Daily Fantasy MLB Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings, StarsDraft and DraftPot 9/25/15

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My buddy Bake said he likes the picks better when we don't call pitchers "garbage" and whatnot. And my man was pitcher back in the day. Dude could huck and he's always getting on us when we call major league pitchers names, or making fun of them. I get it, they could strike me out. So in honor of Bake, who struck out a batter per inning for the Allentown Ambassadors in 2002, I'm going to try and give these picks without disparaging a pitcher (or if I do, I'll also say something nice about said pitcher).

Pitchers

If you feel confident about your pitching situation going into this slate of games then I admire your inner fortitude. We should bottle that and sell it to people who have no confidence. Because finding the value on this slate ain't easy.

Carlos Martinez - FD 9600 DK 9800 StarsDraft
Opponent- Mil (Pena) R Park- @Stl
This is one I can actually get behind. Martinez has had a fine enough season with a 3.27 xFIP and a strikeout rate over a batter an inning. He walks a few too many batters (over 3 per nine) which, at times, can inhibit his ability to go late in games. But by and large, this guy is the goods and has has put together a solid 2015 campaign. Today he's the biggest money line favorite on the slate against the Brewers. Milwaukee ranks in the middle of the league against righties this season while striking out about 21% of the time in that split. Martinez won't break the bank for you on either site and I think he's the cash game play for Friday.

Jordan Zimmermann - FD 9600 DK 8600 StarsDraft
Opponent- Phi (Eickhoff) R Park- @Was
Another big favorite on this slate, Zimmermann should be in line for the win against a Phillies team, that even with a moment or two of spark this season, still ranks second to last in the league against righties. They have no real threats to speak of and Zimmermann is a huge favorite for the win. He needs that win because the strikeout expectation isn't as high as some other pitchers on this slate. That being said, dude limits his downside because he walks less than two batters per nine. It allows him a little bit of a longer leash. The prices on Zimm and Martinez allow a lot of flexibility in the rest of your lineup, allowing you to stack up in some of the bigger offensive games.

Catchers

Victor Martinez - FD 2600 DK 3800 StarsDraft 4800
Opponent- Min (Pelfrey) R Park- @Det
V-Mart has become a nightly recommendation around these parts, and the story on him remains the same. If he's going to be this cheap, and he's going to keep batting 5th behind Kinsler, Cabrera, and Martinez, he's going to be one of the highest floor plays possible unless he's facing an ace. And Mike Pelfrey? Not quite an ace, you could say. Still, all accounts were that he was a heck of a teammate when he was on the Mets. It's just that pitching isn't totally his thing. A quick bonus of taking Martinez - James has to stuff a boot in his mouth after claiming Martinez has "literally no ceiling" since he went ahead and homered in Wednesday night's game.

John Jaso - FD 2500 DK 3000 StarsDraft 4200
Opponent- Tor (Dickey) R Park- @Tor
One of the highest floor catcher plays possible, really. Jaso has a career .797 OPS against right handed pitching, and will be leading off against RA Dickey. Getting a catcher in the leadoff spot means a glut of plate appearances, and taking those cuts against RA Dickey only makes matters better. Dickey is the not-so-proud owner of a 4.76 xFIP, but to be fair, he's something like 47.6 years old. And remember that year he was awesome? That was fun.

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First base

Miguel Cabrera - FD 4000 DK 4800 StarsDraft 5400
Opponent- Min (Pelfrey) R Park- @Det
Miggy has been one of the toughest bats on right handed pitching all season, posting a .958 OPS against them. That's good for 5th best in the majors. As for Mike Pelfrey, he has the sad distinction of being one of the few pitchers in the majors with an xFIP (4.51) higher than his K/9 (4.44). Still, he did once wear this funny beekeeper's hat, so he's not all bad. Miggy is a play everywhere.

Adrian Gonzalez - FD 4000 DK 5300 StarsDraft 5600
Opponent- Col (Hale) R Park- @Col
You've got to pay up for Gonzalez, but these were the prices he was seeing earlier this season when he was hitting in Los Angeles. Today he'll be hitting in Colorado against one David Hale. Now, David Hale is supposedly a classic romantic (never misses a Valentine's Day/Birthday/Dating Anniversary), but that hasn't translated into much pitching success. This is a fantastic upside play.

Albert Pujols - FD 2900 DK 3200 StarsDraft 5100
Opponent- Sea (Nuno) L Park- @ana
Your big upside, low cost play. Pujols has 29 homers in 466 plate appearances against right handed pitching this season, and if it weren't for a brutal .221 BABIP while facing he righties, he'd be having a vintage season. Vidal Nuno has basically been a below league average guy since taking the mound, but by all accounts, he's an above average big brother - playing catch with his little brother Marco until the street lights came on.

