Eduardo Escobar

Three Bats the Cardinals should Target

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Trey Mancini, Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles stink.  That’s a simple fact.  They are going nowhere and need to be in full rebuild mood.  One of their few assets is 1B/OF Trey Mancini should be available and can make an immediate impact in the middle of the Cardinals lineup.  Mancini has an impressive stat line of .281/.340/.500, most notably is the slugging percentage.  The Cardinals have ranked in the bottom of the league in Slug and Isolated power all season.  

Adding power is a need for the Cardinals and Mancini fills in that need.  The Orioles will take pretty much any prospects you can offer, they need everything so you can offer anything.

Eric Sogard, Toronto Blue Jays

Eric Sogard is not a flashy name by any means, but he is a solid major league player that has been hitting all season.  Sogard was an afterthought in the offseason when the Blue Jays signed him but slow starts and injuries from their starters forced the veteran into service and he has rewarded them with a .371OBP and a 2.1 WAR from a guy that no one wanted.  

Sogard has shown some surprising power in 2019 hitting 10 homers in 2019 which is one shy of his career total. Sogard,33, is not a new kid on the block but he is currently in the middle of a career season and can fill in a slot at the beginning of the order. The leadoff spot has been a problem all season for St. Louis, adding Sogard would give them a player that has an .883 OPS when batting first.  Sogard’s price tag will be moderate as he is 33-year-old journeymen.  Worth a prospect just outside of your top 20. 

Eduardo Escobar, Arizona Diamondbacks

I am a fan of Eduardo Escobar; I was hoping St. Louis would take a run at the switching hitting utility man. Escobar has quietly put up great numbers for the Diamondbacks launching 19 homers and has a .879OPS.  Escobar will fill in nicely for the injured Matt Carpenter providing the power that Carpenter has not shown during 2019 and his ability to play multiple positions will allow Mike Schildt to utilize his other assets. 

Escobar also has a serviceable contract at 3year-$21million. The Diamondbacks have seen what the young Cardinals can do with two impact players Carson Kelly and Luke Weaver already on the roster, so you know they have spent time scouting the Cardinals system. Escobar is an impact bat without the impact notoriety.

August 24- Affordable 5 MLB DraftKings

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I Talk Sports DFS Affordable 5- August 24- Draftkings

Eduardo Escobar, SS/3B, Arizona Diamondbacks ($4,900)

The Arizona Diamondbacks will have a matchup with the struggling Erasmo Ramirez.  Ramirez has been crushed by lefties in his 4 starts in 2018, lefties are crushing .341BA, .795 slugging percentage.  Escobar has 15 of his 18 homers as a left handed batter this season.  This matchup screams extra base hits.  Arizona lefties will be a huge play on today’s slate.  With Escobar you can get great value at $4,900 with multiple position potential.

Dallas Keuchel, P, Houston Astros ($9,200)

Dallas Keuchel was dominate is his last start vs. the Los Angeles Angels, going for 29.5 Draftkings points. Playing lefties vs the Angels is one of my favorite plays all season with a stat line of .226/.296/.373 during the season.  I was hesitant at first when I saw that Mike Trout was returning to the lineup up but, Keuchel sits nearly $600 less than the other starter I was interested in Rich Hill.  Go with Keuchel to save and most likely get the 4 points for a win.

Omar Narvaez, C, Chicago White Sox ($3,400)

Looking for value, Omar Narvaez of the White Sox has been one of my favorite part time plays over the last few weeks.  Narvaez is 5 for 7 in his career vs Tigers starter Michael Fulmer.  Fulmer has also had his trouble with lefties this year giving up a 5.31 ERA against them this year. 10 of 14 homers vs Fulmer this season have come against lefties.

Greg Allen, OF, Cleveland Indians ($3,800)

Greg Allen has emerged from lineup as a force.  Double digit Draftkings points in 3 of 4 games establishing himself in the Cleveland outfield.  Allen won’t bring you the power you may be looking for but his potential for stealing bases and scoring runs will be a huge asset for the Cleveland team with a high implied run total.  Grabbing a player at $3,800 with the potential upside of Allen can put you in the money.

Jake Bauers, 1B/OF, Tampa Bay Rays ($3,600)

Bauers has a .208 ISO vs righties this season.  Coming off a 14 point night he can be a valuable low cost option in the outfield that can give you the opportunity to pay up for some higher priced studs. Bauers also feeds off of the home crowd with higher statistics in every category at Tropicana Field.  With Bauers in the middle of the Tampa Bay lineup he can will also have a higher chance to produce with runners on base.  Give Bauers a look especially sense outside of last night he has had some struggles, which means most likely low ownership.

Potential Team Stacks:

Washington vs. Jason Vargas

Cleveland Indians vs. Brad Keller

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Ryan Borucki