Among the four games on Friday’s MLB postseason schedule, DraftKings daily fantasy players have several quality pitching options to choose from.
Clayton Kershaw was often an easy selection to make during the regular season, but is it worth spending $15,000 on him in the playoffs, where he has a 5.12 ERA over 51 career innings?
Along with big bats like Josh Donaldson and Edwin Encarnacion, the following lineup features several cheaper options likely to outperform their salaries:
Best Values
SP Jacob deGrom, New York Mets ($11,400) at Los Angeles Dodgers
Jacob deGrom was fantastic in his final warm-up outing prior to the postseason. The above video highlights deGrom‘s scoreless four-inning stint against the Washington Nationals on October 4, in which he struck out seven and did not allow a hit.
The 27-year-old finished the regular season with 205 strikeouts in 191 innings. His 2.54 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and .215 batting average against all ranked among the top five in the National League.
On July 26, in his only start of the year against the Dodgers, deGrom surrendered just two hits with eight strikeouts in 7.2 shutout innings.
Why not save $3,600 and go with deGrom as your ace instead of Kershaw?
SP Jon Lester, Chicago Cubs ($10,500) at St. Louis Cardinals
Jon Lester is a proven playoff veteran who helped guide the Boston Red Sox to a pair of World Series titles in 2007 and 2013. Over 84 postseason innings spanning his 10-year career, Lester owns a 2.57 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP.
The Cubs lefty closed out September with a great stretch of baseball, holding opposing hitters to a .169 batting average and a .206 on-base percentage in his last five starts:
Lester has posted a .259 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP in five appearances versus the Cardinals so far in 2015. Expect another strong performance from him in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.
OF Matt Holliday, St. Louis Cardinals ($3,100) vs. Chicago Cubs
Like Lester, Matt Holliday has an enormous amount of playoff experience—263 at-bats spanning six different years. The MLB Network pointed out one of the many accomplishments on his extensive resume:
At this stage of his career, the 35-year-old is clearly past his prime. Holliday only took the field for 73 games this season, hitting just four home runs. However, he’s homered in every postseason he’s been a part of and has an excellent track record against Lester.
Holliday is 5-for-9 with a double and three RBI when facing Chicago’s Game 1 starter.
OF Colby Rasmus, Houston Astros ($3,100) at Kansas City Royals
Colby Rasmus is the hottest hitter in baseball at the moment. The 29-year-old outfielder has five home runs in his past five games, including one in each of the Astros’ two playoff contests. ESPN Stats & Info noted the significance of Rasmus‘ achievement:
In addition to the long balls, Rasmus is 7-for-16 in October with four walks, eight runs and eight RBI.
It’s a small sample size, but his career postseason numbers are also impressive. In five games, Rasmus is 6-for-15 with three doubles, two home runs, four RBI, four walks and a stolen base.
2B/OF Chris Coghlan, Chicago Cubs ($3,000) at St. Louis Cardinals
Chris Coghlan was not in the lineup for the Cubs’ victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in Wednesday’s National League Wild Card Game. But if he gets the start in Game 1 of the division series, there’s a good chance he’ll make it count.
Coghlan has excellent numbers against Cardinals starter John Lackey, including eight hits in 17 at-bats:
The 30-year-old closed out the regular season on a high note, going 4-for-7 with two runs, a double and a triple in Chicago’s final two games.
With eligibility at second base or outfield and a price tag of only $3,000, Coghlan could be a useful piece when filling out the end of your roster.
All prices courtesy of DraftKings. Statistics via MLB.com unless otherwise noted. Mark Vandeusen is an MLB featured columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @LucidSportsFan.
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