Hello everyone, and welcome to the MLB cash academy! I go by nillyJay in the DFS Army where I coach and contribute content for MLB, NASCAR, and all things cash games related (such as proper bankroll management and cash ladders). You can find me on Twitter or in our Slack channels @nillyJay.
The purpose of these articles is to teach you how to find players to use for cash games, as well as giving out a few that my research has put me on (and why I chose them). The idea here isn’t to just say “lock these guys and run an optimizer.” Rather, I want to encourage everyone to work on their research process and dig a little deeper to find players in good spots instead of just settling on players that fit the salary cap.
Hope you guys joined us for MMA yesterday, because we crushed it yet again:
If you didn’t, there’s always the next card. We also have the NASCAR race at Michigan today, so I’d encourage you to come join us for that!
The basics
In an effort to keep these articles quick and to the point, I’m going to skip the definitions here. You can refer to the original article here if you’re unfamiliar with any of the stats or terminology used in my notes below.
Yesterday’s results
Blake Snell: 28 FD, 11.5 DK -Not really what I was hoping for, but it happens. He was serviceable on FD, though DK kind of stung. But hey, at least I didn’t suggest Gio! In my Slack channel I was recommending Lester who went on to score 46 FD and 27.95 DK. Much better!
Curtis Granderson: 3 FD, 3 DK – Not very exciting, but at least he was cheap.
Ian Kinsler: 18.7 FD, 14 DK -Yeah buddy!
Jason Kipnis: 0 FD, 0 DK – Going 0 for 5 sucked, but only one was from a strikeout. He made good contact three times, so he at least gave us a chance.
Charlie Morton: 20 FD, 7.65 FD – Ouch. Here’s a fun fact: in his entire MLB career, Morton has only ever walked 6 batters in a game once….and that was yesterday. If you played Morton in cash and got burned, don’t feel bad. You made the right call. Trust the process, not the results from one of the worst games thrown by an elite pitcher in his 10-year career.
Tyler Flowers: 19.5 FD, 14 DK – Great value play.
Paul Goldschmidt 55.6 FD, 41 DK – I hope you had some Goldy!
Evan Gattis: 0 FD, 0 DK – Bummer, but I’m going right back to him against Matt Moore today.
Cash players for 6/10/2018
Corey Kluber ($11,600 FD, $13,600 DK) – Surprise, surprise. I know. But remember this is for cash games, so we need to embrace the chalk when it’s Corey Kluber with a -255 moneyline. His 2.43 carnage, .219 wOBA, .034 ISO, and 27.50% krate tell us everything else we need to know.
Jose Urena ($6,300 DK) – If you need a decent SP2 option on DraftKings, Urena is a fine option (I would not use him over Kluber on FanDuel for cash). Urena offers a solid 3.38 carnage which is among the best on the slate. His combined .334 wOBA is a little higher than we’d like, but his .169 ISO and 3.59 SIERA both look nice. He faced the Padres two starts ago and struck out 6 on his way to a 37 FD / 20.50 DK performance, and now he gets them at home. He’s a good budget SP2 option to fit in Kluber on DK.
Eduardo Escobar ($3,800 FD, $4,800 DK) – I like him better on FanDuel for the discount, but he’s a solid option either way. He’s facing Tropeano today, a good target for us to attack (.397 wOBA and .286 ISO to lefties recently). Escobar’s massive .629 wOBA and .571 ISO over this past week both look great, and his switch-hitting capability gives us an added bonus for after the bullpen takes over. I like him for double-digit scoring on both sites today.
Adam Jones ($3,300 FD, $3,500 DK) – Jones has seen Estrada plenty (9 for 32 with two home runs) and is hitting well right now (.490 wOBA against RHP and a tiny 4.55% krate). Estrada is getting hit around plenty (.375 wOBA and .199 ISO) and isn’t striking out people very often (16.5% krate). Add it all up and we have a solid value option on both sites today with no weather concerns. Jones has averaged 7.4 FD over his ten games against Estrada, and I see no reason why he can’t match or exceed that today.
Yolmer Sanchez ($2,700 FD, $3,600 DK) – Here’s another trifecta of favorable stats: Yolmer is 5 for 12 against Porcello (only one strikeout) and is hitting .353 wOBA / .200 ISO off of righties right now, with a low 11.54% krate. Porcello started the year off well but has regressed a bit, allowing .424 wOBA and .250 ISO to this side of the plate over his last 5 starts. His krate has dropped down to 18.40% and he’s given up 5 home runs in his last 5 games. Yolmer has a good shot at being #6 today.
That’s going to be all for now. Remember to trust your gut and the process; there’s no need to get cute in cash games! Also, be sure to swing by our MLB page to see the rest of our content, as well as our NASCAR one for today’s race. As always, if you decide to join up, don’t forget to use promo code NILLY to lock in that 10% savings for the lifetime of your active account. Good luck today!!
