Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftStreet, and DraftKings for 5/18/14

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Pitchers

David Price FanDuel 9500 DraftKings 11700 DraftStreet 22309
It's a day to spend on pitching. Price squares off against Matt Shoemaker, who had a 6.31 ERA in Triple A this year. Price's ERA is riduculously inflated, and his insane 70 K: 6 BB ratio on the season should turn that ERA around right quick. Anaheim is one of the very best places to pitch in the majors. Price will be a huge start today.

Felix Hernandez FanDuel 9800 DraftKings 11800 DraftStreet 24949
King Felix has sort of... not been himself recently. But the guy still has a sub 3 xFIP and more than a K per inning. The Twins haven't been a doormat when it comes to hitting this year, but Nolasco has been an absolute mess, and this one looks like one of Felix's best opportunities for a W with some Ks on the side in a while.

A bunch of guys with upside & question marks.

It's an odd day for pitching. Aside from the two big guns, you have guys with things going for them and things really weighing against them. Cingrani faces the Phillies - who are much worse against lefties... but he opposes Cliff Lee. Anibal Sanchez has been striking guys out in heaps, and gets to face the struggling Jake Peavy, but has those pesky Red Sox hitters to contend with in Fenway. For my money? I'm spending on pitching today.

 

Catchers

Jonathan Lucroy FanDuel 3600 DraftKings 4200 DraftStreet 6729
Lucroy is a really strange player. And by strange, I mean awesome. He's a true lefty crusher, but he does it in such a unique way for guys who play behind home plate. His 900 OPS and 145 wRC+ against lefties should tell you all you need to know as to why Lucroy tops the catcher ranks today.

Brian McCann FanDuel 3100 DraftKings 3800 DraftStreet 5969
All aboard the Brian McCann train! A disciplined hitter like McCann shouldn't be too fooled by Morton's trickery, and taking the slugging left handed catcher in Yankee stadium vs. any righty can never be a bad thing.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia FanDuel 2600 DraftKings 3400 DraftStreet 4666
Salty ended a recent hitless streak with 4 hits on Friday, and Vogelsong represents a terrific match-up for him. He's only playable against righties to begin with, and Vogelsong's skill-set syncs up perfectly to mask Salty's weaknesses. A nice bargain for a player who could have a big game, even in a terrible park.

Also considered: Carlos Ruiz, Yasmani Grandal, Miguel Montero.

 

First Basemen

Adam Dunn FanDuel 2900 DraftKings 3500 DraftStreet 4438
Dunn was simply born for this moment. Peacock's 26 walks allowed in 38 innings, and his propensity to give up the long ball, have a huge game for Dunn written all over them.

Mark Teixeira FanDuel 3600 DraftKings 4800 DraftStreet 7016
Tex gets another of those awesome match-ups for him - facing a right handed pitcher who doesn't strike anyone out at home. I don't have data on how Teixeira performs against knuckle-ballers, but I think Morton will be seriously exposed in this game.

Paul Goldschmidt FanDuel 3900 DraftKings 5000 DraftStreet 7617
I rarely get to play Goldschmidt due to the price, but it seems as though the stars are aligning in this one. While Haren has been back to his old self this season, I still don't trust him to not give up the long ball in a park like Bank One. His hr/fb% is less than half of his career average, and that just isn't going to stand. My guess? Goldie dips into that number in this game.

Also considered: Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder (Update: He's out)

 

Second Basemen

Jose Altuve FanDuel 3200 DraftKings 4600 DraftStreet 6815
Little Jose has been tearing the cover off the ball recently, and Danks is simply off the rails at this point in his career. I'm guessing Altuve takes advantage of many of Danks' missed spots, and sprays line-drives all over the place.

Neil Walker FanDuel 3100 DraftKings 4400 DraftStreet 6617
For whatever reason, Walker seems to bore most Daily Fantasy Baseball players. Not me. Pulling an .800 OPS from the 2b position is no small feat, and Walker is actually better than that against right-handers. Throw in a great park, and I love Walker in any format today.

Robinson Cano FanDuel 3600 DraftKings 5000 DraftStreet 7259
At some point, something has to give with Cano, right? He can't play like this all year, right? Right??? He's been making great contact recently, and Nolasco is certainly a pitcher who has allowed some great contact in his career. I am all about squeezing Cano in today, until his price climbs back to where it will be by the end of the season.

Also considered: Brandon Phillips, Aaron Hill.

