Daily Fantasy MLB Baseball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 6/1/16

 

Hello and welcome to Wednesday baseball! We are looking at a split slate with 4 games in the afternoon and 11 at night! Make sure to heck out our other articles as they will touch on some more pitching options, tournament stacks and any weather concerns. Let's get into it! Make sure to comment down below if you have any questions.

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PITCHER

Early Slate

Jacob deGrom FD 9600 DK 9900
Opponent - CHW (Gonzalez) Park - @NYM
FD - 36.74 DK - 20.58

This is a pretty fun late slate with some offenses in good spots as well as a couple pitchers in play. At the top of the spectrum, we have Jacob DeGrom facing off with the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox have struggled against righties on the road this year with a .297 wOBA and 84 wRC+. This ballpark is a huge downgrade for the Sox as their home park is one of the best for hitters in the league. Jacob DeGrom on the other hand, has been great at home over the course of his short career as evidenced by a .236 wOBA and 9.78 K/9. I look for DeGrom to have a very solid outing this afternoon and he makes for a great play in both tournaments and cash games.

Consider - Jaime Garcia

Late Slate

Max Scherzer FD 10700 DK 13200
Opponent - PHI (Morgan) Park - @PHI
FD - 45.06 DK - 26.7

Scherzer is in one of my favorite spots of the whole year tonight and it is going to be very difficult for me to not roster him. When you look at this Phillies offense, you see 2 quality hitters in Odubel Herrera and Maikel Franco. Other than that, they throw out a ton of guys that either strikeout a ton, have no power or both. While you may look at Scherzer's numbers and be a bit worried by the long ball, there is no reason to be. He has been extremely unlucky this year with a 19.2% HR/FB rate compared to a career HR/FB rate of 10.4%. I guarantee Scherzer will slow down the home runs very soon and this could very well be the game that he has another insane performance. He is the top play in both cash games and tournaments.

Consider - Felix Hernandez

CATCHER

Early Slate

Josh Phegley FD 2300 DK 2500
Opponent - MIN (Dean) Park - @OAK
FD - 9.85 DK - 7.57

First of all, make sure Phegley is in the lineup. He definitely should be against the lefty as he absolutely mashes them. Dating back to 2014, he has held a .337 wOBA which is backed up by a great 34.2% hard contact rate and .203 ISO. While he may not be a household name in any sense of the word, he is a great platoon hitter and does his job very well. He will be taking on Pat Dean, a left hander who profiles as a 5th starter or reliever in this league. He has struggled against righties throughout the minors and it is expected for him to do more of the same in the majors. Phegley is a great play in both cash games and tournaments if he is in the lineup.

Consider - Yadier Molina

Late Slate

Evan Gattis FD 3300 DK 3500
Opponent - ARI (Ray) Park - @HOU
FD - 11.1 DK - 8.5

It seems like Gattis has been disappointing in great match ups as of late, however, when you look at his stats this year they tell a different story. He is hitting lefties well for power and his numbers from the previous few years are very similar. Gattis is a power machine and can smash the ball when he gets a hold of it. He should be able to do just that against the left hander Robbie Ray. Ray has been pretty bad against righties dating back to 2014 with a .354 wOBA and 4.87 xFIP. This ballpark is one of the best in the league for right handed power and Gattis is going to look to take advantage of that tonight.

Consider - Brian McCann

 

FIRST BASE

Early Slate

Brandon Moss FD 3100 DK 3700
Opponent - MIL (Davies) Park - @MIL
FD - 12.95 DK - 9.78

The Cardinals are going to be a very popular trend here in this article as the early slate only has 4 games and they are facing the worst pitcher on the slate in Zach Davies. Davies has been absolutely horrible to begin the season with a .434 wOBA against lefties and a somewhat better .343 wOBA against righties. The Cardinals should be able to get to Davies with ease and Brandon Moss will likely be hitting 4th-6th. Moss has been a right handed killer over the past 2 seasons with a .348 wOBA and a 36.2% hard contact rate. Feel free to deploy Moss in both cash games and tournaments.

Consider - Byung-ho Park

Late Slate

Mark Reynolds FD 3800 DK 4400
Opponent - CIN (Lamb) Park - @COL
FD - 13.95 DK - 10.66

Reynolds has been a huge product of Coors Field this year as he is hitting for average for the first time in his career and his power numbers are pretty stable. After scoring 17 runs last night, the Rockies will take on John Lamb. Lamb has been horrible against both righties and lefties with a combined wOBA of .384 and a hard contact rate of 36.4%, which is absolutely atrocious for a pitcher. When you account for Coors Field, you can bump those numbers up about 12% and expect the Rockies to destroy Lamb and this horrible bullpen. While the Rockies are going to be incredibly highly owned, I am finding it very difficult to fade them, Reynolds included.

Consider - Tyler White

 

SECOND BASE

Early Slate

Brian Dozier FD 3000 DK 3500
Opponent - OAK (Manaea) Park - @OAK
FD - 10.5 DK - 8.3

The other main team I will be focusing on in the early slate is the Minnesota Twins. They will be facing off with Sean Manaea, a left handed prospect that has struggled immensely against right handers. Thus far into 2016, he has given up .411 wOBA and 5 home runs in only 24 innings of work against righties. While I do expect him to get a lot better as the months go on, I don't think we see that today against the right handed heavy Twins. Brian Dozier on the other hand, has hit lefties extremely well over the past 5 seasons with a .341 wOBA. Unless Kolten Wong is at the top of the Cardinals order, Dozier will likely be in all of my lineups this afternoon.

