The last Friday before the MLB All-Star Break awards Underdog Fantasy gamers with many pick ’em options. Tonight’s top choices are narrowed to four picks for hitters and one for pitchers.
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Friday’s Top Underdog Fantasy MLB Pick ‘Em Picks
Adolis Garcia: 1.5 Total Bases – Higher
The Rangers have a cushy matchup against Trevor Williams, and Garcia can take advantage of the matchup from Texas’s cleanup spot. The 176 righties who’ve faced Williams this year have had eight doubles, 11 homers, a .248 batting average and a .503 SLG.
Meanwhile, Garcia has had 14 doubles, 18 homers, a .257 batting average, .521 SLG and .265 ISO in 289 plate appearances against righties. In addition, in 148 plate appearances since June 2, Garcia has had 10 doubles, eight homers, a .269 batting average, a .531 SLG and a .262 ISO.
Corey Seager: 2.0 Total Bases – Higher
Williams has also struggled with left-handed batters this year. He’s coughed up nine doubles, one triple, seven homers, a .303 batting average and a .483 SLG to 197 left-handed batters faced this year.
That’s not going to cut it against Seager. In 176 plate appearances against righties this year, Seager has had 20 doubles, eight homers, a .371 batting average, a .662 SLG and a .291 ISO. Moreover, Seager is white-hot, tallying 17 doubles, six homers, a .389 batting average, a .656 SLG and a .267 ISO in 148 plate appearances since June 2.
Luis Robert: 9.5 Fantasy Points – Higher
Robert destroys lefties, and Jordan Montgomery is a mediocre matchup. In 235 plate appearances against lefties since 2021, Robert has had 16 doubles, 15 homers, a .363 batting average, a .651 SLG and a .288 ISO. The toolsy outfielder also has seven doubles, 12 homers, a .294 batting average, a .655 SLG and a .361 ISO in 134 plate appearances since June 2.
And, again, Montgomery is mediocre against righties. Specifically, he’s allowed 27 doubles, one triple, nine homers, a .248 batting average and a .425 SLG to 349 righties this year. So, Montgomery isn’t the caliber pitcher to give Robert trouble.
Byron Buxton: 8.5 Fantasy Points – Higher
Buxton has elite power with the platoon advantage and uses an aggressive approach against lefties. In 274 plate appearances against southpaws since 2021, Buxton has had 18 doubles, 18 homers, a .256 batting average, a .549 SLG and a .293 ISO. Buxton walked in 8.4% of those plate appearances and struck out in 29.2% of them.
Thankfully, Cole Irvin has struck out just 19.2% of righties this year and gets torched by them. The 125 righties who’ve faced Irvin this year had eight doubles, one triple, five homers, a .313 batting average and a .536 SLG.
Zac Gallen: 2.5 Earned Runs – Lower
Gallen has clowned the opposition in Arizona. In 150.1 innings at home since last year, he’s had a 2.10 ERA, 3.14 xFIP, 0.86 WHIP, 5.2 BB% and 28.0 K%. Furthermore, Gallen has allowed fewer than 2.5 earned runs in nine of 10 starts at home this season.
The Pirates are unlikely to buck that trend. Sure, they scored eight runs (five earned) in 3.2 innings against Gallen on May 19. However, Pittsburgh is a lousy offense by all applicable splits tonight. First, they’re tied for 22nd in wRC+ (90) against righties in 2023. Second, Pittsburgh is tied for 22nd in wRC+ (90) in the previous 14 days. Third, the Pirates are tied for 21st in wRC+ (91) on the road this season.
Whether you’re new to fantasy baseball or a seasoned pro, our Fantasy Baseball 101: Strategy Tips & Advice page is for you. You can get started with our Sabermetrics Glossary or head to a more advanced strategy – like Maximizing Your Potential in Multi-Lineup Contests – to learn more.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.