Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftStreet, and DraftKings 5/29/14

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Pitchers

Gerrit Cole FanDuel 8100 DraftKings 9700 DraftStreet 15715
I'll be real with you: It's a tough day to pick quality starting pitchers. Cole gets pole position here largely because he's a safe-ish way to invest a good portion of your salary at what could be a good multiplier. The good news first: the Dodgers strike out in 24% of their at bats against right handers, and their home stadium is a terrific place to pitch. The bad news? They're also the owners of a .782 OPS against righties. This play is not without risk - but the upside is there with Cole's K potential.

If you don't like Cole, you can always go with...

Dan Haren FanDuel 7800 DraftKings 9500 DraftStreet 17556

Haren is enjoying a terrific bounceback year, with the hallmark control returning alongside a sane HR rate. The Pirates are a mediocre offense, and as previously stated - LA is a great place to pitch. I don't think I've ever recommended pitchers who are opposing one another, but here I am. What can I say? It's a short slate. Haren gets the 1a position due to his reduced K abilities in comparison to Cole.

Jaime Garcia FanDuel 5500 DraftKings 9200 DraftStreet 15334
You don't question Garcia's talent - you question his ability to stay healthy. Early returns this year seem to indicate that he's maintained his old stuff. 12 Ks against no walks in 12 innings. SF is a pretty solid offense, but there is a ton of upside here on such a low price. Vogelsong is up to his old smoke and mirrors routine, but I could certainly see the Cardinals running him out of town and handing Garcia a win alongside a handful of Ks.

Also considered: Tony Cingrani, and Blech. Ubaldo Jimenez?

 

Catchers

Buster Posey FanDuel 3400 DraftKings 4400 DraftStreet 7115
As Dr. Dre would say, "Mister, Buster, where the {heck} you at, you can't strap a lick, but you know you got your gat, your {self} all hard, from {screwing} your road dogs - the hood you threw up wit', {people} you grew up wit'." I'm not sure what that has to do with Buster Posey, but I do know this: Posey was placed on planet earth to hit left handed pitching, and as much as I believe in Garcia in this game, Posey boasts an OPS over 1.000 against left handed pitching. On a short slate, you can't ask for much more than that.

Yadier Molina FanDuel 3300 DraftKings 4500 DraftStreet 6095
The man responsible for my worst moment as a sports fan, is one of the most infuriating success stories in the majors, to me. I don't know where the power "appeared" from, or why he's so damned good, but he just is. And he's good again this year. And he's facing a pitcher who isn't very good. I need to stop talking about this - just play Molina, especially if you are stacking Cards today.

Jason Castro FanDuel 3100 DraftKings 4000 DraftStreet 4295
A not to Castro, who has been an excellent hitter when facing righties in his young career (an .800 OPS and a 119 wRC+). Jimenez has put some Ks together this year, and Castro is certainly susceptible there, but there's a lot of upside for the young Astro in this game.

 

First Basemen

Chris Davis FanDuel 4400 DraftKings 5200 DraftStreet 8670
Davis is my play of the day, but I'm not exactly going out on a limb. The newly minted father faces one Brad Peacock, who has amassed a staggering 30 walks in 44 IP this year. This is a mismatch of the first degree, and it isn't hard to see Davis planting a Peacock offering in the right field bleachers.

Albert Pujols FanDuel 3700 DraftKings 5300 DraftStreet 9134
It's been awfully nice to see Pujols back to at least a poor man's version of his prime. The walks might never return, but his isolated power numbers are near-peak, and for we daily fantasy baseball players, that's all we can ask for. Maurer is arguably the worst pitcher to be given the ball to start a game this season, with a lowly 15Ks against 10 BBs in 28 IP this year. It's mismatch day at 1b, and Pujols is dressed the part.

Justin Smoak FanDuel 2700 DraftKings 3700 DraftStreet 4651
Matt Shoemaker is actually not a terrible pitcher, but Smoak and the Ms are all about facing the right-handers, and Shoemaker still is certainly a below league average pitcher. Shoemaker gives up a lot of hard hit balls (historically very high BABIP in the minors), and Smoak makes much more solid contact against righties. I far prefer the guys above him, but if you're going for a Seattle stack, Smoak is a pretty reasonable play.

Also considered: Ryan Howard, Freddie Freeman

 

Second Basemen

Howie Kendrick FanDuel 3100 DraftKings 4800 DraftStreet 6945
On a tough day for second basemen, Kendrick stands out like a beacon in the night. He's having arguably his best offensive season, and is spraying line drives everywhere. The increased walk-rate is really adding to his run scoring opportunities, and the platoon-neutral Kendrick should feast on Maurer's sub-par offerings.

Dustin Pedroia FanDuel 3400 DraftKings 4800 DraftStreet 6808
Mike Minor is a solid pitcher, but the diminutive Pedroia is a true lefty killer. It's tempting to not think of batting-champion-types as big platoon guys, but Pedroia boasts a wRC+ nearly 20 points higher against left handed pitching. Toss in Pedroia's terrific home park, and Pedroia is a pretty nice play.

Chase Utley FanDuel 3800 DraftKings 5200 DraftStreet 7843
Even this watered down version of Utley is still more than enough fantasy player for this price, and hitting against a right hander in Citizen's Band Box park has always been his favorite position to be in. Zack Wheeler is a nice developing pitcher, but he still has a LOT to figure out, and I suspect the veteran Phillies left-handers will give him a tough go of it today.

