Monkey Knife Fight Home Run Derby:
San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies
Monkey Knife Fight officially changed their rules regarding the Home Run Derby challenge. This is probably due to Karma readership crushing on a daily basis because of these recommendations. Whatever the reason, it is time for a new strategy. Attacking a solo pitcher is now impossible. Instead, we are going to have to attack games, as we are forced to take at least one player from both of the teams in each game. Luckily, that game is easy to find tonight. Peter Lambert and the Colorado Rockies are scheduled to square off against Shaun Anderson and the San Francisco Giants. Vegas has this game set at 14 total runs, and both teams are expected to score 6 or higher. So, which batters are the best to target? The Rockies are the betting favorites, so taking two players from their lineup is the better move. Charlie Blackmon is hitting leadoff, and over the last 15 days, he has an average exit velocity on batted balls of 92 MPH, a fly ball rate just under 30%, and a hard hit rate over 30%. He enters tonight’s game with positive splits against right-handed pitching, and he has serious home run upside. Next, move down to Nolan Arenado. Arenado doesn’t have great advanced metrics at the moment, but he is hitting 0.052 HR/AB, and he is much better at home compared to on the road. With a .355 batting average and 10 home runs in Coors Field this year, it is difficult to ignore him. Finally, round out the lineup with either Scooter Gennett, Brandon Belt, or Mike Yastrzemski. Belt is hitting leadoff, he has decent power splits against right-handed pitching, and his advanced metrics are solid, especially his 52% fly ball rate over the last 15 days. For those reasons, he is getting the official nod.
Recommended Batters: Charlie Blackmon, Nolan Arenado, Brandon Belt
Home Run Prop Bet:
Charlie Blackmon (TBA) – Colorado Rockies – OF
Charlie Blackmon is hitting leadoff against the San Francisco Giants tonight, and over his last 10 games, he is hitting over .350 with 1 home run and 3 RBIs. His power gets a major boost in Coors Field, and he is seeing the ball well.
PrizePicks Over/Under:
N/A
Currently, PrizePicks does not offer a chance to wager on any of these three recommendations. Check back later, as their website is consistently updated throughout the day.
*Odds are from MyBookie. They continually update available prop bets on their prop builder, so odds should be released closer to the start of the contests. If you do not see the recommended player available, he will likely become available later in the day, and odds will be updated in the article when that happens.*
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