Consider - Neil Walker

Late Slate

Jose Altuve FD 3900 DK 5000
Opponent - ARI (Ray) Park - @HOU
FD - 12.32 DK - 10.85

Jose Altuve has broken out of his slump in a huge way with a hit in 6 straight and 8 hits in his last 3. This is the type of play we are used to seeing from Altuve and we will look for it again against the weak left hander Robbie Ray. As mentioned, Ray has sported a .354 wOBA against righties dating back to 2014. Jose Altuve, however, has obliterated lefties in recent history. Since 2014, Altuve has exhibited a .403 wOBA and a 36.2% hard contact rate against southpaws. With his combo of speed, power and average he has an extreme amount of upside and safety, especially in this match up. Altuve and the rest of this Astros core make great plays in all formats.

Consider - DJ LeMahieu

 

SHORTSTOP

Early Slate

Aledmys Diaz FD 2900 DK 3700
Opponent - MIL (Davies) Park - @MIL
FD - 10.69 DK - 8.56

Aledmys Diaz was insanely highly owned last night, however, he came through with 2 hits, an RBI and a run scored. While he will likely be just as highly owned if not higher, I think we have to go back to the well here. This is a very small early slate and the shortstop position is very ugly outside of Diaz. Diaz has hit righties well since entering the league with a .401 wOBA and 34.8% hard contact rate. While the wOBA may be unsustainable, I think it is very evident that he is a great hitter. All of that being said, if you want to fade Diaz I would look at a guy like Eduardo Nunez.

Consider - Eduardo Nunez

Late Slate

Trevor Story FD 4200 DK 5200
Opponent - CIN (Lamb) Park - @COL
FD - 13.06 DK - 10.61

Trevor Story was one of the only Rockies last night to have a bad game and he will have a chance to make up for it tonight against John lamb. I am hoping Walt Weiss has him in the 2nd or 5th spot, as he has been hitting 7th for a few games. Story is definitely in a slump but a game in Coors Field against John lamb sounds like the ultimate slump buster. As mentioned, Lamb is a left hander that has been horrible against righties with a combined wOBA of .384. Story is a terrific option in both cash games and tournaments.

Consider - Carlos Correa

 

THIRD BASE

Early Slate

Danny Valencia FD 3200 DK 2900
Opponent - MIN (Dean) Park - @OAK
FD - 10.56 DK - 8.22

Danny Valencia has been absolutely rediculous this year against lefties with an .518 wOBA and a 46.6% hard contact rate. While that is far from sustainable, he has dominated lefties over the course of his career, so this short outburst is really no surprise. Dating back to 2013,Valencia has sported a .362 wOBA and a 34.8% hard contact rate against southpaws. He faces off with pat Dean today and as we mentioned when talking about Phegley, Dean is a placeholder in this organization as he is not very good. Valencia will look to continue his torrid start and is an excellent play in all formats.

Consider - Matt Carpenter

Late Slate

Nolan Arenado FD 4400 DK 4500
Opponent - CIN (Lamb) Park - @COL
FD - 16.64 DK - 12.89

Here is our 3rd of 4 Rockies in Nolan Arenado. Lamb has given up a .416 wOBA to righties in 2016 and his 5.67 xFIP is suggesting those numbers are accurate, to a point. Nolan Arenado on the other hand, has demolished lefties this season with a .427 wOBA and while that my be somewhat unsustainable, his 43.6% hard contact rate suggest it may not be too far off. When you factor in Coors Field, it is probably just about right. You need to make sure you get some exposure to this offense and Nolan Arenado is a great way to do that.

Consider - David Freese

 

OUTFIELD

Early Slate

Matt Holliday FD 3000 DK 4200
Opponent - MIL (Davies) Park - @MIL
FD - 12.36 DK - 9.46
Randal Grichuk FD 3200 DK 3900
Opponent - MIL (Davies) Park - @MIL
FD - 12.19 DK - 9.6
Stephen Piscotty FD 3800 DK 4900
Opponent - MIL (Davies) Park - @MIL
FD - 11.86 DK - 9.48

You can add Jeremy Hazelbaker to this list if he is in the lineup over one of these guys. What more is there to say about these Cardinals bats against the gas can that is Zach Davies. He has exhibited absolutely no signs of improvement with a 5.21 SIERA and a very lackluster Swinging strike of 7%. This ballpark is great for hitters as it ranked in the top 7 for 2 straight seasons. All 3 of these Cardinals have hit righties well this season as they all hold a wOBA over .330. The Cardinals outfield will look to take advantage of all these factors and have a big afternoon.

Consider - Miguel Sano, Yoenis Cespedes

Late Slate

Ryan Raburn FD 2900 DK 3600
Opponent - CIN (Lamb) Park - @COL
FD - 13.37 DK - 10.22

Another Rockies bat, hope you aren't surprised at this point. Raburn is a right hander that is a strict platoon hitter and destroys left handed pitchers. Dating back to 2014, Raburn has sported a .382 wOBA and a 34.2% hard contact rate against lefties, which is spectacular. As mentioned more than a few times, John Lamb and this Reds bullpen are absolutely atrocious. While the over/under is not out as I write this, I look for the Rockies team total to be around 6.5. Raburn is a great play in both cash games and tournaments.

George Springer FD 3600 DK 4500
Opponent - ARI (Ray) Park - @HOU
FD - 12.94 DK - 10.33

Springer is another guy that has been on absolute fire recently with 12 hits in 6 games, with 5 extra base hits. He will take on the previously mentioned Robbie Ray tonight. While it goes unsaid at this point, Ray has trouble against righties and is .15 wOBA points worse in Chase Field. The Astros have been swinging the bat extremely well in Arizona and will look to continue that tonight in a terrific match up.

Consider - Hyun-soo Kim, Coors outfield

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