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DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Sunday 6/9/19
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The last two days have been the quietest weather days of the season and we are so thankful that Mother Nature is not playing games with us. That's not exactly the case here though, as we have rain forecasted throughout the country. The cities/teams we need to focus in on here are Philly, Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit and Kansas City. The good news is that all of these teams start within three hours of one another, so be sure to monitor forecasts before submitting lineups.
Pitchers
Jake Odorizzi FD - P 9800 DK - SP 10900
Opponent - DET (Ryan Carpenter) Park - DET
FD - 37.72 DK - 20.29
This guy is not getting the credit he deserves, as he's simply been one of the best pitchers in the AL. That's evident by the fact that the Minnesota righty is pitching to a 1.96 ERA and 0.96 WHIP so far this season. That has led to an 8-2 record, with Odorizzi striking out 70 batters across 64.1 innings. What really makes him tempting here is this matchup though, with Detroit ranked 29th in both wOBA and K rate while ranking dead-last in runs scored. That's why Vegas has Minnesota as a -255 favorite. Odorizzi isn't a flashy name, but he's a very solid play in any format today.
Noah Syndergaard FD - P 8400 DK - SP 8900
Opponent - COL (Jeff Hoffman) Park - NYM
FD - 36.87 DK - 19.8
The inconsistency of Syndergaard makes him a tough pitcher to trust but this drop in price limits the amount of risk. The baseline numbers are not pretty from Syndergaard but the peripherals tell us that he's been very unlucky this season. In fact, Thor is posting a .278 xwOBA which is right in line with his 2.79 career FIP. That doesn't even consider the fact that Syndergaard is providing a 27 percent career K rate, as he simply has some of the best stuff in the Majors. Facing the Rockies when they are on the road is a treat too, with Colorado ranking 28th in road OPS the in each of the last two seasons.
Our projection system really likes Madison Bumgarner at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Catcher/First Base
Ji-Man Choi FD - 1B 2800 DK - 1B 4100
Opponent - BOS (Eduardo Rodriguez) Park - BOS
FD - 10.18 DK - 7.67
The slugging first baseman has quietly been a productive fantasy producer this season and it's a wonder why his price remains so low. A .275 average and .791 OPS shows the sort of season he's having and that would indicate that he should be $300-500 more on each site. While he's typically better against righties than lefties, we have to take into consideration that Rodriguez is pitching to a 4.88 ERA and 1.37 WHIP while facing one of the best offenses in the Majors.
Joey Votto FD - 1B 3100 DK - 1B 3800
Opponent - PHI (Aaron Nola) Park - PHI
FD - 10.68 DK - 8.01
The demise of Joey Votto has been greatly exaggerated over recent weeks, as he appears to have found his bat. In fact, Votto now has multi-hit games in eight of his last 11 fixtures while providing a .428 average and 1.015 OPS in that span. That's the Votto of old and we have to assume a smart hitter like this has found something in his swing. While facing Aaron Nola is tough for any hitter, we like that Votto gets the platoon advantage in his favor and is being priced so cheaply in the midst of a hot streak.
If you're in need of a catcher, consider J.T. Realmuto against Sonny Gray after homering on Saturday.
Second Base
Kike Hernandez FD - 2B 3200 DK - 2B/OF 3800
Opponent - SF (Madison Bumgarner) Park - SF
FD - 11.15 DK - 8.41
If you've been reading these articles, you know that Kike' almost always finds himself in here against a lefty. The reason for that is because Hernandez typically bats in the heart of the order against southpaws. That's really no surprise when you consider the fact that the slugging righty has a .501 SLG and .832 OPS against lefties since the beginning of 2017. Bumgarner is not really a guy we're worried about either, as his 4.05 ERA and .336 xwOBA is not the Cy Young pitcher we used to see before all of the injuries.
Hanser Alberto FD - 2B 2700 DK - 2B/3B 3100
Opponent - HOU (Wade Miley) Park - HOU
FD - 8.92 DK - 6.88
Alberto is always in play against a lefty and the Orioles make for a sneaky, cheap stack. Alberto would definitely be a huge part of that, as he generally bats leadoff against lefties. So far this season, Alberto is posting a .967 OPS against left-handers. That's simply dominant production and it makes this price tag hard to believe. Alberto is hot right now too, hitting .308 over his last nine fixtures.
Shortstop
Marcus Semien FD - SS 3400
Opponent - TEX (Drew Smyly) Park - TEX
FD - 13.53 DK - 10.38
If we were to track our picks, it's very possible that Semien may be the player we've written up the most. What we really like about him here is that he gets to hit in Texas. Not only is Semien projected as the leadoff hitter, Globe Life Park also ranks as the second-best hitting park in the Majors. Semien comes into this matchup rolling too, collecting 10 hits, four homers and five runs scored over the last four days. Facing Drew Smyly is simply the icing on the cake and we'll go over that premium matchup later in the article.
