One of the fun specials on DraftKings is the race to 40 home runs! Over the past few days Matt Olson (34), Junior Caminero (34), Hunter Goodman (34) all have gotten hot and are tied or one home run back of the MLB’s leaders, Yordan Alvarez (35 HR) and Kyle Schwarber (35).
The Race to 40 Home Runs:
With Schwarber catching Alvarez and a ton of options behind the two, let’s take a look a the current numbers and prices.
Kyle Schwarber, 35 home runs (+145)
Yordan Alvarez, 35 home runs (+180)
Junior Caminero, 34 home runs (+500)
Any Other Batter (+950) aka Matt Olson, 34 home runs
Hunter Goodman, 34 home runs (+1100)
Ben Rice, 32 home runs (+2500)
One player that is out of the mix after being right in the middle of the race is James Wood (30) who landed on the 10-day IL. My money is on the any other batter or Matt Olson. I sniped this at +2200 and +2800 odds two and three weeks ago, but now it’s more live than ever at +950.
Olson is hitting .294 through nine games in August with an MLB-leading five home runs and the eighth-best OPS (1.162). The Braves are in the midst of a six-game home stand against the Mets and Diamondbacks, then have road trips to Minnesota, Chicago (Sox), then Milwaukee before taking on the Dodgers and Rockies in Atlanta.
Looking at teams that have allowed 10 or more home runs in August already, the Dodgers have permitted the most (19), the Rockies (12) and Brewers (11) make the list, plus the White Sox (.288) and Rockies (.278) are bottom three in opponent batting average, while the Mets (.256), Twins (.256), and Diamondbacks (.247) aren’t far behind. Each matchup presents opportunities for Olson as the sleeper option in this DraftKings special.
I’ll take a shot on any other batter for +950 and ride with Matt Olson for a half-unit. I’d have to imagine that Alvarez, Schwarber, and Caminero have to be taking at least combined 90-95% of the bets for this special.
Pick: Any Other Batter (0.50 unit)
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