Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 7/16/16

 

Welcome to Saturday baseball!Aside from having the flu, it was great to see some baseball yesterday after the 4 day all-star break. Make sure to check out our other articles as they will touch on some pitching options, tournament stacks and any weather concerns that may arise. Lets get into the top options at each position!

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PITCHER

Jeff Samardzija FD 9200 DK 8200
Opponent - SD (Perdomo) Park - @SD
FD - 37.99 DK - 25

We are going to start off at the pitcher position with Jeff "Shark" Samardzija. This is nothing new here, we are going to be picking on the San Diego Padres with a right handed pitcher. Against righties, the Padres have exhibited a pitiful 79 wRC+, .286 wOBA and a 24.4% K rate, which is in the bottom 5 across the board. Jeff Samardzija on the other hand, has dominated right handers with a .275 wOBA that is backed up by a 3.70 xFIP. Against a predominantly right handed lineup, that is something we love to see. With the pitching position being severely scarce tonight, you can plug Samardzija into your cash games and tournaments. That being said, his price on DraftKings is just absolutely ludicrous. Play him.

Adam Wainwright FD 9000 DK 8300
Opponent - MIA (Koehler) Park - @STL
FD - 32.36 DK - 21.48

Like I said, pitcher is not a lovely position tonight. Wainwright and the Cardinals will be taking on the Miami Marlins at home in Busch Stadium. Against right handers, the Marlins have been league average as evident by the .322 wOBA and the 21.6% strikeout rate. While Wainwright certainly hasn't been the Waino we all know and love, he hasn't been bad either. With a .315 combined wOBA and a 29.9% hard contact rate, you can be certain that Wainwright is still a very good pitcher. While I would normally not entertain Waino on a regular pitching slate, this is not that. If you are looking to get a guy that is going to be consistent and get you 30 FanDuel points, Wainwright is your guy.

CATCHER

Buster Posey FD 3500 DK 4700
Opponent - SD (Perdomo) Park - @SD
FD - 10.61 DK - 8.19

Moving onto hitters, we are going to look at Buster Posey at the catcher position. With catcher being the worst position on the slate by far, we are going to look at a guy that is very consistent. Posey is the best hitting catcher int he league and it is not too close. With a .382 combined wOBA and a 36% hard contact rate, Posey gives you an elite bat at a position that lacks both power and consistency. He will be facing off with Luis Perdomo, a right handed pitcher that has struggled this season against righties with a .394 wOBA that is backed up by a 37.7% hard contact rate. Posey is the top option in all formats, on both sites.

Christopher Herrmann FD 2800 DK 0
Opponent - LAD (McCarthy) Park - @ARI
FD - 5.35 DK - 4.22

To be completely honest, I am going to do my best to get Buster Posey in all of my lineups, on both DraftKings and FanDuel. That being said, it is always worth consideration to pay down at catcher. If I am going to pay down, it is going to be for Chris Hermann, a left hander that has hit righties to the tune of a .357 wOBA. While Brandon McCarthy is not a a guy to pick on, he still has some rust on his arm and will be playing in the 2nd best hitters park in the league.

 

FIRST BASE

Joey Votto FD 3500 DK 4900
Opponent - MIL (Nelson) Park - @CIN
FD - 12.83 DK - 9.84

First base is as loaded as always, however, there is not many big home run guys in great position. I am going to look for some consistency and a guy in a good offensive position here at first base. The top guy here is going to be Joey Votto. Votto and the Reds are going to be taking on Jimmy Nelson at home in the hitter friendly Great American Ballpark. While Jimmy Nelson is no slouch, he has given up a .355 wOBA on the road, and a .364 wOBA against lefties on the road. Votto is a well known dominant hitter against righties and he should be considered in all formats.

Freddie Freeman FD 2800 DK 4300
Opponent - COL (Bettis) Park - @ATL
FD - 11.49 DK - 8.82

If you are looking to pay down on FanDuel at first base for a guy that is going to get you some guaranteed fantasy points, Freddie Freeman is the guy. Freeman has not only dominated righties, but he has been hitting for more power lately. The Braves are going to be taking on Chad Bettis, a right handed starter that has struggled against both lefties and righties, and not only in Coors Field. On the road, he has given up a .338 wOBA against left handers. Freeman makes for a great play in all formats, especially on FanDuel where he is only $2800.

 

SECOND BASE

Jason Kipnis FD 3400 DK 5000
Opponent - MIN (Duffey) Park - @MIN
FD - 11.08 DK - 8.89

Second base is a position that has a few good options and Jason Kipnis is going to be my favorite. Kipnis and the Indians have a terrific match up against Tyler Duffey and the Twins, a right handed soft tosser that has struggled mightily against left handers, as well as holding runners. Kipnis, however, has dominated right handers this season as evident by the .374 wOBA he has possessed this season. Kipnis makes for a great play in all formats, though he is very expensive on DraftKings.

