Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 9/19/16

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PITCHER

Noah Syndergaard FD 11000 DK 11600
Opponent - ATL (Blair) Park - @NYM
FD - 37.71 DK - 24.35

Noah Syndergaard is going to start us off here for the second day in a row, as he was scheduled to pitch yesterday, but had his start moved to tonight. The Mets will welcome the Atlanta Braves to Citi Field and will start them off with a very tough match up.  While the Braves don't strikeout a ton, they have no power and struggle stringing hits together. Syndergaard is one of the best pitchers in the league and his numbers surely back it up. So far in 2016, Syndergaard has exhibited a .270 combined wOBA that is backed up by a 10.5 K/9 and a 27.4% hard contact rate. Those are extremely elite numbers and there is no reason to think those will change anytime soon, let alone today. Citi Field is a pitcher park, as it ranked in the bottom 10 last year for both right handed and left handed power. Syndergaard is my favorite option in both cash games and tournaments, though there are a couple other options that you can consider.

Clayton Kershaw FD 10600 DK 12500
Opponent - SF (Bumgarner) Park - @LAD
FD - 39.38 DK - 25.87

If you want to be super risky in tournaments, you have to take a look at Kershaw. You have to think that the Dodgers are going to stretch him out very soon and see what he has for the rest of the season. He takes on a San Francisco Giants team tonight that he has dominated dating back to 2014. Though Kershaw has missed a big part of the season, his numbers have been fantastic when he has been out there. Kershaw has been absolutely rediculous against lefties with a .150 wOBA and righties have sported a horrid .223 wOBA. Aside from the fantastic wOBA's, Kershaw has also struck out nearly 12 batters per 9 innings. While I am not too sure if the Dodgers will stretch out Kershaw, he is a great tournament option if they do.

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CATCHER

Stephen Vogt FD 3400 DK 3500
Opponent - HOU (Peacock) Park - @OAK
FD - 9.66 DK - 7.49

Stephen Vogt and the Oakland Athletics are going to start us off here at the catcher position. Vogt is a very good hitter against righties and consistently hits somewhere right in the heart of the lineup. Since 2015, Vogt has sported a .334 wOBA that is backed up by numerous peripherals and batted ball rates. The opposing pitcher, Brad Peacock, is a guy that can be taken advantage of in most situations. The game will take place in the Oakland Coliseum, which definitely limits the HR risk, but Vogt can score in many different ways. His price is pretty steady around the industry and Vogt is my top overall option across the board.

Welington Castillo FD 3200 DK 3900
Opponent - SD (Clemens) Park - @SD
FD - 8.11 DK - 6.28

We are going to look right at another game that will be played in an extreme pitchers park to the Diamondbacks and Welington Castillo. Castillo has been very up and down this year, but has started hitting righties a lot better than he used to. He will take on Paul Clemens today, a right handed journeyman that has still not figured it out at the age of 28. He has struggled against righties on the year with a .433 wOBA alongside 9 home runs allowed in just 30 innings of work. Clemens is a guy you can pick on big time and I will look to do so at the catcher position. Castillo is more of a tournament guy by nature, but I see the merit to using him in cash games today.

FIRST BASE

David Ortiz FD 4600 DK 5500
Opponent - BAL (Bundy) Park - @BAL
FD - 13.39 DK - 10.08

The Red Sox are a team that will likely go under owned tonight, but probably shouldn't. While Dylan Bundy is definitely a real prospect, he is still getting acclimated to the majors and I expect him to struggle until the end of this season. Ortiz is the best left handed bat in the lineup and is the guy most likely to do damage here. The game will take place in Camden Yards, which is a huge upgrade from Fenway Park in terms of left handed power. Bundy has given up a .342 wOBA against lefties so far and his peripherals suggest that it is an accurate number. While it is a bit scary to target a big prospect with pedigree, it is even scarier to fade David Ortiz in a good match up.

Albert Pujols FD 3400 DK 4300
Opponent - TEX (Perez) Park - @TEX
FD - 11.41 DK - 8.74

Pujols is one of my favorite tournaments options on this slate today, as he and the Angels will take on Martin Perez. Perez is a home run machine to right handers, and the Angels have 2 righties that are pretty good at hitting the baseball far. One of those being Albert Pujols. While Pujols has certainly slowed down, his power bat is still around. He will look to show it off here against Perez, who has sported a .337 wOBA to righties and has given up an astounding 14 home runs. The game will take place in Globe Life Park, which is a huge upgrade from Angels Stadium. While Pujols is not a guy I would trust in cash, he makes for a tremendous GPP option.

SECOND BASE

Robinson Cano FD 3100 DK 4100
Opponent - TOR (Estrada) Park - @SEA
FD - 11.49 DK - 8.93

You are going to see quite a few Mariners bats here and that is because we love the spot they are in. First of all, let me be clear on my stance of Marco Estrada. He is not a bad pitcher overall, but struggles mightily with the home run ball and the Mariners are a team that can look to take advantage of that with. The first guy we will take a look at is Robinson Cano. Cano has demolished righties on the year with a nearly .400 wOBA that is backed up by numerous peripherals and batted ball rates. We will touch in depth on Estrada in a bit, but just know that he has some big flaws. While the ballpark isn't optimal, Cano still has the power to hit one out and can score in many different ways even if he doesn't pan out.

Rougned Odor FD 3900 DK 4800
Opponent - LAA (Chacin) Park - @TEX
FD - 11.56 DK - 9.36

Rougned Odor is going to be our long Texas Ranger in this article, but they are in a great spot here against Jhoulys Chacin. Chacin has sported a .342 wOBA against lefties and his peripherals suggest he may actually be a little bit worse than that. Odor may be a small guy, but he has a ton of power in his bat and can score points in a ton of different ways. The game will be played in Globe Life Park,which is a phenomenal hitters park and is a top 5 park for left handed power. While Cano is still my favorite tournament guy, I will have a bunch of exposure to Odor in both cash games and tournaments.

