StatHero MLB picks 7/23

Tired of striking out in MLB DFS against all the sharks? StatHero is the perfect place for you. Have total control by seeing the lineup you’re playing against immediately. Score more than the house and double your money. Enjoy a lot of flexibility without any position restrictions, just do your best to nail the MVP. 

Play StatHero today with code FTN!

Get a 3x bonus match on your first DFS sportsbook play up to $300 on StatHero.

Check out this video by Chris Meaney to learn more about StatHero!

Stat Hero MLB Picks for today

Here is a look at my favorite plays on StatHero for Friday’s slate. Follow me on Twitter to see my exact lineup. 

StatHero MVPs

Your team MVP scores 1.5x the amount of fantasy points and you lose points for strikeouts so pick someone you feel is safe, ideally with a low chance of striking out. 

Juan Soto, Washington Nationals

Jorge López is one of the best pitchers to attack Friday. The 60 earned runs he has given up this season are the eighth most in baseball. Since 2019, he has allowed a .384 wOBA, .239 ISO and 39.7% hard contact rate to left-handed hitters. Soto has been on fire since the All-Star break, going 12-23 with five home runs and two doubles. I never love paying maximum price of $14,000 on StatHero, but at least they also did by selecting him as MVP in their Overnight lineup. 

StatHero flex picks

AJ Pollock, Los Angeles Dodgers

I am fairly shocked the StatHero Overnight lineup has no Dodgers in it, so I think that’s one way we can exploit them. Pollock is one of the cheaper Dodgers on the slate at $10,600, and for that reason one of my favorites. Chi Chi González is one of the best pitchers to attack on this slate. He has allowed 57 earned runs on the season, tied for the 10th most in baseball. Don’t overthink the fact that this game is not at Coors Field. He has actually allowed more earned runs (31) and has a higher ERA (6.64) on the road this season. Away from Coors Field since 2019 (the season he joined the Rockies), he has allowed a .339 wOBA, .237 ISO and 45.1% hard contact rate to right-handed hitters. Pollock is not a world-beater against right-handed pitching, but he certainly holds his own with a .331 wOBA, .222 ISO and 38.2% hard contact rate since 2019. 

Justin Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers

Turner is another way to get exposure to the Dodgers, just $100 more than Pollock. He doesn’t match up with Gonzalez’s pitches quite as well as Pollock but is a better hitter against right-handed pitching (.377 wOBA, .177 ISO, 44.5% hard contact rate since 2019). I have no issues with stacking Pollock and Turner in your lineup to pick on Gonzalez. 

Justin Upton, Los Angeles Angels

LA’s other team (sorry, Angels fans) has gotten a big bat back as Upton has returned from the IL after a back strain kept him out for a month. His first game back Thursday came without a hit, but Friday’s matchup is way better. Upton has long been a lefty killer with a .263 ISO and 46.2% hard contact rate since 2019. J.A. Happ has been getting roughed up all season for 61 earned runs — the seventh most in baseball — with 15 of them coming in his last three starts. Since 2019 Happ is allowing a .354 wOBA, .244 ISO, 38.1% hard contact rate, and 44.5% fly ball rate to right-handed hitters. These two have battled before with Upton going 5-11 with two home runs. I wish he was a bit cheaper with it being just his second game back, but $9,900 is still a very playable price.

Matt Olson, Oakland Athletics

Yusei Kikuchi has been having a very solid season but has been roughed up for 12 earned runs in his last two starts. He is a tough pitcher against left-handed hitters since he is a lefty himself. However, Olson is one of the best lefty-on-lefty hitters in baseball. Since 2019 Olson has a .359 wOBA, .283 ISO and 42.1% hard contact rate against left-handed pitching. Kikuchi has a 50.8% ground ball rate against left-handed hitters while Olson has a 50.6% fly ball rate against left-handed pitchers. One of them will have to give, I’ll take Olson, especially with Kikuchi’s recent struggles on the mound.

J.D. Davis, New York Mets

Since returning from the IL with a hand injury after the All-Star break, most of Davis’ production came in one game with three hits, including two home runs. Steven Matz was good in his last start, pitching five scoreless innings, but he has been inconsistent this season. Going back to 2019, Matz has allowed a .341 wOBA and .216 ISO to right-handed hitters. In that same time frame, Davis is crushing left-handed pitching with a .363 wOBA, .210 ISO and 43.5% hard contact rate. I love his price tag of $9,000.

StatHero sleepers/values

Eric Haase, Detroit Tigers

Haase is one of the better power hitters on the Tigers with 15 home runs on the season, including long balls in back-to-back games. In his short career he has demolished lefties with a .419 wOBA, .390 ISO and 39.3% hard contact rate. Kris Bubic is coming off a good start his last time out but has really struggled since the start of June, giving up 30 earned runs in 33 innings pitched. Righties have fared well against Bubic in his career with a .345 wOBA and .197 ISO. I like his upside at $8,100. 

Jonathan Schoop, Detroit Tigers

A cheaper way to go after Bubic is by playing Schoop, who is just $7,600. It’s not a huge discount compared to Haase, but it can be fairly significant, especially if you roster Soto. Schoop is the best hitter on the Tigers, and he has been showing it, currently riding a 12-game hitting streak. He has been on fire since the All-Star break as well, going 11-27 with one double, one home run and seven runs batted in. He’s also a very good hitter against lefties with a .378 wOBA, .262 ISO and 44.3% hard contact rate since 2019. 

Tyler Stephenson, Cincinnati Reds

Stephenson is another solid value on the slate at $7,500 going up against Wade LeBlanc, who has been fairly solid since joining the Cardinals. However, overall since 2019, he has been roughed up by right-handed hitters with a .362 wOBA and .224 ISO. Stephenson has proven to be a solid young hitter for the Reds that does most of his damage against left-handed pitching (.365 wOBA, .244 ISO, 38.1% hard contact rate in his career). 

Note: salaries change throughout the day as news and lineups come out.

Sign up at StatHero now and use these picks (or your own) to win!