Welcome to another edition of Bales’ Top GPP plays. In this article, I will outline my favorite MLB GPP plays for today’s games. If you want all of my core plays along with our staff’s Final Thoughts article with access to our Discord, click here.
Sonny Gray
Gray has been an elite arm this season, posting 45 strikeouts over 30.2 innings while allowing only 7 earned runs. He also owns a 2.25 xFIP and a 2.80 SIERA through 5 starts in 2020. Gray has flashed elite upside, posting 37.2% strikeout and 12.3% swinging-strike rates this season. He held left-handed batters to a 3.51 xFIP in 2019, while recording a 3.92 xFIP on the road last year.
Gray gets a plus matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals tonight. They don’t strike out at a high rate but rank in the bottom-five of this slate in team wOBA. Gray is a -146 favorite in a game set at 8 runs, giving the Cardinals an implied team total of only 3.7 runs. He has scored 28+ fantasy points in 4 of his 5 starts this season, including a 39.2 fantasy point performance against the Chicago Cubs. Gray will garner ownership tonight but he’s expected to be the lowest owned the four high-priced options. For that reason, he makes an outstanding tournament option on this slate.
Wilmer Flores
Flores has quietly been enjoying an outstanding season in 2020. He’s hitting for a .301 average with a .506 slugging percentage and a .828 OPS through 22 games. He also owns 7 extra-base hits (5 home runs) and 13 RBIs in those contests. Flores dominated left-handed pitching in 2019, posting a .337 average with a .615 slugging percentage and a .982 OPS. He also recorded a .405 wOBA to go along with a .279 ISO against left-handed pitching last year.
Flores gets an elite matchup against Jose Suarez tonight. Suarez struggled against right-handed batters in 2019, allowing them to hit for a .339 average with a .629 slugging percentage and a .432 wOBA. He also gave up a .320/.607/.408 line to opponents on the road last season. Flores is expected to hit fifth for the San Francisco Giants and he comes with an extremely low price tag tonight. He’s been a great option against left-handed pitching throughout his career, though, and gets an ideal matchup tonight. He’s an outstanding option in GPPs.
Chad Pinder
Pinder has struggled quite a bit in 2020, posting a .229 average with a .429 slugging percentage and a .718 OPS. He owns 3 extra-base hits (2 home runs) and 6 RBIs through 15 games. Pinder was at his best against left-handed pitching last season, recording a .252 average with a .436 slugging percentage and a .748 OPS. He ended the 2019 season with a .317 wOBA and a .184 ISO against lefties, as well.
Pinder gets a matchup against Alex Young, who has been at his worst against right-handed batters throughout his short career. He’s allowing them to hit for a .247 average with a .459 slugging percentage and a .317 wOBA. Pinder is expected to hit sixth in the Oakland A’s lineup, and he is dirt cheap on this slate. He has flashed plenty of upside when given a full game worth of at-bats, recently scoring 24 fantasy points against the San Francisco Giants. Pinder certainly comes with risk, but he’s far too cheap to ignore for his upside.
Ramon Laureano
Laureano has seen mixed results through 21 games this season. He’s hitting for a .239 average with a .423 slugging percentage and a .807 OPS. He owns 6 extra-base hits (3 home runs), 12 RBIs, and 1 stolen base in those games, as well. Laureano looked outstanding against left-handed pitching last season, posting a .296 average with a .512 slugging percentage and a .838 OPS. He also ended that season with a .345 wOBA and a .216 ISO against lefties.
Laureano gets a matchup against Alex Young, who’s struggles against right-handed batters in the MLB have been outlined in the Chad Pinder recommendation. Laureano is also hitting for a .400/.800/1.238 line against left-handed pitching in 2020. He’s expected to hit second in the Oakland A’s lineup tonight. He has struggled quite a bit over his last few games, but he comes with a great combination of power and speed. He’s a high upside option in tournaments tonight.
Austin Slater
Slater has been on a tear recently, recording a .370 average with a .889 slugging percentage and a 1.374 OPS over his last 10 games. He owns five extra-base hits (four home runs), five RBIs, and four steals in those games. Slater looked great against left-handed pitching in 2019, ending the season with a .275 average, .475 slugging percentage, and .838 OPS. He also posted a .355 wOBA and a .200 ISO against lefties last season.
Slater gets a great matchup against Jose Suarez, who has struggled mightily against right-handed batters through his short career. Those struggles have been outlined in the Wilmer Flores recommendation. Slater is expected to lead off for the San Francisco Giants, and he has been one of the hottest hitters in the MLB in recent games. He’s an elite option for an absurdly low price tag tonight.
SuperDraft
Trent Grisham (2x)
Grisham has seen plenty of ups and downs this season, posting a .250 average with a .446 slugging percentage and a .824 OPS. He owns 9 extra-base hits, (8 RBIs), and 4 stolen bases through 26 games. Throughout his short career, Grisham is hitting .249 with a .456 slugging percentage and a .821 OPS against right-handed pitching. He also owns a .352 wOBA and a .207 ISO against righties.
Grisham gets a solid matchup against Kyle Gibson tonight. Gibson was at his worst against left-handed batters last season, allowing them to hit for a .288 average with a .456 slugging percentage and a .347 wOBA. He also gave up a .303/.490/.358 line on the road in 2019. Grisham is expected to lead off for the San Diego Padres. He comes with a great combination of power and speed and gets a 2x multiplier on SuperDraft. He’s an elite option on this slate.
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