Adalberto Mondesi FD - SS 3800 DK - SS 5500
Opponent - CHW (Reynaldo Lopez) Park - KC
FD - 13.14 DK - 10.25
Can we start calling Mondesi one of the best players in the Majors? This guy actually ranks Top-5 in fantasy points per game since the all-star break last season and he's showing no signs of slowing up. What makes him so good is his power-speed combo, as he leads the league in steals while ranking Top-10 in RBI. That makes this $3,800 price tag on FanDuel baffling, as he's easily one of the best plays on the board over there. Facing Reynaldo Lopez is nothing to fear either, with the Chicago righty posting a 6.62 ERA and 1.67 WHIP so far this season.
Alex Bregman is pricey but he's always in play, especially against a homer-prone guy like Dylan Bundy.
Third Base
Matt Chapman FD - 3B 3700
Opponent - TEX (Drew Smyly) Park - TEX
FD - 14.06 DK - 10.59
Here come more A's! We absolutely love this team on this slate and it's easy to see why when looking at their opponent. Hitting in Globe Life Park is a treat for anyone but facing Drew Smyly is simply a chocolate cookie inside of a brownie with ice cream and whipped cream on top. This horrible lefty is pitching to a 7.93 ERA and 1.86 WHIP this season while posting one of the worst xwOBA's in the league. That simply means he's one of the worst arms in baseball and all of the Oakland bats are in play against him. Chapman may be the best play of the bunch, as he's posting a .645 SLG and 1.012 OPS against southpaws so far this season.
Miguel Sano FD - 3B 3500 DK - 3B 4600
Opponent - DET (Ryan Carpenter) Park - DET
FD - 12.06 DK - 8.98
Sano has developed into one of the best power hitters in the league and we absolutely adore him against a guy like Ryan Carpenter. In 15 games this season, Sano has provided six doubles and five homers. That power potential is evident by the fact that he has a career ISO over .230 and that's huge with the platoon advantage in his favor here. Sano is actually posting a slugging percentage north of .500 against southpaws for his career and Carpenter's 6.23 ERA makes him a guy we want to stack against.
Josh Donaldson has a quality matchup and remains undervalued on both DFS sites.
Outfield
Khris Davis FD - OF 3500
Opponent - TEX (Drew Smyly) Park - TEX
FD - 14.47 DK - 10.77
Stephen Piscotty FD - OF 3100
Opponent - TEX (Drew Smyly) Park - TEX
FD - 13.29 DK - 10.1
Let's finish off our Oakland stack strong with a couple of righty outfielders. The numbers for Smyly don't need to be emphasized anymore and it makes all of the A's intriguing options. Let's start with Davis, as he's actually the league leader in homers since the beginning of 2015. That says a lot about his power, as this guy has at least 42 homers in four-straight seasons. That production speaks for itself and he pairs beautifully with Piscotty. So far this season, Piscotty is posting a 1.035 OPS against lefties. Those absurd numbers from these guys look even better against a guy like Smyly in a hitter's haven like Globe Life.
Ryan Braun FD - OF 3300 DK - OF 4400
Opponent - PIT (Steven Brault) Park - MIL
FD - 13.17 DK - 10.05
Lorenzo Cain FD - OF 3500 DK - OF 4300
Opponent - PIT (Steven Brault) Park - MIL
FD - 14.3 DK - 11.13
Let's get a couple of Brewers righties into our build. The reason we like the Brewers is because they get to hit in Miller Park against a guy like Steven Brault. That's why they're projected for more than five runs, which definitely puts all of their bats in play. What we like about these two is that they get the platoon advantage against Brault, who's posting a 5.45 ERA and 1.64 WHIP so far this season. That's pretty ugly and it makes Braun and Cain very attractive in the heart of this order. Since 2017, Cain is posting an .894 OPS against southpaws while Braun is providing a .987 career OPS against lefties.
Nelson Cruz FD - OF 3100 DK - OF 4400
Opponent - DET (Ryan Carpenter) Park - DET
FD - 14.56 DK - 10.96
Cruz is easily my favorite outfielder on the board and this $3,100 price tag on FanDuel is simply laughable. I actually played him on FD at that price on Saturday and he rewarded me with a dinger. The hitting profile is simply amazing, with Cruz posting a .406 xwOBA this season to match his .522 SLG. That's pretty much the guy we've known for years, with Cruz hitting 347 homers since 2009. We especially love him against a weak lefty like Carpenter, with Cruz posting a .925 OPS and .548 SLG against southpaws for his career.