 

Shortstops

Everth Cabrera FanDuel 2400 DraftKings 3700 DraftStreet 4228
While Cabrera doesn't get the same boost from playing in Coors that most do (his game is speed and scoring), those batting around him will - which should give Cabrera plenty of opportunity for running and run scoring.

Jose Reyes FanDuel 3700 DraftKings 5000 DraftStreet 8600
Reyes has been super unlucky this year, with a BABIP fully 100 points below his career-established levels. His K and BB numbers look good, and he's making hard contact. Look for Reyes to really get back on track against Martinez in this one.

Ian Desmond FanDuel 2800 DraftKings 3700 DraftStreet 5188
Desmond is sort of a distant third for me at shortstop today, but there's a lot to like about this match up with Wheeler. Desmond's been a lot better against righties this year, and Wheeler has struggled mightily with his command. It could be a big day for Nats hitters.

 

Third Basemen

Pablo Sandoval FanDuel 2500 DraftKings 3800 DraftStreet 5369
Big Panda is at the top of the heap for me today when it comes to guys at the hot corner for two simple reasons. First, he's a reverse platoon split guy, and he's facing a righty. Second, Jacob Turner is both right-handed and terrible. That's pretty much it.

Matt Carpenter FanDuel 3200 DraftKings 4200 DraftStreet 6333
You aren't more disappointed in Matt Carpenter's season than I am. You just aren't, so stop it. I'm wondering where the power and the batting average are more than you, I promise. That being said, Carpenter has a lot going for him in this game. He's facing a right handed pitcher, and that pitcher happens to be Gavin Floyd - who struggled in the minors before pitching pretty well so far this year. I like Matt Carpenter's 138 wRC+ against righties to handle Floyd and deliver a nice number.

Pedro Alvarez FanDuel 3300 DraftKings 4100 DraftStreet 5540
Yup, it's Pirates lefty day again. Facing the right handed Kuroda in a park as good as Yankee Stadium is for left handed hitters means I'm going to have at least a couple Walker/Alvarez stacks in play today.

Also considered: Kyle Seager, Manny Machado, Chase Headley

 

Outfielders

Jacoby Ellsbury FanDuel 3600 DraftKings 4600 DraftStreet 6879
Ellsbury tops the OF list again today in both the system's heart and my own. I think Charlie Morton implosion of 2014 starts with a single day in the Bronx, and features a lot of Ellsbury crossing home plate and high fiving guys as he over-eagerly races to the dug-out.

George Springer FanDuel 2900 DraftKings 3400 DraftStreet 4693
Springer delivered yesterday, as predicted, and now brings his inhuman athleticism to bear against what's left of John Danks' left arm. I'm picturing hard contact, lots of running, and lots of chagrined looks from Mr. Danks.

Coco Crisp FanDuel 3100 DraftKings 3800 DraftStreet 8007
It sure helps to be a switch hitter or a lefty against Justin Masterson, and Crisp is that. Crisp should be able to get on base against Masterson, and could take advantage of his unorthodox delivery for a stolen base or two. Really love Crisp today.

Ryan Braun FanDuel 4600 DraftKings 5700 DraftStreet 9300
I'll probably play Braun today, if only because it's fun to root for guys who always play the game the right way and never raise the suspicion of the public when it comes to PED use. Okay, that's not the reason I'll be playing him. I'll be taking on the big expense for Braun today because he can still crush it, and he can especially crush it against mediocre lefties like Wood in terrific hitters' parks like Wrigley.

Shin-Soo Choo FanDuel 4200 DraftKings 5000 DraftStreet 7889
Choo is a fun guy to play whenever he's up against a right-hander, and the league seems to have finally figured out RA Dickey. While Dickey still gets his Ks, his lack of command could lead to mistakes that a hitter of Choo's caliber could deposit to any place in or out of the field that he choo(!)ses.

Matt Joyce FanDuel 2900 DraftKings 3700 DraftStreet 4900
Joyce will likely be a popular play - he often is when he gets to face a right handed pitcher. I personally love him against the young Shoemaker, who hasn't seen hitters that can kill right handed pitching the way Joyce can.

Matt Holliday FanDuel 3300 DraftKings 4800 DraftStreet 5886
Holliday reaches this list due to the system's skepticism about the recently injured Floyd. I can't explain the decline in power, but Holliday's other numbers look good - he's a BABIP correction from being perfectly serviceable, and I think he will put together a decent performance against Floyd.

Also considered: Austin Jackson, Desmond Jennings, Christian Yelich, Jason Heyward, Chris Carter, Allen Craig.

 

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