Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 7/31/16

 

Welcome to Sunday baseball! We have a a full 15 game all day slate on our hands with some aces and a few offenses in great spots to put up some runs. Make sure to check out our other articles as they will touch on more pitching options, tournament stacks and any weather concerns that may arise. Let's get into the top options at each position!

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PITCHER

Noah Syndergaard FD 10300 DK 12000
Opponent - COL (Bettis) Park - @NYM
FD - 39.31 DK - 25.73

Noah Syndergaard is coming in on the top of our pitcher list and it is not too close in cash games. While there are a ton of great options for tournaments, Syndergaard is by far the safest and most consistent option. While the Rockies are a quite imposing offense at home in Coors Field, they are the exact opposite on the road. In 2043 plate appearances, the Rockies have sported a .293 wOBA that is backed up by a 23.5% hard contact rate on the road. Noah Syndergaard on the other hand, has been dominant against both left handers and righties. This game will take place in Citi Field, which is a very pitcher friendly ballpark. In cash games, lock Syndergaard in. In tournaments, I think you need to look at a few more options and decide who you like the most.

Aaron Sanchez FD 9000 DK 10100
Opponent - BAL (Tillman) Park - @TOR
FD - 33.4 DK - 21.85

If you are looking to pay down a bit, Aaron Sanchez is a great way to get some upside. While the Orioles are undoubtedly a great offense, they obviously have the ability to strikeout plenty. Against righties, the Orioles have struck out nearly 23% of the time and posses a 110 wRC+. Aaron Sanchez on the other hand, has held a sub .300 wOBA against both left handers and right handers. To go along with a great wOBA, he has possessed a 3.40 xFIP and a great 27% hard contact rate. While this is a strict tournament play only, it is a very good one at that.

Michael Pineda FD 9000 DK 9900
Opponent - TB (Snell) Park - @TB
FD - 34.11 DK - 22.8

Michael Pineda is another guy that we are going to look at for both tournaments and cash games. Pineda is a very interesting player to many experts as he has elite "stuff", but has failed to connect the dots and be a consistent elite pitcher. Over the past 2 seasons, Pineda has sported an 11.02 K/9 to go along with a 3.24 xFIP and a 17.2% HR/FB rate. The Tampa Bay Rays on the other hand, has struck out a ton against righties with a 24.1% strikeout rate and a .303 wOBA. While Pineda is a usual tournament play only, I am fine with him in cash games as the strikeouts are locked in at a minimum of 7.

CATCHER

Evan Gattis FD 2900 DK 4400
Opponent - DET (Pelfrey) Park - @DET
FD - 10.42 DK - 7.88
Jason Castro FD 2400 DK 3700
Opponent - DET (Pelfrey) Park - @DET
FD - 8.91 DK - 6.81

Moving onto the hitters and the catcher position, we are going to take a look at Evan Gattis. The Houston Astros are our top offense on the day and it is not too close. It is the weekly Mike Pelfrey day and we get to celebrate it by rostering the explosive Houston Astros offense. Gattis is one of the bigger power bats in the lineup and he has constant 2 home run upside. While the Astros tend to change their lineup around, I expect Gattis to be right around the 6 or 7 spot. If he moves up from there, he makes for a great play in all cash games. Jason Castro on the other hand, is a low owned guy with some home run upside.

Buster Posey FD 2700 DK 3900
Opponent - WSH (Gonzalez) Park - @SF
FD - 11.01 DK - 8.5

Moving onto the cash game king at catcher, we have Buster Posey. Posey is taking on a lefty tonight in Gio Gonzalez and as we all know, Posey destroys lefties. Over the last 165 games, Posey has sported a .352 wOBA that is backed up by a 34% hard contact rate and a 22.6% line drive rate. While the ballpark is not great for hitters, Posey has proven his ability to hit in AT&T park. While Gio Gonzalez is not a pitcher I tend to pick on, he is not the same elite pitcher he was a few years ago. Posey is the cash game supreme, though he is certainly viable in tournaments.

