The following Spotlight Pitchers were selected by Awesemo.com writer Jake Hari. For more analysis on the slate, check out Awesemo’s Rankings and Ownership Projections.
Trevor Bauer ($13,300 DK/$12,000 FD)
Bauer has looked invincible since May 27, striking out at least 11 hitters in 5 out of his 6 starts in that time, and in the only outing that he didn’t strike out 11, he went 7 innings, 8 strikeouts with no runs allowed. This isn’t the easiest matchup in the world for him, and he could certainly allow some runs, but he should once again have no problem missing bats, as he ranks 4th in the MLB in June in Whiffs/Swing% and has at least a 13.3% Swinging-Strike rate in each of his last 6 starts. At home against righties this year, the A’s have a 23% K-rate, .137 ISO, and just an 89 wRC+, making the case even stronger for Bauer even as the 2nd-highest priced pitcher on DraftKings tonight.
Joe Musgrove ($7,600 DK/$7,200 FD)
With all the warm weather around the country tonight, Musgrove will get to pitch in the most pitcher-friendly environment tonight, as it’ll only be around 70 degrees in San Diego, and Petco Park is already one of the best pitcher parks in the MLB. Musgrove is striking out over 25% of right-handed hitters and allowing only 28% hard-contact with a 3.63 xFIP, and he should see 5-6 righties tonight. At this price Musgrove looks like one of the safest options on the slate against a bad Padres team in cool weather and a huge park, but you may have to pay for the safety in healthy ownership for GPPs.
Felix Pena ($6,600 DK/$5,800 FD)
We’ve only seen 2 starts out of Pena, but he looks pretty impressive, posting 12.2% and 18.1% Swinging-Strike rates against the D-Backs and Blue Jays. He has a 33.3% Whiff rate on his slider so far against righties, and as we know, the Orioles like to roll out a righty-heavy lineup, regularly with 7 or more on a given night. The hard-contact and the 90 degree weather are concerning, but I believe the whiffs will be there for Pena with the use of his solid slider, and he could pay big dividends at this price on DraftKings or FanDuel.