A huge day for baseball, and a lot of big tourneys for big cash. Interestingly, though, not a ton of terrific plays today. Luckily, you've come to the place that has them all in one convenient article!
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If you're coming over from basketball - welcome. If you're a lifelong fantasy baseball player, welcome. I want to give a quick heads up about how we are going to do our baseball picks.
Unlike basketball, contextual information matters very little baseball. Guys rarely take days off, and "playing well recently" means almost nothing. Playing time hardly ever changes (unlike in basketball where guys can increase their opportunities by 50% on a coach's whim), and when it does, it's fairly obvious.
So, we're going to be giving picks each day without huge write-ups. The only thing that changes about a player in a given day (for the most part) is the park he's playing in and the pitcher he is facing. Most of the other stuff is noise, unless a player has drastically changed his position in the lineup. For pitchers, all that really matters is who they are facing, which park, and if they've been recently injured.
We cool?
Let's do it.
Corey Kluber FanDuel 6000 DraftKings 7300 DraftStreet 17596
Easily my favorite pitcher play of the day, and he'll be a monstrous start everywhere. The Dads are a horrendous 28th in the majors vs. right handed pitching, and Kluber is no slouch of a righty to begin with. Nice potential for Ks, IP, and the eventual W.
Gio Gonzalez FanDuel 8300 DraftKings 9900 DraftStreet 20886
I prefer Kluber to Gio, but if you are fixing to spend at pitcher (and I know a lot of you are), I love Gio over Scherzer or Bailey. The reason? Opponent, baby. Of the three, Gio has the best match-up by a country mile. The Marlins were shockingly bad against lefties last year, only missing last place to the Mariners by .06 OPS points.
Trevor Cahill FanDuel 5300 DraftKings 7400 DraftStreet 10089This might seem like an odd play, given what happened to Cahill his last time out against the Giants - but there's a big difference in this one. The park. The Giants' ballpark is a lot more pitcher friendly than Bank One, and Cahill stands to be a major benefactor. Cahill is a risky, and somewhat contrarian play. GPP only.
Wilin Rosario FanDuel 3500 DraftKings 4000 DraftStreet 6679
Rosario is one of the most tremendous platoon split guys in the majors. Against lefties, he's essentially delivered Albert Pujols' career line. Against righties, he's more like Alberto Callaspo. Either way, he's an awesome start against Quintana in Coors.
Mike Zunino FanDuel 2200 DraftKings 2600 DraftStreet 5456
If Zunino gets the start, he's got more than enough talent to pay off these bargain basement prices. His price will tick upward into the $2,700 range as his playing time becomes assured and his performance comes together - so I'll be buying while the price is low, especially against less than formidable starting pitchers.
Dioner Navarro FanDuel 2500 DraftKings 2900 DraftStreet 5530
Going to keep trotting Navarro out against lefties, and not feeling badly about it at all. The guy can simply hit them, and his back-up-esque price tag is unfair - especially against relatively underwhelming lefties like Oberholtzer.
Joey Votto FanDuel 3900 DraftKings 5100 DraftStreet 6634
Disclaimer: Votto is one of my favorite players ever. He has a remarkable tendency to make hard contact, having popped up at an historically low rate. He's torched righties for a .996 OPS over the course of his career, and should do nicely against Lynn and the Cards today.
Ryan Howard FanDuel 3200 DraftKings 4300 DraftStreet 5758
Another righty specialist, Howard's only utility in his present form is to crush right handed pitching, and especially in the band box in Philly. Lohse makes a great match-up for him, as Howard's weakness has always been having a little too much swing and miss. Could be a monster game.
Mark Reynolds FanDuel 2900 DraftKings 3200 DraftStreet 5281
I may like Reynolds' upside better than both Howard and Votto, and it mostly comes down to price. Kendrick's pitch to contact approach is the stuff of Reynolds' dreams, and even though Reynolds prefers lefties, his platoon split isn't as large as his reputation as a free swinger would suggest. He's also playing in Philly, which is a great boon to his homer possibilities.
Neil Walker FanDuel 3000 DraftKings 3700 DraftStreet 6053
Walker's my play of the day today at 2B. The reason? Walker is quietly a huge platoon split guy - even more so than Murphy below. He loves facing righties, and Wrigley field is a rather significantly hitter-friendly park.
