FanDuel Price: $3,400
Early on, Lorenzo Cain has provided excess return on the Milwaukee Brewers' investment. Batting atop the Milwaukee lineup, Cain has delivered a .389 on-base percentage, perfect for a leadoff man. However, he may struggle to reach base against the Philadelphia Phillies' Vincent Velasquez.
Velasquez is a big reason the Phillies own the fourth-best starters' ERA (3.36) in baseball. He has struggled with allowing hard contact throughout his career, but in 2018 he has held opposing hitters to a 29.6% hard-hit rate. He has also been fantastic at making batters whiff, as indicated by his 11.9% swinging-strike rate. And to boot, he has held right-handed hitters to a .236 wOBA this year, striking them out 31.5% of the time.
Cain is not the same hitter that he is against southpaws when he has to face a right-handed pitcher. In fact, his career 101 wRC+ against right-handed pitching pales in comparison to his 130 wRC+ against left-handed hurlers. With just a career 28.9% fly-ball rate and 28.4% hard-hit rate against right-handed pitching, Cain doesn't offer much upside even when facing an average right-handed pitcher, much less one who has been as successful as Velasquez has this season.