Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftStreet, and DraftKings 6/3/14

A MONSTER day in Daily Fantasy Baseball. FanDuel is running their Super Monster, and a few people are going to get awfully rich. A few people besides me. But I am going to give you a little window into who to play, aren't you lucky?

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Pitchers

Gerrit Cole FanDuel 8100 DraftKings 9100 DraftStreet 17742
Gerrit will be looking to put coal(Cole, get it!?) in the stocking of Jesse Hahn and the Dads in his first start as a major leaguer. I mean, the young guy has shown promise and everything... but he threw pitches in Rookie Ball last year. He just isn't ready for the big show, in my opinion, and while anything can happen in a given baseball game, Cole and the Pirates look very well lined up for a win. Throw in the Padres and their league worst 184 runs scored this year, and you have a terrific match-up for the budding ace.

C.J. Wilson FanDuel 8500 DraftKings 11100 DraftStreet 22147
The Astros are 2nd worst at run scoring in the AL, and have a handful of guys that can really strike out - especially against lefties. Wilson is prone to the odd bad game, but he can also post a monster when the conditions are right. He's facing off against Colin McHugh (see the pick below!), but we can't get scared away from a matchup against a bad team because of 45 IP from a young pitcher.

Chris Archer FanDuel 7500 DraftKings 7400 DraftStreet 17968
The Marlins aren't the doormat they once were when it comes to hitting, but they are considerably worse against right-handers, and Archer can strike a brother out. Let's be clear - this is basically an upside play, as Archer can definitely go off the rails from time to time. Opposing Archer is Henderson Alvarez, who has been incredibly lucky ERA-wise this year. It's not for the faint of heart, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if Archer was up there with the top performers at pitcher today.

Zack Wheeler FanDuel 7000 DraftKings 7600 DraftStreet 15223
Wheeler dusted the Phillies in his last outing to the tune of 9 Ks, and the Cubs are a worse offense than even Philadelphia. Wheeler is not yet the ace that some project he will be, but he's still racking up a K per inning so far this year.

Collin McHugh FanDuel 5000 DraftKings 9100 DraftStreet 16758
A strict upside play - McHugh has shown knock-out stuff this year, and while the Angels can really hit, the price is so low on McHugh on some sites that he might be worth a look on a day where there are a lot of expensive bats lurking.

Also considered: Jordan Zimmerman

 

Catchers

Salvador Perez FanDuel 2700 DraftKings 3600 DraftStreet 4736
It's a grizzly day at catcher, but feel me for a second. Salvador Perez has a career 153 wRC+ against left handed pitching (think Miguel Cabrera's career line. Yeah.), and while Garcia has put together an incredible 19/0 K/BB in 19 IP this year, Perez could still put a decent line together.

Wilson Ramos FanDuel 3100 DraftKings 3600 DraftStreet 7163
Wilson Ramos has shown considerable signs of life recently, and David Buchanan has amassed 4 Ks in 11 innings pitched. Nats hitters are going to have the bat on the ball, and it's all going to come down to where they land.

Evan Gattis FanDuel 3100 DraftKings 3900 DraftStreet 7024
Just so you don't see my teams and get mad - I won't likely be playing Gattis personally today. This is a strict upside play, as Gattis isn't nearly as good against right handed pitchers. He does have the most upside of any catcher on a given day just due to the long-ball power, so don't be surprised if some people get big numbers out of Gattis today.

Also considered: Johnathan Lucroy, Wilin Rosario

 

First Basemen

Justin Morneau FanDuel 3500 DraftKings 4800 DraftStreet 7817
It will be good to get the Rockies back up in that Rocky Mountain air. Morneau in particular. The former MVP has an otherworldy 191 wRC+ against right handed pitching at home this year, and Chase Anderson will be below the average righty he's faced there. Be prepared for moonshots.

Adrian Gonzalez FanDuel 3500 DraftKings 4600 DraftStreet 8346
Happiness is being a left handed hitter facing off against against Hector Noesi. Noesi boasts an unsightly 5.83 ERA this year, and while he's been a bit unlucky, the 33 Ks against 15 walks in 43 innings pitched is pretty darned bad. Gonzalez is having his best season at the plate in 3 years, and has a career 141 wRC+ against righties.

Paul Goldschmidt FanDuel 4500 DraftKings 5400 DraftStreet 8115
Facing a lefty in Coors. Probably all the explanation you'll need right there. Though it should be noted that opposing teams seem to have struggled at the outset in their visits to Denver. Still, Goldy ranks as the top raw points guy at the position today.

Anthony Rizzo FanDuel 3400 DraftKings 4200 DraftStreet 7901
A lot of people will be playing the above guys today, and for good reason. But if you're thinking about a little separation play? Consider Rizzo. He's cheaper than the above guys, and I mean, he just blasted 2 home runs in a single game! For real, though: facing the not-yet-come-of-age Wheeler in the friendly confines of Wrigley Stadium could mean a big day for Rizzo.

Also considered: Mark Reynolds, Freddie Freeman

 

Second Basemen

Dustin Pedroia FanDuel 2900 DraftKings 4600 DraftStreet 7437
I say this every time, but Pedroia is one of the underrated platoon split guys in the majors. The guy crushes lefties - even good ones. Then there's poor TJ House. He might be good some day? He ain't now. Dusty is going to be on base in this one, and from there? Who knows.