 

FIRST BASE

Edwin Encarnacion FD 4200 DK 4300
Opponent - BAL (Tillman) Park - @TOR
FD - 12.82 DK - 9.59

While first base is usually very loaded, it is a bit odd today and there is nobody that sticks out too much. That being said, Edwin Encarnacion is a terrific option. The Blue Jays are taking on Chris Tillman, a right handed pitcher that struggled mightily against righties in 2015. In 87 innings, Tillman sported a .353 wOBA and gave up 17 home runs to right handers. Encarnacion on the same leaf, has been better against righties over the past few seasons. While Encarnacion is a GPP-play only generally, he makes for a terrific cash game play today.

Jose Abreu FD 3000 DK 3500
Opponent - MIN (Santana) Park - @MIN
FD - 10.4 DK - 7.97

Moving onto the cheaper play, we are going to see whats going on with Jose Abreu. Abreu has certainly seen a dip in production,though his peripherals suggest that he is the same player as he was in 2015 and 2014, the years he hit over 30 home runs. The White Sox will be taking on Ervin Santana, a washed up right handers that is way over the hill and is now in a steep constant down slide. Jackson has given up a putrid .406 wOBA against righties and has also given up a 37.5% hard contact rate. While I wish Abreu was a home, this ballpark is hitter friendly for sure, especially right handed power.

John Jaso FD 2900 DK 3100
Opponent - MIL (Garza) Park - @MIL
FD - 11.76 DK - 9.16

If you are looking to pay way down for a guy with a ton of safety and not much upside, John Jaso is the only way to look. Jaso is one of the most consistent non-elite hitters in the league and while he is not capable of insane upside, it is never a bad idea to plug in some safe points to your cash game rosters. Against righties, Jaso has sported a .321 wOBA to go along with a 22.7% line drive rate. While I wouldn't touch him in tournaments, I could see the strategy behind it in a cash game.

 

SECOND BASE

Rougned Odor FD 3600 DK 4800
Opponent - KC (Gee) Park - @TEX
FD - 11.27 DK - 9.12
Jurickson Profar FD 2600 DK 4400
Opponent - KC (Gee) Park - @TEX
FD - 11.98 DK - 9.7

The Texas Rangers continue to put up runs and there is no reason to expect the runs to halt as they have a ton bats that are legitimate pure hitters. 2 of which, are Jurickson Profar and Rougned Odor. While Odor is currently a better overall hitter, Profar is very young and will blossom into a much better hitter as he gets comfortable against major league pitching. While both their prices are insane on DraftKings, they are extremely fairly priced on FanDuel. We will touch on Kennedy in the outfield, but just know that he is a below average right hander who gives up a ton of extra base hits to lefties.

Jose Altuve FD 4100 DK 5400
Opponent - DET (Pelfrey) Park - @DET
FD - 11.54 DK - 10

There is literally going to be a Houston Astros bat in every single position from here on out. The Astros are taking one one of the absolute worst pitchers in the league and that is really not debatable. The Astros lineup is fueled by one guy and that is Jose Altuve. While he might be under 5 foot 8, he has the hitting ability of a guy that is 6 foot 6 and 240 pounds. He has a ton of power and extra base hit upside, especially against a pitcher like Mike Pelfrey who struggles striking out a fly, let alone on of the best hitters on the planet.

 

SHORTSTOP

Carlos Correa FD 3700 DK 5300
Opponent - DET (Pelfrey) Park - @DET
FD - 11.75 DK - 9.43

We are going to go right back to the Astros well here with their arguably 2nd best hitter, Carlos Correa. Correa has absolutely mashed righties since entering the majors with a .372 wOBA that is securely backed up by a 35.5% hard contact rate and a 23% line drive rate. As we have already mentioned, Mike Pelfrey is one of the worst pitchers in the game and Carlos Correa will look to take advantage of that. If you are looking for a guy with huge safety and huge upside, Correa is the top shortstop.

Xander Bogaerts FD 3700 DK 4800
Opponent - LAA (Skaggs) Park - @LAA
FD - 10.75 DK - 8.62

If you are looking for a guy with similar upside and a much lower ownership, Xander Bogaerts is a great option. He has destroyed left handers over the last 2 seasons with a .354 wOBA that is backed up by strong peripherals and a great batted ball rate. Tyler Skaggs on the other hand, has given up a .346 wOBA to right handers. While Bogaerts in not nearly as good of a cash game play as Correa, he makes for a great tournament option. While Angels stadium is not a great ballpark, Bogaerts has enough power to hit out anywhere.

