3 Daily Fantasy Baseball Players to Avoid on 6/15/18

Andrew Benintendi, OF, Boston Red Sox

FanDuel Price: $4,900

It's unusual, but it's certainly understandable to see Andrew Benintendi priced so high. Since the start of May, Benintendi has an ultra-impressive 186 wRC+ as he has socked 11 home runs in that span. However, there are still a couple reasons to be wary.

Even over this span (start of May to present), however, Benintendi has mustered just a 28.7% hard-hit rate. Benintendi's results are still good despite not hitting the ball particularly well, but that can be attributed to some batted-ball luck and the hitter-friendly confines of Fenway Park. Since Benintendi started to heat up at the beginning of May, he has 25 extra-base hits, although just 9 of those have come on the road.

So Benintendi's hot streak may be nothing more than a product of good fortune and a short left porch in Fenway. But a reason that he is especially overvalued on Friday is that he really hasn't proven the ability to hit left-handed pitching. Over his career, he has just a 70 wRC+ against left-handers, and if we look at how Benintendi has done against southpaws since the start of May, we will be disappointed. The young left-handed bat has a 25.6% strikeout rate and 18.5% hard-hit rate against left-handed pitching since the beginning of May.

Moreover, the left-handed pitcher Benintendi is facing, James Paxton, has a 26.8% strikeout rate, 24.3% fly-ball rate, and 23.3% hard-hit rate against left-handed hitters since the start of last season. That's no bueno for those wanting to ride the Benintendi train this evening.