Starlin Castro FD 2700 DK 3300
Opponent - BOS (Rodriguez) Park - @NYY
FD - 9.4 DK - 7.47

If you are looking to pay down a bit, Starlin Castro is going to be my guy. The Yankees failed to get their second hit until the 5th inning yesterday and will look to bounce back here against the left hander Eduardo Rodriguez. While Rodriguez had a decent season in 2015, he has struggled against right handers this season. Castro on the other hand, has exhibited a .352 wOBA against lefties with a 32.4% hard contact rate. Castro makes for an interesting play in tournaments, on both sites.

 

SHORTSTOP

Xander Bogaerts FD 3800 DK 5200
Opponent - NYY (Sabathia) Park - @NYY
FD - 10.72 DK - 8.6

Sure, C.C. Sabathia is a lot better than he was last year, however, he is still not a great pitcher, especially against righties. Over the past 2 seasons, Sabathia has given up a .355 wOBA against right handers and his peripherals suggest no improvement. If anything, he is going to get worse with a high xFIP and a low BABIP. Bogaerts has been dominant against left handers this season with a +.350 wOBA that is backed up by a 32% hard contact rate. Xander Bogaerts is a fantastic play in all formats, especially on FanDuel where he is $1400 cheaper.

Brandon Crawford FD 3300 DK 5000
Opponent - SD (Perdomo) Park - @SD
FD - 9.3 DK - 7.27

Brandon Crawford is one of my favorite shortstops to play as it seems like he always produces when put in the right position. Tonight is one of those nights as the Giants are taking on the previously mentioned Luis Perdomo. Crawford has hit righties extremely well this season with a .338 wOBA that is backed up by extremely good peripherals. While Crawford is a bit expensive on DraftKings, he is sitting at a very comfortable $3300 on FanDuel. On DraftKings, I would wait for lineups to come out and go with a punt.

 

THIRD BASE

Manny Machado FD 3800 DK 4400
Opponent - TB (Moore) Park - @TB
FD - 11.46 DK - 9

Third base is another spot with a ton of interesting options and Manny Machado is going to be my favorite of the bunch. While Machado does have reverse splits dating back to his debut, he can hit both sides of the plate. Against southpaws in 2016, Machado has DESTROYED with a .406 wOBA that is backed up by a tremendous 36.8% hard contact rate. Matt Moore on the other hand, has struggled against righties dating back to 2014 with a .362 wOBA that is supported by his peripherals. Machado makes for a tremendous play across the board and he is arguably my favorite hitter on the board. Plug him in with confidence.

Alex Rodriguez FD 3300 DK 4500
Opponent - BOS (Rodriguez) Park - @NYY
FD - 11.25 DK - 8.66

If something weird happens and I end up pivoting off of Machado, A-Rod is a guy I will give a long hard look at. While he is definitely struggling this season, he has still hit lefties very well with a .333 wOBA and a 33.3% hard contact rate. If Rodriguez ends up in the lineup and is somewhere between 3-5, he makes for a some serious consideration. If you are looking to pivot to another guy, I would wait for lineups to come out and look to punt. That being said, Machado is going to be very highly owned and I do not recommend fading him tonight.

 

OUTFIELD

Adam Duvall FD 3100 DK 4800
Opponent - MIL (Nelson) Park - @CIN
FD - 10.45 DK - 8.11

Duvall has exploded onto the scene this season and while he may not be a terrific contact hitter, he obviously has a ton of power as shown by his 23 home runs. While he has identical wOBA's against both righties and lefties, he has hit 19 of his home runs off of right handers. As I mentioned earlier, Jimmy Nelson struggles on the road and will almost certainly do so against the Reds in a very hitter friendly park. I think the Reds stack is in a great spot tonight and Duvall is a must if you are going to stack them. He is also a very good 1 off play.

Carlos Gonzalez FD 3500 DK 4300
Opponent - ATL (Foltynewicz) Park - @ATL
FD - 11.71 DK - 8.99

Sure, it is somewhat scary to target the Rockies when they are out of Coors Field. However, they proved last night that they can still put up plenty of runs anywhere. THey will be taking on another right hander tonight in Mike "Folty". While Folty is not a bad pitcher overall, he has had his fair share of troubles against lefties. Thus far in 2016, he has given up a .384 wOBA that is backed up by a 36% hard contact rate. With his price being deressed around the industry, CarGo makes for a tremdous play in all formats.

Mike Trout FD 4400 DK 5600
Opponent - CHW (Shields) Park - @LAA
FD - 14.72 DK - 11.52

I know, I am really going out on a limb here by recommending Mike Trout. While Trout is no Michael Bourn or Phil Gosselin, he is still pretty good. Against righties in 2016, Trout has maintained an absurd .427 wOBA that is definitely backed up by a 1.028 OPS and a 40.1% hard contact rate. As we know, James Shields is not the same guy he used to be and we he is someone we should be looking to target. While the Angels offense doesn't offer too much, Trout on an island is plenty.

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