MLB

4 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on 4/18/17

Jason Schandl  —  @JasonSchandl Apr 18th, 2017
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Edwin Encarnacion, 1B, Cleveland Indians

Price: $3,400

Edwin Encarnacion's bottom-line production has been pretty unimpressive to start the season, but there are some positives underneath the surface. He has a 48.3% hard-hit rate, ranks in the top 50 in average exit velocity and ranks in the top 30 average batted-ball distance. His shaky production to start the year is nothing to be concerned about as long as he can get his 34.5% strikeout rate back to normal levels (19.7% last season).

Encarnacion brings those nice batted-ball numbers into an excellent matchup tonight against Minnesota Twins righty Phil Hughes.

Hughes posted a career-worst 5.04 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) in 2016 after finishing 2015 with a rough 4.39 SIERA, and through two starts this year, his SIERA sits at 4.71. He has posted reverse platoon splits over his career, allowing better contact to right-handed hitters than to lefties. Righties crushed him for a 39.6% hard-hit rate in 2016, so he's likely going to struggle with a guy crushing the ball the way Encarnacion has been.

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