Christian Arroyo ($2,900), Rafael Devers ($5,800), Xander Bogaerts ($5,300), J.D. Martinez ($5,400)
This is the easiest stack of the day to pick out. In addition to the factors already discussed, Kaprielian has the second-highest SIERA on the slate. He's also allowed at least one home run in each of his last five starts and multiple on three occasions. The one downside is that Kaprielian has relatively decent control, but that doesn't cover the rest of the deficiencies in his profile. The other issue is that this will be a chalky stack and it's very expensive.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Reid Detmers: Mookie Betts ($6,000), Freddie Freeman ($5,400), Trea Turner ($6,100), Will Smith ($4,900)
This is another fairly obvious choice, though there a few interesting talking points. First, surprisingly this isn't a great lineup against lefties. Particularly the bottom half of the order really struggles, though the top does balance that out with extremely positive production – Betts, Freeman and Smith have wOBAs of .391, .383, and .366, respectively. In terms of getting contrarian or making the roster fit, there are a few lower-profile lineups I like on Wednesday highlighted by the Athletics and Cubs.
Cleveland Guardians vs. Austin Gomber: Myles Straw ($4,100), Amed Rosario ($4,000), Jose Ramirez ($6,000), Oscar Gonzalez ($2,800)
This is yet another cliché choice, as saying target the team at Coors Field is hardly a new tactic. However, DK has failed to increase the price of most Cleveland players, so it's worth acknowledging. Gomber has pitched decently given his context this season, but he still surrenders a lot of contact. That doesn't typically end well in Coors Field. Again, if I were to roster the top of the Cleveland order, I'd look for a mini/secondary stack of a less popular choice.
Also consider: Atlanta vs. Erick Fedde