Tim Anderson FD 2900 DK 3500
Opponent - MIN (Santana) Park - @MIN
FD - 7.9 DK - 7.02

Tim Anderson is a guy I continue to use in good match-ups and he just keeps producing. He has been great against righties since entering the league and I don't expect him to hit a rookie wall. As I mentioned with Abreu, Santana has given up a .406 wOBA to righties and his peripherals support the atrocity. While I certainly prefer Bogaerts and Correa in all formats, Anderson comes in at a much better price tag than those guys.

 

THIRD BASE

Alex Bregman FD 2600 DK 4500
Opponent - DET (Pelfrey) Park - @DET
FD - 7.58 DK - 6.05

Alex Bregman was called up very recently and while he has been horrible, he has a ton of pedigree and just as much talent. The general public is going to look at his box scores and just assume that he is some random prospect that is filling a temporary role. However, that is absolutely not what is going on and the Astros see Bregman has a future star of the organization. While all of that is great, let's be real. We are targeting Bregman here because of the match-up. Bregman is going to be the lowest owned Astro and I think he is a great way to go in all formats.

Jung-ho Kang FD 2500 DK 4400
Opponent - MIL (Garza) Park - @MIL
FD - 10.92 DK - 8.56

Jung-ho Kang is a guy I am going to target a ton as he is too good off a hitter to be hitting the way he is. While the 2016 numbers don't back him up, every other year shows his upside and I am unwilling to believe that he just fell of earth at such a young age. This is a terrific match up to turn it around in as Matt Garza has been absolutely horrible against righties dating back to 2011. Since 2010, Garza has given up a .342 wOBA that is backed up by supporting peripherals and batted ball rates.

Todd Frazier FD 3400 DK 4000
Opponent - MIN (Santana) Park - @MIN
FD - 9.18 DK - 7.22

Todd Frazier is going to be our 3rd and final White Sox bat here and he has the most upside of all. Frazier has hit 20 home runs on the year with 22 of those 29 coming off of right handers, which makes him a reverse splits hitter. Edwin Jackson, as I have already harped on, has been atrocious against righties and has given up a monstrous flyball rate to right handers. I expect Frazier to turn on something here and give it a ride to downtown Minnesota.

 

OUTFIELD

George Springer FD 3600 DK 5000
Opponent - DET (Pelfrey) Park - @DET
FD - 11.92 DK - 9.43
Colby Rasmus FD 3100 DK 4100
Opponent - DET (Pelfrey) Park - @DET
FD - 10.12 DK - 7.74

I promise, these are the last 2 Astros bats we will mention. While some may point to the ownership and look to fade the Astros, I think the ownership will be spread around enough to the point where they really will not matter in tourneys. This is a night in tournaments where I am going to run out an Astros stack and not worry about the ownership rates. Both George Springer and Colby Rasmus have hit righties to the tune of a .350+ wOBA and are both proven all-star caliber hitters. These 2 guys are terrific options across the board, especially on FanDuel where they are way too cheap.

Scott Van Slyke FD 2200 DK 3400
Opponent - ARI (Corbin) Park - @LAD
FD - 7.51 DK - 5.85

Scott Van Slyke is a guy that I rostered a ton last year and he continuously came through against lefties. Over the previous 3 season, Van Slyke sported a .362 wOBA against lefties with an absurd hard contact and line drive rate. I expect Van Slyke to be very low owned as he just came back from the DL and has not had an opportunity to remind everyone just how good he is against left handers. He will be facing off with Patrick Corbin, a southpaw that has had his fair share of troubles against righties. While I prefer the Astros in cash and Gallo in tournaments, Van Slyke makes for a tremendous 3rd outfielder on FanDuel and DraftKings.

Joey Gallo FD 2000 DK 3100
Opponent - KC (Kennedy) Park - @TEX
FD - 10.38 DK - 7.77

Here we are and Joey Gallo is still $3100 on DraftKings, let alone minimum priced on FanDuel at $2000. While Gallo is far from a "pure" hitter, he has huge home run upside and I expect him to hit 40 home runs in the 2017 season. I think this is a game that he connects with one as he will be facing off with Ian Kennedy. Kennedy, a right handed veteran, has been extremely lucky this season and his 5.16 xFIP securely confirms that. If you are going to target a guy at minimum price hitter in the outfield, make it Joey Gallo.

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