Man I love Saturdays in baseball. Just an all-day affair that allows me to ignore my family for hours on end. Perfect.
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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.
Scott Kazmir FanDuel 7000 DraftKings 5000 DraftStreet 21601
A ton to love about Kazmir going into this matchup today. Though he's running a little hot with a .220 Babip against, his peripherals looks great to start the season. He's K-ing close to 9/9 and his BB/9 is pretty much at a career low. Add that in to the opponent in the Astros and you've got a recipe for a great game. Houston has a K% of 22% and an OPS of .634 against lefties so far this season. Kazmir's price is a little steep on DraftStreet, but a great play everywhere else.
Ervin Santana FanDuel 6500 DraftKings 11700 DraftStreet 18719
To call the Mets a light hitting bunch is an insult to some Little League teams I was on. Their lineup is weak. Just look at what Aaron Harang did to them last night. They are near the bottom of the league in OPS v/ right handers at .648 and are striking out a ton. Meanwhile, Santana has come out guns blazing to start the year. He shut the Mets down ten days ago and smoked the Phillies in between. Look for him to keep it rolling against New York again today.
Matt Garza FanDuel 7000 DraftKings 9400 DraftStreet 18664
Garza is just steady Eddy. He seems to do the same thing year in and year out. He isn't an ace by any means, but he's consistent. And I like that in cash games. He strikes out just enough guys to give you those needed points and he can be counted on to go about seven innings. The Pirates are in the bottom half of the league in striking out against righties and they've got a team wOBA of only around 300. That makes for a nice matchup for Garza and he'll be making his way into some of my cash game plays.
Consider: Corey Kluber
Buster Posey FanDuel 3400 DraftKings 5000 DraftStreet 7055
Most days Buster is the top catching option from a total point perspective. That doesn't mean it's always correct to play him. He can get overpriced mostly because the position is so weak. But today is a day I will be running him out there. Eric Stults has three things against him in this matchup. He's lefty, he doesn't strike anyone out, and he sucks. All of those aspects of his repertoire, plus Posey's ability to destroy lefties to the tune of about a 900 OPS make Buster nearly a must start.
Carlos Ruiz FanDuel 2800 DraftKings 3800 DraftStreet 5755
I'll be playing Posey nearly everywhere and I don't think much will get me away from him. But if you want to go a different direction, go cheap. Ruiz has a little pop and is playing in Coors. I much prefer when he faces lefties as the OPS is under 700 against righties. But he gets the mile high bump.
A.J. Pierzynski FanDuel 2600 DraftKings 3400 DraftStreet 5370
Again, if no Posey then go cheap. You are going to see other Red Sox here tonight because Bud Norris is trash and their lefties should go off against him. AJ is better against righties and I'm not overly concerned about Norris racking up strikeouts along the way.
David Ortiz FanDuel 3500 DraftKings 4300 DraftStreet 7435
Speaking of the Red Sox. I think Papi is your top first base (DH) option tonight. He got a routine day off yesterday and should be ready to rock and roll tonight. Bud Norris, as previously stated, isn't a monster threat though he has been able to strike out some guys over the years. This season not so much. Ortiz is priced below some of the other big name first basemen. Let others overpay and grab Papi tonight.
Ryan Howard FanDuel 3400 DraftKings 4800 DraftStreet 7617
Didn't play last night in the first game of the series against the Rockies. Should be in the lineup today and as long as he's facing righties in Coors, I'm going to be putting him in the picks. He's far from the masher, but he can still put one out. And though the Rockies have done a good job cultivating ground ball pitchers like Lyles, the upside is still there on Howard. He had nearly an 880 OPS platoon split last season. This is a good spot to stick him in some GPPs.
Justin Morneau FanDuel 3100 DraftKings 4600 DraftStreet 8110
The Phillies brought all the wrong pitchers to Coors Field for this trip. Last night Pettibone got rocked. Tonight Kendrick could provide more of the same futility. While not complete garbage, Kendrick isn't good and pitches primarily to contact. That is a bad recipe for the thin air in Denver and Morneau is a guy you'll see a great deal in our picks this season. He's come out of the gate swinging a hot bat.
Consider: Eric Hosmer and Nick Swisher
Ian Kinsler FanDuel 3800 DraftKings 5000 DraftStreet 8118
I don't love the matchup and on a day with so many weak arms taking the bump, I'll mostly be targeting the losers and not guys like CJ Wilson. But Kinsley is strong against southpaws, sporting a .359 wOBA last season in those splits. That, combined many other second base options having tougher matchups and I will have Ian in some lineups.