Also considered: Robinson Cano (nearly made it), Daniel Murphy

 

Shortstops

Xander Bogaerts FanDuel 3100 DraftKings 3800 DraftStreet 5559
I write this every time I pick Bogaerts, but it bears repeating. The guy has an otherworldly 179 wRC+ against left handed pitching so far in his career. That's 20 points higher than Miguel Cabrera. It's 8 points higher than Albert Pujols. Now, it's a smallish sample size and all, but as far as I'm concerned, the jury is in: Bogaerts is simply a must play against all but the very very best left handed pitchers.

Elvis Andrus FanDuel 3200 DraftKings 4100 DraftStreet 7374
Andrus doesn't mind playing away from home, and Samuel Deduno is just the kind of guy he likes to face. Deduno is A) Bad and B) doesn't really strike anyone out. Andrus could easily get on base a couple of times and get knocked in by the big boys batting behind him.

Erick Aybar FanDuel 3000 DraftKings 4200 DraftStreet 5122
Just another guy in the Maurer pile-on - if everyone else on the Angels is crushing Maurer, they'll likely be knocking in Aybar. Not a whole lot else to say.

Also considered: Jed Lowrie

 

Third Basemen

Kyle Seager FanDuel 3000 DraftKings 3800 DraftStreet 5918
Seager is a fantastically underrated player when he's in the right situation. Facing off against the young Shoemaker, a righty, is exactly where he wants to be. Not only will his own position be more favorable, but the rest of the Seattle lefties will have increased opportunity as well. The park isn't a great place or anything, but Seager should be in great position for a solid (if unspectacular) performance. Safest play at 3B by a mile, for me.

David Wright FanDuel 3600 DraftKings 4700 DraftStreet 5743
I'm bucking the system here to some degree, but I am not buying David Buchanan as a major league pitcher at this point in his career. Having watched more David Wright at bats than probably any player in history (eye-ball test alert!), I've seen him abuse more young pitchers than I care to remember. It's hard to imagine Buchanan lasting for more than a handful of innings in this game, and more than a handful of starts in 2014.

I'm having trouble deciding between...
Adrian Beltre, Pedro Alvarez, and Matt Carpenter. I like Beltre for the platoon matchup against a young pitcher, Alvarez for his righty-killer potential (and Haren's potential to blow up, HR wise), and Carpenter because he won't need to hit for power to have a very solid performance against Vogelsong.

 

Outfielders

Coco Crisp FanDuel 3000 DraftKings 3800 DraftStreet 7227
Crisp makes for a very nice play against the young Porcello, who stays around the zone, but doesn't strike a ton of guys out. Crisp can score fantasy points in a number of ways, and Porcello's recent pumpkin performance as my eyebrow raised. I'll definitely play Crisp in all double-ups, and I'd be tempted to take him in GPPs as well.

Matt Holliday FanDuel 3500 DraftKings 4900 DraftStreet 7148
Holliday is coming off his best game of the season, and if the power is returning, he's essentially a must-start against Vogelsong. Holliday is one of the rare reverse-platoon split guys, and a lot of Cards are showing up high in the system's ranking for the short slate today. Holliday could wind up being the highest scoring outfielder, and I wouldn't blink at all.

Mike Trout FanDuel 4700 DraftKings 5900 DraftStreet 9444
You always pay when you want Trout, but this seems like a scenario in which to do it. Trout is pretty platoon neutral, and again, the system couldn't think less of Maurer if it tried. The price is actually down a bit here, and it could be a quintessential Trout game.

Jose Bautista FanDuel 4000 DraftKings 5300 DraftStreet 8979
You might be surprised to see Bautista ranking this high against a decent righty, but he's actually got a damned good track record against right-handers, and it's a short slate. Bautista's incredible patience makes him a lot safer than most sluggers of his caliber, and I honestly don't mind him in GPPs or Double Ups today. The only knock against him is that Shields might hold down the guys batting around him.

Curtis Granderson FanDuel 3200 DraftKings 3700 DraftStreet 5897
One would think that, if the Grandy man has anything left in the tank, he'd show it in this game against Buchanan. Buchanan isn't much of a strikeout pitcher, and he's right handed, which mitigates two of Granderson's biggest weaknesses. The game also takes place in Citizen's Bank Park, which should afford Granderson an opportunity for the "just enough" home runs that he's made a living on. I love pairing him with Wright today.

Billy Hamilton FanDuel 3100 DraftKings 4100 DraftStreet 5874
Hamilton is actually a very serviceable hitter against right-handed pitching, and the upside with the steals is just tremendous. Collmenter isn't exactly the type to take advantage of young players like Hamilton, so I picture Hamilton putting the ball in play and wreaking some havoc if he happens to make it to first base at any point.

Jay Bruce FanDuel 3300 DraftKings 3700 DraftStreet 5350
It has been a dismal year for Bruce. He's striking out a ton, and doesn't appear to even be getting that unlucky. That said, the price is simply too low to ignore him in a game against a guy who doesn't strike anyone out in a terrific park for hitters. A risky play, to be sure, but it could pay off as a great separation play while everyone is chasing the guys above him.

Also considered: Andrew McCutchen, Nick Markakis, Domonic Brown

 

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