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 even 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.
Jose Ramirez Fantasy Score More Than 7
The first installment of this three-game series gets underway with the NL West's Arizona Diamondbacks hosting the AL Central's Cleveland Guardians. Right-hander Zac Gallen, who enters this game in poor form, takes the mound for Arizona.
Over his past five starts, Gallen is 1-1 with a 4.67 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP.
The right-hander ranks in the 30th percentile or lower in Average Exit Velocity, Hard Hit% and xBA. The first Cleveland hitter to back is star Jose Ramirez.
Ramirez is putting together another strong campaign with a .281 BA, a .490 SLG and a .839 OPS. His underlying metrics are just as good as he boasts a .290 xBA, a .483 xSLG and a .354 xwOBA.
Additionally, Ramirez has posted a .286 BA, a .543 SLG and a .912 OPS against right-handed pitching since 2021.
Steven Kwan Fantasy Score More Than 6
The other Guardians hitter to back in this contest is Steven Kwan. A true tactician at the dish, Kwan is due for some positive regression in an otherwise underwhelming season,
He ranks in the 77th percentile or higher in xBA, K%, Whiff% and Chase Rate. The expected positive regression has started to hit recently as Kwan has surpassed this figure in three of his past five games.
While Kwan only has three career plate appearances against Gallen, he is 1-for-2 with a double and a walk. Finally, Cleveland's lead-off hitter boasts a .281 BA and a .758 OPS against right-handed pitching since 2021.
Masataka Yoshida Fantasy Score More Than 6.5
Baseball's greatest rivalry begins a three-game series on Friday as the fifth-place Boston Red Sox host the third-place New York Yankees. Domingo German is slated to take the mound for New York.
Through 12 starts this season, German is 4-3 with a 3.49 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. While those surface-level stats are strong, his underlying metrics suggest that regression is likely.
German ranks in the 44th percentile or lower in Hard Hit%, xERA/xwOBA, xSLG and Barrel%. The first Boston hitter to target is rookie Masataka Yoshida.
Through 60 games this season, he boasts a .297 BA, a .461 SLG and a .835 OPS. His underlying metrics suggest regression is unlikely as he ranks in the 75th percentile or higher in xwOBA, xBA, K% and Whiff%.
Yoshida is also dominating right handers this year, possessing a .312 BA, a .500 SLG and a .869 OPS.
Rafael Devers Fantasy Score More Than 7.5
The other Red Sox hitter to back in this contest is Rafael Devers, who soared past the number with 37 fantasy points in Tuesday's game against the Colorado Rockies. That performance was one of many elite performances from Devers, who boasts a .279 xBA, a .563 xSLG and a .378 xwOBA this season.
Devers has previously homered against German and could have another big showing. When facing right-handed pitching since 2021, he has posted a tremendous .284 BA, a .572 SLG and a .925 OPS.
Devers has surpassed this figure in three of his past five games.
