This first play is rather simple for me. I’m attacking the under on a poor hitter, who is hitting eighth in his lineup, while getting a matchup against an elite Gerrit Cole in a pitcher friendly stadium. Last season, Kiermaier hit only .217 in 88 games. He also got off to an ice cold start, hitting only .163 in March and April. While he was a better option against right-handed pitching, Cole held his opponents to a ridiculous .197 batting average in 34 starts. I don’t expect the Tampa Bay Rays to find much offensive success today, and if they do, it likely won’t be at the end of their lineup.
I’m very bullish on Matt Chapman as a player, and he could find himself in this article multiple times throughout the year if it sets up well. He’s hitting second in the Oakland A’s offense after posting a .277 average with a .505 slugging percentage and an .860 OPS in 2018. He also posted 0.032 wOBA and 0.101 ISO differentials against right-handed pitching, and he gets a great matchup against Matt Harvey tonight. Harvey struggled against everyone last season, but he allowed right-handed batters to hit for a .271 average with a .442 slugging percentage and a .326 wOBA. The only downfall to Chapman tonight is that he’ll be playing in a pitcher friendly stadium, but that is the case for half of his games. It simply may not matter in this matchup.
Play $25 on Kevin Kiermaier UNDER 4.5 fantasy points and Matt Chapman OVER 6.5 fantasy points to win $62.50 (2.5x)
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