We have a stacked 15-game MLB slate on Tuesday, which means there are plenty of entries to sift through on PrizePicks.
A quick refresher if you aren’t familiar with PrizePicks: You can combine up to five different player squares to pay out up to 10x your entry.
You can do a Flex Play or a Power Play. A Flex Play provides lesser odds, but you can win money even if you don’t nail every pick. A Power Play is all-or-nothing.
Here’s how I would approach Tuesday's MLB slate.
What is PrizePicks? A daily fantasy operator — meaning they’re available in more states (30) than sports betting is! — PrizePicks offers a unique opportunity for action on player picks in which you combine two or more entries together.
Steven Kwan Fantasy Score Less Than 6.5
The second installment of this three-game interleague series gets underway Tuesday with the NL Central's Pittsburgh Pirates hosting the AL Central's Cleveland Guardians.
Right-hander Mitch Keller will take the mound for Pittsburgh and should be an excellent candidate to back in this contest. Through 19 starts this season, the All-Star pitcher is 9-4 with a 3.31 ERA and 1.12 WHIP.
His underlying metrics suggest that regression is unlikely, ranking in the 74th percentile or higher in Average Exit Velocity, HardHit%, xERA/xwOBA, xBA and xSLG.
Steven Kwan is the first Cleveland hitter to fade in this game, and he has struggled to do anything substantial this season.
Through 92 games, he possesses a .270 BA, .364 SLG and .705 OPS. His underlying metrics are just as poor, ranking in the 32nd percentile or lower in Average Exit Velocity, HardHit%, xwOBA, xSLG and Barrel%.
Entering this contest in particularly poor form, Kwan has failed to surpass this number in five of his past eight games. He has never faced Keller before, so it may take a few times through the batting order to figure him out.
Jose Ramirez Fantasy Score Less Than 7.5
Jose Ramirez is the other Guardians hitter to fade in this contest. Yes, Ramirez is an absolute stud and has kept this Cleveland lineup afloat this year.
However, this game presents a favorable opportunity to buy low on the superstar. Through three career plate appearances against Keller, Ramirez is 0-2 with a walk.
His underlying metrics across those three plate appearances are not anything to be concerned about, posting a .196 xBA, .215 xSLG and .355 xwOBA. Ramirez has failed to surpass this figure in four of his past six games.
Nico Hoerner Fantasy Score More Than 8
The second installment of this three-game series gets underway Tuesday with the NL Central's Chicago Cubs hosting the NL East's Washington Nationals.
Left-hander Patrick Corbin will take the mound for Washington and should be a strong fade candidate in this contest. Through 19 starts this season, he is 6-10 with a 4.89 ERA and 1.55 WHIP.
His underlying metrics suggest that positive regression is unlikely, ranking in the 17th percentile or lower in Average Exit Velocity, HardHit%, xERA/xwOBA, xBA and xSLG.
Nico Hoerner is the first Chicago hitter to back in this game because he has multiple avenues to surpass this figure.
Not only does he do a great job at reaching the base paths, but he is also a major threat to swipe a bag as he is currently tied for fourth in the NL in stolen bases. Through eight career plate appearances against Corbin, Hoerner boasts a .571 BA, .714 SLG and .574 wOBA.
Cody Bellinger Fantasy Score More Than 7.5
Cody Bellinger is the other Cubs hitter to back in this contest. A key acquisition over the off-season, Bellinger has been one of the best hitters on Chicago this season, boasting a .301 BA, .524 SLG and .882 OPS.
This strong campaign is likely to continue against Corbin. Through 22 career plate appearances against the left-hander, Bellinger possesses a .353 BA, .412 SLG and .413 wOBA.
His underlying metrics across those 22 plate appearances are even stronger, posting a .290 xBA, .583 xSLG and .439 xwOBA. Finally, Bellinger enters this contest in good form, surpassing this figure in three of his past four games.
