Welcome to week three of the MLB season. Only about half the league is playing tonight, which means fewer starting pitching options available for you when you’re putting the finishing touches on your Draftstreet daily fantasy league team. But there are a few potential low-cost gems you should take a good look at before you hit “Submit”.
Best Bet
Jesse Chavez – $12,625
Chavez isn’t your typical pitcher making his first rotation out of spring training. He’s not a young rookie having made the team for the first time. He is a 30-year-old career reliever with two starts over six years entering this season. But, with injuries to A.J. Griffin and Jarrod Parker, not to mention the fact he was the best Oakland pitcher during spring training, he earned his first starting assignment. In the preseason, he threw 28.1 innings, which was the second most in baseball, posted a 2.22 ERA, held opponents to a .216 average, and averaged nearly a strikeout an inning. Now, in the regular season, he has been even better. In 13 innings over two starts, he has given up just two earned runs and has increased his strikeout rate. Today, he gets the Angels in L.A., and last year he was a much better pitcher on the road.
Double Down
Roenis Elias – $5,738
It’s not often you can get a starter at this price, let alone one who could post some nice numbers. His low cost largely has to do with his lack of experience at the Major League level. He made his Major League debut for the Mariners on April 3, and shut down the A’s for five innings, allowing just two hits and one run. He followed that up with another five inning performance against the Angels, giving up two runs on four hits. His spring numbers were much the same as those of his last couple of games. Elias had a 2.38 ERA in 22.2 innings, and was good in all six appearances. During a full season last year at Double-A Jackson, he had a 3.18 ERA in 22 starts, and maintained a 8.4 K/9 rate. Elias has been pitching very well for the last year-and-a-half, so for a price like this, he makes for a great play.
Roll the Dice
Jordan Lyles – $12,084
In his first outing of the year, Lyles gave up four runs in five innings to the Marlins, but still picked up the win. Then, he bounced back against the White Sox with a great performance, nearly making it through seven, while allowing only one run. He is now 2-0 on the season in two starts. Because of that, Lyles will remain in the Rockies’ rotation for the time being. And there is every possibility that he builds onto his resume more today. He has a nice matchup against the Padres, who own the Majors’ worst offense up to this point. San Diego has scored only 28 runs in 12 games. That’s not even 2.5 per game. If Lyles pitches like he did in his previous start, a team struggling as much offensively as San Diego could have a difficult time doing much of anything.
