FanDuel Price: $9,200
John Lackey is having a career year in his age-37 season. So far in 2016, he’s posted a career-high in strikeouts per nine innings (8.93), swinging strike percentage (12.6), and xFIP (3.22). He’s shown major upside, with two 11-strikeout games thus far.
Despite this success, his ERA has actually jumped more than a full point to 4.02, thanks to an unexplainable career-high hard hit rate allowed of 38.9 percent.
Luckily, he faces the Padres tonight, who haven’t hit any pitcher hard (or hit them at all, really). Here’s a look at their MLB ranks versus right-handed pitching:
| Padres vs RHP | Total | MLB rank |
|---|---|---|
| Strikeout Rate | 25.8 | 28th |
| ISO | 0.122 | 27th |
| wOBA | 0.277 | 29th |
As a -205 favorite tonight, supported by the Cubs’ offense, which is an MLB-leading plus-103 in run differential, Lackey is an excellent option in any format.