Welcome to another edition of Bales’ Top GPP Play. In this article, I will outline my favorite MLB GPP play for today’s games. If you want all of my core plays along with our staff’s Final Thoughts articles with access to our Discord, click here.
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Michael Wacha
Wacha struggled mightily in limited games for the New York Mets last season. He posted a 1-4 record with a 6.62 ERA, and a 1.56 WHIP over 8 games (7 starts). He was due for positive regression, though, as he also boasted a 4.30 xFIP and a 3.99 SIERA. Wacha ended 2020 with 23.7% strikeout and 11.3% swinging-strike rates. He allowed an 8.2% barrel rate in those games, as well. Wacha was better at home last season, although he still owned a reasonable 4.52 xFIP on the road. He was a reverse splits pitcher, as well, holding left-handed batters to a 3.73 xFIP with a 26.7% strikeout rate.
Wacha gets an interesting matchup against the Kansas City Royals tonight. They rank third on the slate in strikeouts per at-bats while ranking as a below-average offense in team wOBA. The Vegas line hasn’t been set yet, although I expect it to be close with Jakob Junis on the mound for Kansas City. Wacha’s coming off of a 33.7 fantasy point performance against the New York Yankees. He quietly boasts a 2.84 xFIP with a 32.8% strikeout rate this season. Wacha makes an outstanding tournament option for a low price tag on this slate.
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