Second base

Jason Kipnis - FD 2700 DK 4400 StarsDraft 4800
Opponent- KC (Volquez) R Park- @KC
We've been giving you Kipnis on the regular for weeks, and he just keeps charging out there and stinging the ball. He hit a home run last night, putting him on pace for another 10/10 year, and his .900+ OPS against right handed pitching would be great for any position. Volquez, meanwhile, really hasn't been an above average pitcher since 2009. But he's supposedly hilarious, if you speak Cuban.

Brian Dozier - FD 2900 DK 4600 StarsDraft 5100
Opponent- Det (Boyd) L Park- @Det
The upside discussion at second base typically starts and stops with Brian Dozier. Even with the insane Robinson Cano surge recently, Dozier maintains a 9 homer lead over second place at the position, and has 11 steals to go with it. He's also been more than .150 OPS points better against lefties for his career. Today he'll face Matt Boyd, who has accomplished a lot to get to the majors, but has been objectively about as bad as possible since entering the league. He's allowed 40 earned runs in the 48 innings he's pitched. Dozier could kill him.

Shortstop

Jhonny Peralta - FD 2200 DK 3400 StarsDraft 4100
Opponent- Mil (Pena) R Park- @Stl
Well, like I said last night: if you recommend Jhonny Peralta every single day for a month, eventually it will pay off. He went yard last night and we are 100% vindicated. No doubt about it, that home run made the whole month worth it. Right? Either way, we stick by the process here and if you have a shortstop hitting in the middle of the order at minimum prices (with a career track record of being decent with the bat) then you play that guy. Today it's against Ariel Pena who owns an xFIP in the 5's, but his teammates agree he cooks the best omelette on the team.

Jose Reyes - FD 3700 DK 4200 StarsDraft 5300
Opponent- LAD (Bolsinger) R Park- @Col
He costs a little more than Peralta, but that doesnt' matter as much on this slate where I don't think you need to break the bank on any of the pitching. Reyes is very much just a guy at this point, barely hitting despite getting the chance to play in two of the best hitter's parks in baseball this season. That being said, he's a shortstop who gets slotted in the top two slots in the order and Coors Field would give my four year old daughter a chance to go yard with the right pitch selection. Mike Bolsinger is a high walk guy with a high 4's xFIP. He also always clears his plate at Panera Bread and makes sure the garbage is put in the waste bin because he feels bad if one of the workers has to do it for him.

Third base

Alex Rodriguez - FD 3100 DK 4500 StarsDraft 4700
Opponent- CWS (Rodon) L Park- @NYY
A-Rod! He's got a .962 against lefties this season, and has been much better against lefties ever since taking the field as a 17 year old in the early nineties. Today he'll face Carlos Rodon - a young guy with electric stuff who hasn't quite figured out the whole consistent command thing. His 4.46 BB/9 would be the worst in the majors, except that very command has prevented him from pitching enough innings in the bigs to qualify. Throw in his great hitter's park, and this is a solid play for any format.

Trevor Plouffe - FD 2900 DK 4300 StarsDraft 4500
Opponent- Det (Boyd) L Park- @Det
Plouffe stays in the majors precisely because of his ability to hit left handed pitching, and when he does, he's a great play for daily fantasy baseball. While he's narrowed his platoon split gap in 2015, he's still been about .050 OPS better against southpaws. A good cheap option if you don't feel like spending up for A-Rod.

Outfield

Andre Ethier - FD 3000 DK 3800 StarsDraft 4200
Opponent- Col (Hale) R Park- @Col
With the Dodgers getting heading into Coors a great many of them have had the price corrected to some degree, But Ethier's price is far from a leap and he makes a great play as long as he's in the middle of the order here, which should be the case. He's a well-above-average hitter in this split with an .800 OPS and 126 wRC+ over the last couple of seasons. Look, David Hale's peripherals aren't all that bad this season and the ERA exhibits evidence of run bad, Plus Hale flosses every night and tucks his kids in without question. But this is Coors and Ethier won't cost you.

Steve Pearce - FD 2900 DK 4200 StarsDraft 5000
Opponent- Bos (Hill) L Park- @Bos
There are a couple of different things happening here with this play. On the one hand you have Pearce who's been dynamite over the short term against lefties with an OPS pressing up against .900 and a fantastic .384 wOBA. Those platoon splits are elite. On the other hand you have Rich Hill who's come out of nowhere and looks like Clayon Kershaw when Kershaw was the best ever. The career numbers on Hill don't suggest he can keep it up, but stranger things and all.

Curtis Granderson - FD 3300 DK 4100 StarsDraft 5000
Opponent- Cin (Desclafani) R Park- @Cin
Wrote him up yesterday and I think he and some other Mets are very much in the mix today as well. Great American Ballpark is just too good a hitter's haven and Anthony deSclafani is just average enough to warrant a play against. No don't take average wrong, he's still a great guy and all what with the Anthony deSclafani Charity for Tough to Pronounce Last Names. But Grandy man can in this situation and he's hit righties to over an .800 OPS the last couple of seasons.
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