Robinson Cano FanDuel 3600 DraftKings 5100 DraftStreet 7374
Cano and the Mariners take on the resurgent Gavin Floyd, who our system doesn't really believe in. Cano is relatively platoon neutral, but his lineup-mates really benefit from facing a righty, and he should have plenty of opportunity in this game.

Jason Kipnis FanDuel 2800 DraftKings 3900 DraftStreet 6790
I've got to be real with you - Jake Peavy has kinda sucked this year. And to the untrained eye, Kipnis has too. But! Your eye is trained, as is mine. Kipnis is running terribly, with a BABIP some .63 points below his career levels. His walks are up, his Ks are down, and his ISO is still reasonable. He'll be returning to his levels shortly enough, and my guess? It starts with this game.

Also considered: Ben Zobrist, Neil Walker, Howie Kendrick

 

Shortstops

Xander Bogaerts FanDuel 3800 DraftKings 4000 DraftStreet 6134
Bogaerts is good, period, but he turns into a monster against left handed pitching. House is quite susceptible to giving up the long ball, and Bogaerts is in prime position for a monster game.

Jean Segura FanDuel 2800 DraftKings 4000 DraftStreet 6244
Segura is one of the true reverse platoon split guys in the game, with a wRC+ 13% better against righties than southpaws. He's facing Sam Deduno, who has a pretty terrible 35 Ks against 18 walks in 47 IP this year. Segura ought to be able to reach base, and from there, anything is possible.

Three guys I like equally, for a price:
Hanley, Tulo, and Ian Desmond. All of these guys face lousy pitchers, and I'll give the nod to Tulo & Hanley for facing bad pitchers, and in Tulo's case, a great park.

Also considered: Jed Lowrie.

 

Third Basemen

Kyle Seager FanDuel 3000 DraftKings 3800 DraftStreet 6591
Seager has been on a tear recently, so I hope you've been playing him per our recommendations! Floyd represents a nice match-up for the underrated Seager, who should make the most of it. Seager and Cano should be a popular pairing, today.

Manny Machado FanDuel 2700 DraftKings 3700 DraftStreet 5071
The price still hasn't caught up to the talent, and Machado can absolutely still rake. Joe Saunders was never much of a pitcher, and especially isn't one now, and his AAA stuff will make Machado and the Orioles feel right at home.

Pedro Alvarez FanDuel 2900 DraftKings 4000 DraftStreet 5662
Some people will be scared off by Petco, but did you know that Petco allowed 19% more homers to left handers last year than league average? Cuz it did. So there. Alvarez draws the young Jesse Hahn, who again, pitched in Rookie Ball at one point last year. Alvarez is a classic feast or famine guy, and it stands to reason that his feasts will come against unproven guys like Hahn.

Also considered: Nick Castellanos, Martin Prado

 

Outfielders

Matt Kemp FanDuel 3200 DraftKings 3800 DraftStreet 5297
Simply the Noesi bump in combination with the upside. There are going to be some hard hit balls off of Hector today, and I think Kemp is behind several of them.

Adam Jones FanDuel 3300 DraftKings 4200 DraftStreet 6464
Jones is actually a tick better against righties for his career, but I thought it'd be fun to point out that he's batting .434 against lefties this season. And I mean, Joe Saunders is a pretty terrible lefty. And this game is in Texas? I'm picturing Jones' biggest fantasy day in weeks.

Shin-Soo Choo FanDuel 3700 DraftKings 4600 DraftStreet 7529
I get so much pleasure out of recommending Choo. A guy who plays the game the right way, and only occasionally drives drunk. Jimenez may not be a drunk driver, but he's just as wild, and Choo should prey upon Jimenez's erratic offerings.

Coco Crisp FanDuel 3100 DraftKings 3800 DraftStreet 7660
Cacao Crisp has been the spark plug for the MLB best A's offense, and he's headed to one of the best hitters' parks in the AL and facing a pitcher of his preferred handedness. Could be a very nice game for the A's lead-off man.

Carlos Gonzalez FanDuel 3800 DraftKings 5100 DraftStreet 7818
Gonzalez will be one of many Rockies hitters who will enjoy returning home. Gonzalez owns one of the most dramatic home/road and righty/lefty splits in the league, and taking on the pedestrian Chase Anderson is a dream match-up.

Austin Jackson FanDuel 2700 DraftKings 3700 DraftStreet 6257
Austin Jackson is a pretty dramatic reverse platoon split guys (he loves those righties), and Drew Hutchison, while fine, shouldn't be able to break down the Tigers' offense. Jackson should have some nice RBI opportunities today.

Michael Cuddyer FanDuel 3400 DraftKings 4900 DraftStreet 8164
Cuddyer made healthy contact all throughout the road trip, and returns home to the place where he's boasted a 183 wRC+ this season. Love the guy, and think he'll leave Chase Anderson overmatched.

Domonic Brown FanDuel 2200 DraftKings 3700 DraftStreet 5031
We've been warm on Domonic Brown for a little while, and it's paid off recently. Brown now faces Jordan Zimmerman, who's a fine pitcher, but one whose major weakness (he doesn't K anyone) suits up perfectly with Brown's biggest weakness (he tends to strike out). There's a lot of safety built in to the cheap prices, and you could do a lot worse on a bargain basement play.

There are a lot of other great OF plays today. Here they are:
Ryan Braun, Alfonso Soriano, Christian Yelich, Billy Hamilton (if he plays), Jayson Werth, Denard Span, Andrew McCutchen, Curtis Granderson.

 

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