We have a stacked 15-game MLB slate on Friday, 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 gives you lesser odds, but you can win money if you don’t nail every pick. A Power Play is all-or-nothing.
Here’s how I would approach Friday'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.
Masataka Yoshida Fantasy Score More Than 6.5
The first installment of this three-game AL East series gets underway on Friday evening as the New York Yankees host the Boston Red Sox. Slated to take the mound for New York is right-hander Gerrit Cole.
Through 13 starts this season, Cole is 7-0 with a 2.82 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. That is one of the best stat lines in the league, but this could be a good time to sell high on a guy due for regression.
Cole possesses a 3.85 xERA. Additionally, he ranks in the 50th percentile or lower in Average Exit Velocity, Hard Hit% and Barrel%.
The first Boston hitter to back is rookie phenom Masataka Yoshida. Through 54 games this season, he boasts a .318 BA, a .498 SLG and a .889 OPS.
His underlying metrics suggest regression is unlikely as he ranks in the 77th percentile or higher in Hard Hit%, xwOBA and xBA. While Yoshida has never faced Cole, he fares extremely well against right-handed pitching, boasting a .336 BA, a .546 SLG and a .935 OPS this season.
Rafael Devers Fantasy Score More Than 6.5
The other Red Sox hitter to back in this contest is Rafael Devers, who has faced Cole 39 times in his career.
Across those 39 plate appearances, he boasts a .250 BA, a .813 SLG and a .483. In fact, six of his eight career hits against Cole are homers.
Devers ranks in 92nd percentile or higher in Average Exit Velocity, Hard Hit% and xSLG.
When facing right-handed pitching since 2021, Devers possesses a .284 BA, a .563 SLG and a .917 OPS.
Freddie Freeman Fantasy Score More Than 8.5
The first installment of another three-game series gets underway on Friday evening with the NL East's Philadelphia Phillies hosting the NL West's Los Angeles Dodgers. Slated to take the mound for Philadelphia is left-hander Ranger Suarez, who should be an excellent fade candidate.
Through five starts this season, Suarez is 1-2 with a 5.47 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. While those surface-level stats are poor, his underlying metrics are just as bad.
Suarez ranks in the 29th percentile or lower in xERA/xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, K% and Whiff%. The first Los Angeles hitter to back in this game is Freddie Freeman, who is putting together an MVP-caliber season.
Through 62 games, he boasts a .328 BA, a .560 SLG and a .960 OPS. His underlying metrics are somehow even better with a .337 xBA, a .604 xSLG and a .425 xwOBA.
This terrific season is likely to continue against Suarez, a guy Freeman possesses a .400 BA, a .500 SLG and a .456 wOBA against through 13 career plate appearances. Freeman has also surpassed 8.5 fantasy points in two of his past three games.
Mookie Betts Fantasy Score More Than 8
In a play with some solid correlation, we are also going to back the guy who hits in front of Freeman. Mookie Betts has been hot and has surpassed this number in two of his past three games.
Through six career at-bats against the left-hander, Betts boasts a .500 BA, a 1.667 SLG and a .890 wOBA. The three hits? Two homers and a double.
Betts ranks in the 90th percentile or higher in Average Exit Velocity, xwOBA and xSLG. Since 2021, Betts has produced a .286 BA, a .569 SLG and a .940 OPS against left-handed pitching.
