Congratulations to boggslite. This individual was the DraftKings DFS MLB GPP winner of the MLB $200K Rally Cap contest on July 3, 2018. boggslite won this grand prize pool and its $25000 prize when the lineup scored 231.05 points. You can learn more about boggslite via checking his RotoGrinders profile. This individual is the No. 33 overall ranked player.
Please note that this isn’t a projections forecasting. This series was created to analyze what may have gone through the minds of those who created the teams. Maybe you’ll pick up on trends that will assist you when constructing your future submissions. What kind of pivots are others making on their teams. What are their strategies? Are there any reoccurring trends?
Let’s analyze the $25000 lineup.
DFS MLB DraftKings $25K Winning Lineup: boggslite, 7-3-18
This roster used $49600 of its $50000 salary. This slate featured 12 matchups.
Maybe one of the ugliest point-per-dollar values one will witness from a GPP-winner pitching staff. This staff failed to accumulate even 2x on what amounted to more than one-third of its team salary. That means boggslite needed eight hitters accounting for 198.00. That’s nearly 25 points per batter. This amounts to each batter averaging a three-run homer and an RBI double.
What this lineup had going for it: A focus on two of the spotlight contests featuring offensive fireworks aplenty. boggslite created a $25000 lineup that’s another great example of why it’s more important to focus on lineups and situations more so than individual player vs pitcher matchups. Avalanche effects can lead to a string of high totals from players on the same team.
SP: Shane Bieber (9600, 18.4%, 7.5)
SP: Andrew Heaney ($7700, 3.5% 25.55)
Combined Salary: $17300
Points: 33.05
Make no mistake about it: boggslite won in spite of his pitching staff, not because of it. Heaney did end up as a valuable low-owned selection. Nothing indicated any progression or regression. Maybe short-term progression was due after a string of bad outings lowered his ERA nearly a point. Heaney hurled 10 strikeouts en route to a seven-inning quality start.
Consider this a testament to how important strikeouts are. Those 10 strikeouts propped up his score despite three earned runs and no win (Mariners won 4-1).
Drafting Bieber was understandable. His $9600 price tag was a bit heavy for someone with just a handful of MLB starts. His 2.22 ERA and 3.02 SIERA indicated regression. However, his .382 BABIP indicated progression. Small sample sizes are misleading. Bieber faced an offense that strikes out fewer than most teams. Only two of Bieber’s 18 outs were strikeouts. Need more strikeouts when paying $8000-plus for pitchers.
OF: Avasail Garcia ($4000, 5.8%, 35)
OF Daniel Palka ($3500, 2.9%, 32)
2B: Yoan Moncada ($4000, 6.0%, 29)
3B: Yolmer Sanchez ($3800, 2.5%, 12)
Combined Salary: $15300
Points: 108
An ugly game which showcased Cincinnati making four errors in a 12-8 defeat in 12 innings. Reds starter Anthony DeSclafani surrendered five earned runs in 5.1 innings pitched. When compared to his .308 career BABIP, DeSclafani’s .266 2018 BABIP appeared as though a regression was due. The bullpen surrendered three earned runs. The last four were not accredited as earned runs.
Giolito vs DeSclafani. Two below-average pitchers facing off in a hitter’s stadium with some above-average RHP-mashers. Why not attack it? boggslite made it work.
1B: Max Muncy ($4700, 9.5%, 31)
SS: Chris Taylor ($3700, 5.1%, 31)
C: Yasmani Grandal ($3800, 5.3%, 26)
OF: Cody Bellinger ($4800, 8.0%, 2)
Combined Salary: $17000
Points: 90
Here’s a Los Angeles Dodgers offense that scored 17 runs against the same opponent just one night prior to this. Much like DeSclafani, Ivan Nova is another middling pitcher who’s prone to meltdowns against talented LHBs such as Muncy, Grandal and Bellinger. While Bellinger didn’t pay off with two points, it wasn’t enough to doom boggslite’s other three hitters that combined for 88 points on $12200 salary.
CLOSING NOTE
Anyone who has questions or concerns can email me. DO NOT EMAIL ME ASKING FOR PROJECTIONS. I’ll ignore such requests. Below are the most recent installments of the series. Visit my profile to check out the full selection. I started creating these in late April. I’ll do as many of them as time allows.
Previous MLB GPP Winners Study Guides:
TNYooper (Me!), $75, 6-22-18 (23rd)
TNYooper (Me!), $750, 5-22-18 (15th)
Lixitandstixit, $7.5K, 5-10-18
Joshua Huffman was born and collegiately edumacated in Middle Tennessee. That said, Huffman spent 13-plus years with the type of Northern Wisconsinites and Yoopers who turn Nashville bars into alcohol wastelands whenever NFC North teams travel to play the Tennessee Titans. This makes him the NoBro of SoBros. He has published content for Yahoo! Sports (via Contributor Network) and Titan Sized, among other venues. At SoBros, he’ll provide Daily Fantasy Sports suggestions and broad sports coverage. Check out more of his musings at his blog, Millennial on Maple Street.