Daniel Murphy FanDuel 2800 DraftKings 3800 DraftStreet 6321
Well known idiot Boomer Esiason made fun of Murphy for being a real man and taking paternity leave, but I couldn't care less about Murphy's parenthood status. All I know is that he's more than a serviceable fantasy option vs. righties, and the aging Harang should present Murphy with some nice on-base and run scoring opportunities.
Kolten Wong FanDuel 2500 DraftKings 3600 DraftStreet 4561
Wong did just what we needed him to do against Cingrani, and even batting near the bottom of the lineup, he can produce value against Bailey at these ridiculously low prices. He'd be a lot higher if he didn't bat 8th, but he's still playable with his on-base and running abilities.
Derek Jeter FanDuel 2800 DraftKings 4200 DraftStreet 6747
Perhaps the overall play of the day. Though he's slowing down in his advanced age, it is worth mentioning that Jeter owns a career 920 OPS against left handers. Chen is no bulldog, and doesn't K a ton of guys. I like Jeter's chance at significant contact today.
Asdrubal Cabrera FanDuel 3100 DraftKings 4100 DraftStreet 5133
As a switch hitter, Asdrubal is better against righties and we're targeting, when we can, guys who aren't facing the elite pitchers. Tyson Ross, while not an abomination, isn't terrific.
Troy Tulowitzki FanDuel 4700 DraftKings 5200 DraftStreet 7998
He's a little steep on the other sites, especially against a guy like Quintana who can produce the K. But the R/L split is still in effect and DraftStreet has him in the upper midrange
Pedro Alvarez FanDuel 3600 DraftKings 3900 DraftStreet 5852
When you see Walker on this list, you'll usually see Alvarez. He's a righty crusher as well, and Wrigley plays to all of his strengths.
Mike Moustakas FanDuel 2700 DraftKings 3600 DraftStreet 4656
Moustakas is always a risk, but even though he's been unspectacular in his young career, he can still provide nice value against right handed pitching. The power potential alone is worth a risk here.
Adrian BeltreA fantastic play on Draftstreet, and a fine play elsewhere, Beltre is primed to get his season back on track against his former team. He was always a beast at pounding balls off the Monster, and has always seen the ball better against lefties to begin with. Throw in the mediocre Doubront, and you've got a nice play at a premium price.
Alfonso Soriano FanDuel 3400 DraftKings 3900 DraftStreet 4676
Soriano can still crush the ball when he gets the right match-up, and Wei-Yin Chen is such a match-up. Slow start or no, I love Soriano today, especially in Yankee stadium.
Marcell Ozuna FanDuel 2700 DraftKings 4000 DraftStreet 6288
Ozuna is off to a fantastic start to the year, and while he's still not playable against righties, the .900 career OPS vs. lefties for his career is a lot to get for his low price tag. End of the batting order is the only thing holding him back from the #1 slot, even against a tough pitcher like Gonzalez.
Bryce Harper FanDuel 3900 DraftKings 4600 DraftStreet 5895
Terrific match-up for the lefty Harper in Henderson Alvarez. With no swing-and-miss pitch, Alvarez is going to have a tough time doing anything at all in this match-up.
Drew Stubbs FanDuel 2700 DraftKings 3500 DraftStreet 5878
I knew it would only be a matter of time before I could recommend Drew Stubbs - and here I am! I can't say for sure that he'll get the start, but I don't know why else he's on the team if not to play against lefties like Quintana at home.
Austin Jackson FanDuel 3200 DraftKings 4100 DraftStreet 6459
Jackson has been super consistent so far this year, and draws the wild-card of Dan Haren. Jackson is one of the rare reverse-platoon guys - with a solid .60 OPS advantage vs. right handed pitchers vs. lefties. Could be a nice game, especially if Haren doesn't bounce back this year the way my Scoresheet team hopes he does!
Nick Markakis FanDuel 2800 DraftKings 4100 DraftStreet 5314
Pretty much a stadium and platoon thing - Markakis prefers righties, and Yankee stadium is a great place for lefties to hit.
Jay Bruce FanDuel 3800 DraftKings 4400 DraftStreet 6493
Makes for a nice combo with Votto - Bruce generates almost all of his considerable fantasy value against righties, and Lynn throws with his right hand when he pitches baseballs against opposing batters.
Denard Span FanDuel 3200 DraftKings 3700 DraftStreet 6161
A nice stack for the Washington outfielders - I could see Span collaborating with Harper and scoring a couple runs on a few times reaching base vs. the pitch-to-contact Alvarez.
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