SHORTSTOP

Jhonny Peralta FD 3000 DK 3400
Opponent - COL (Anderson) Park - @COL
FD - 11.78 DK - 9.1
Aledmys Diaz FD 3800 DK 4400
Opponent - COL (Anderson) Park - @COL
FD - 13.05 DK - 10.34

While these are the first Cardinals bats mentioned, they are in a great spot tonight and I could of listed more, but didn't want to crowd the article with 1 team. The Cardinals are in Coors Field, which automatically puts them in play. When you throw in who the opposing pitcher is, it gets even more juicy. They will face off with Tyler Anderson, a left hander that has struggled against righties in his young MLB career. Against righties in Coors Field, Anderson has given up a .364 wOBA that is backed up by altitude and peripherals. Both Peralta and Diaz have sported +.340 wOBA's against left handers and neither of them look like they are slowing down. I am a fan of both of these guys, but prefer Peralta in tournaments and Diaz in cash games.

Carlos Correa FD 3500 DK 4300
Opponent - OAK (Cotton) Park - @OAK
FD - 10.71 DK - 8.6

Jharel Cotton is not very good, not yet at least. He is taking on a Houston Astros team that has a lethal combination of speed, power and the ability to string hits together and have a big inning. Those 3 things are going to destroy Cotton, and he is going to have to bounce-back next start. Correa has been dominant against right handers since entering the league with a .384 wOBA to go alongside a 35% hard contact rate and  very low BABIP. The game will be played in the Oakland Coliseum, which is definitely a bummer. That being said, Correa has enough speed to reach his upside with something else and he still obviously has the power to get it out of the O.Co. Correa is a guy I will be considering in both cash games and tournaments.

THIRD BASE

Kyle Seager FD 3100 DK 4400
Opponent - TOR (Estrada) Park - @SEA
FD - 10.55 DK - 8.11

We are going to go right back to the Seattle Mariners here with Kyle Seager. Like Cano, Seager has hit righties to a very nice .372 wOBA on the year with the peripherals to back it up. Marco Estrada has given up 10 homers to lefties on the year in just 80 innings, and his peripherals suggest that he has been very lucky. I look for the Mariners to connect on a few home runs tonight, even though they are in the pitcher friendly Safeco Field. Seager hits very well at Safeco and will look to keep that tradition alive here against Estrada. Due to third base being kind of weak tonight, I see the merit in using Seager in both cash games and tournaments. On FanDuel he is very affordable, but be careful on DraftKings as he is nearly $4500.

Jedd Gyorko FD 3400 DK 3600
Opponent - COL (Anderson) Park - @COL
FD - 13.35 DK - 10.14

Jedd Gyorko started off the season abysmally, but has since picked it up and been the hitter we have known to love. He has started mashing lefties again and will look to keep that up tonight. Coors Field is a whole other monster, and it is hard to compare it to anything else. The Cardinals have a run total above 5 tonight, and I expect Gyorko to get himself involved one way or another. He is decently priced across the industry, which may actually keep his ownership down as people are used to a very low tag from Gyorko. He may be risky, but I am a fan of Gyorko in both cash games and tournaments, especially if you think his ownership will fall below 20%.

OUTFIELD

Colby Rasmus FD 2200 DK 3800
Opponent - OAK (Cotton) Park - @OAK
FD - 9.22 DK - 7.06
George Springer FD 3600 DK 3800
Opponent - OAK (Cotton) Park - @OAK
FD - 10.87 DK - 8.59

We are going to touch on another couple Astros here, as I expect them to give the rookie a fit tonight. As a note, Colby Rasmus is $2200 on FanDuel, and he should be in every single roster on the site. Both Rasmus and Springer have sported +.345 wOBA's against right handers and there peripherals don't give off any warning signs. In the minors, Cotton struck out a ton of batters, but also gave up a bunch of homers and stolen bases. If Cotton misses on a pitch to either of these guys, there is no ballpark that will keep it in the park. I will have a ton of exposure to both of these guys, with 100% exposure to Rasmus on FanDuel. I prefer Springer on DraftKings as he is cheaper than a lot of the high-end guys over there.

Carlos Gonzalez FD 4300 DK 4900
Opponent - STL (Martinez) Park - @COL
FD - 13.88 DK - 10.66

Sure, Carlos Martinez is a really good pitcher. However, even the best struggle in Coors Field. Martinez has not pitched well in Coors Field, but most pitchers don't. Carlos Gonzalez is the big scary lefty in the middle of the order, and I am targeting him. His price is fair enough across the industry and the match up with a righty in prime. Gonzalez has been demolishing righties for about 10 seasons now and this year has been no different. He has held a .396 wOBA to go along with a 38% hard contact rate and a 25% line drive rate. I expect his ownership to be way too low as the regular players will not want to pick on Carlos Martinez.

Nelson Cruz FD 3800 DK 4100
Opponent - TOR (Estrada) Park - @SEA
FD - 11.04 DK - 8.35

Nelson Cruz is going to finish us off here in the outfield, and he will also be the last Seattle Mariner we will talk about. Estrada has actually been worse against righties on the year and has had more trouble with he long ball against them. Cruz is well acquainted with the home run ball as he has been one of the biggest sluggers in the game for almost 10 seasons. He has hit righties extremely well over the past couple years with  a.364 wOBA that is held up by a 37.8% hard contact rate. While I don;t love him too much in cash games, he is a phenomenal tournament play and the Mariners stack is one that I would heavily consider in tournaments. Estrada may not be bad, but he is streaky and can have a horrible start at any time.

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