Ryan Raburn FanDuel 2200 DraftKings 2700 DraftStreet 4626
When you see Raburn show up in these picks, rest assured there's a lefty on the hill. Dude basically makes a living beasting on lefties. He had over a 1K OPS against them last season and the Tribe will have him in the lineup when guys like Mark Buehrle are on the mound. Buehrle is what he is: a league average pitcher you want to target with the right guys. This isn't the last Indian you'll see on this list.
DJ LeMahieu FanDuel 2500 DraftKings 3900 DraftStreet 6059
Love him more for the price and idea that the Rockies will turn the order over an extra time or two today.
Consider: Aaron Hill
Troy Tulowitzki FanDuel 4600 DraftKings 5500 DraftStreet 9007
I'm sure you're privy to his Friday night. He's good at baseball. 'Nuff said. You'll have to pay to get him today, but shortstop is weak and speculative on its best nights. And this isn't one of its best nights. In cash games Tulo is safe with a ton of upside built in especially against a mediocre pitcher.
Everth Cabrera FanDuel 3000 DraftKings 4300 DraftStreet 4388
This is kind of what I'm talking about when I say shortstop is weak. It's not that I don't like Everth. He's useful in certain situations. But his upside is limited because he doesn't provide the long ball. He needs to get on base and then steal a bag to start paying off. Not saying you can't count on it, just that I will probably find other places to save in order to get Tulo in. But our system does like Cabrera as a top dollar-for-dollar option against Hudson today.
Jimmy Rollins FanDuel 3200 DraftKings 5200 DraftStreet 8872
Same reason many other Phillies make the list.
Consider: JJ Hardy
Carlos Santana FanDuel 3000 DraftKings 4300 DraftStreet 4856
While I wouldn't hit the panic button on Santana quite yet, I have seen others do it. That's great news for you as others will look at his .157 batting average and no home runs as reasons not to play him. Don't be that guy/girl. DFS rewards patience. Santana was real good last season against lefties with a .375 wOBA. He gets off the schneid today against Buehrle.
Kyle Seager FanDuel 3000 DraftKings 3600 DraftStreet 4667
I'm actually surprised more lefty Mariners didn't make it to the top of our system today. They ended up hovering more in the top third at respective positions rather than in the upper echelon. Part of this is the park as Miami significantly cuts into power numbers (unless you're Giancarlo Stanton). Seager though makes a nice fit at 3B on a weaker night. He hits righties well and Alvarez doesn't rack up many K's.
Aramis Ramirez FanDuel 3300 DraftKings 4800 DraftStreet 8238
Aramis smokes lefties and Wandy Rodriguez doesn't offer much in the way of resistance. Many of the Brewers, like the Mariners, show up in the upper third of their positions, but Aramis is one of the top 3B options on the night.
Consider: Martin Prado
Michael Cuddyer FanDuel 3600 DraftKings 4500 DraftStreet 8072
He didn't play last night with a tweaked hamstring, but I've seen that he could come back today. Injuries like that don't concern me too much when it comes to expectations on power. Cuddyer, like his Rockie teammates is in a great spot tonight against Kendrick and you should be looking to stack as many as you can get into your lineups.
Alex Gordon FanDuel 3000 DraftKings 3900 DraftStreet 6554
Alex Gordon is actually more of a reverse splits guy over his career, meaning I'm usually more inclined to offer him against lefties. But Kevin Correia might as well try throwing the ball with his opposite hand because his right one isn't really getting the job done.
Domonic Brown FanDuel 3300 DraftKings 4200 DraftStreet 7498
Again, as long as he's playing in Coors, he can go yard. System likes him a bunch today and I'm going to have him in some lineups on the power upside. It is worth stacking Phillies in some spots because the upside is definitely there.
Billy Hamilton FanDuel 2800 DraftKings 4100 DraftStreet 6631
There was a .gif making the rounds yesterday of a swing Hamilton took in the first inning of yesterday's game. It was one of the worst things I've ever seen. But he did end up getting on base in the game and swiping a bag. Those are things that make Hamilton worth considering at times. Edwin Jackson is prone to walking guys and if Hamilton can show even a little patience today, he's off to the races.
Nelson Cruz FanDuel 3200 DraftKings 3900 DraftStreet 6922
Cruz is much better against lefties and Felix Doubront is a feast or famine type pitcher. When the wheels come off, guys start circling the bases. I would consider Cruz in GPPs only because of the power potential. But Doubront strikes to many guys out to make Cruz safe in double up formats.
Consider: Grady Sizemore and Daniel Nava
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