5 Daily Fantasy Baseball Studs to Target on 7/5/16
Matt Carpenter, 2B, St. Louis Cardinals
FanDuel Price: $4,500
Matt Carpenter is having one of the best leadoff seasons of all time, and he's making a killing against right-handed pitching. Over 236 plate appearances this year, he's putting up a .429 wOBA with a 17.4% walk rate against righties.
As you could've probably guessed, Carpenter is facing a lefty tonight.
Wait, what?
That's right -- Carpenter, a lefty, is still a recommended play when facing a same-sided pitcher, which is what he'll see in Pittsburgh Pirates' starter Steven Brault.
Unlike most left-handed hitters, Carpenter does fine against southpaws, posting a .384 wOBA this year in his at-bats against left-handed pitchers. Much like Donaldson, Carpenter shredded in June, mashing his way to a monstrous .479 wOBA. He hasn't slowed down through the early part of July, recording a .514 wOBA through 15 plate appearances.
Brault is making his big-league debut in this one. Over 35 innings at Triple-A this year, Brault pitched to a 2.81 FIP with a 28.2% strikeout rate, but the Cardinals have an implied total of 4.55 runs.