Daily Fantasy MLB Baseball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 6/6/16

 

Welcome to Monday baseball! Hey, Monday is not all bad. We have a nice 10 game slate with a few aces and a whole bunch of below average pitchers in tough match ups. Make sure to check out our other articles as they will touch on pitching options, tournament stacks and any weather concerns that may arise.

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PITCHER

Jon Lester FD 11000 DK 11600
Opponent - PHI (Morgan) Park - @PHI
FD - 40.66 DK - 22.62

Let me start off by saying this slate is pretty horrible at the pitcher position. We have 1 clear top option and then a bunch of guys with huge risks. That clear number 1 guy is Jon Lester. Lester enters a match up at home against the Philadelphia Phillies, a team that has been absolutely horrid this year. Against lefties, the Phillies have been the second worst team in the league and the only team worse is the Atlanta Braves. They have exhibited a team .272 wOBA, 62 wRC+. and a putrid 24.1% strikeout rate. When talking about Lester, we see a true ace in every way possible. He can go deep into games, he limits home runs and can strikeout plenty of batters. Lester has had over 10 strikeouts in 3 games this year and has only been blown up once in 11 games. Lester gives you safety and upside, which gives him the clear bump above anyone else on this slate.

Christian Friedrich FD 5800 DK 7500
Opponent - ATL (Perez) Park - @SD
FD - 30.78 DK - 16.18

This guy is pretty tough to recommend but it's not like I can pivot to a reliable ace in a good match up(other than Jon Lester). Here we have Christian Friedrich, a left hander that is coming off of 2 pretty nice starts where he scored 30 and 48 FanDuel points. If we can get that out of him today, we will be happy. He is taking on the worse team in the league by far against lefties in the Atlanta Braves. As I'm sure you know, the Braves been historically bad against left handers this season with a .266 wOBA and a far above average 23.8% strikeout rate. While I am far from confident about ever rostering Christian Friedrich, this is the match up where you can even consider him. To reiterate, just plug in Lester on 1 pitcher sites.

Consider - Steven Matz

CATCHER

Victor Martinez FD 3100 DK 4400
Opponent - TOR (Happ) Park - @DET
FD - 10.96 DK - 8.45
James McCann FD 2200 DK 3000
Opponent - TOR (Happ) Park - @DET
FD - 7.98 DK - 6.3

The Tigers and Cubs are going to be very popular in this article and rightfully so. They are both facing weak left handed pitchers and both teams are insanely good against lefties. First off, we have the Tigers catchers in Victor Martinez and James McCann. Martinez and McCann both hit lefties well with a +.342 wOBA dating back to 2015. Happ has struggled mightily against righties and we will touch on that more a little later. Both of these guys are great in all formats, however, I definitely prefer if we are talking pure points.

David Ross FD 2200 DK 2800
Opponent - PHI (Morgan) Park - @PHI
FD - 2.12 DK - 1.63

Speak of the Cubs, here we have David Ross. I assume Ross will be in the lineup tonight as he usually catches Jon Lester. Surprisingly, Ross has been hitting very well this season against lefties with a .498 wOBA. lol. No, that is obviously not sustainable for a guy that is a 39 year old veteran and has never been a terrific hitter. However, it shows us that he still has it in him and this match up with Adam Morgan is as good as it gets. The Cubs are an offense you will want exposure to tonight and a cheap catcher with power is a good way to do just that.

Consider - Brian McCann

 

FIRST BASE

Miguel Cabrera FD 3600 DK 4300
Opponent - TOR (Happ) Park - @DET
FD - 13.19 DK - 10.01

We already have another Detroit Tiger and the guy we are talking about now is the beating heart of this offense. That guy is of course, Miguel Cabrera. There is not too much that needs to be said about the all-time great that is Miggy Cabrera. He has been one of the best hitters of all time with a career .408 wOBA and a 39.2% hard contact rate. This year has been no different as he has sustained those numbers. On the other hand, we have J.A. Happ. Happ used to be a very competent pitcher, however, those days are gone for good.Over the previous 4 seasons, Happ has sported a .339 wOBA with a pretty rough 4.81 SIERA. This Tigers team is one of my favorites tonight and that should be evident by the amount of them in this article.

Tyler White FD 2300 DK 3600
Opponent - TEX (Lewis) Park - @TEX
FD - 8.94 DK - 6.86

After Cabrera, there is not a whole lot I love at first. While I do like Rizzo in tournaments, let's look at Tyler White. White and the Astros take on Colby Lewis, one of my favorite pitchers to target. While Lewis has pitched pretty well this year, his peripherals are telling a complete different story. With a 4.81 xFIP and a 36.2% hard contact rate, you can expect some serious regression very soon. Tyler White, however, has hit righties well this far with a .336 wOBA and 10.3% HR/FB rate. This stadium is very hitter friendly which only adds to the match up. While I definitely prefer Rizzo and Miggy, White provides upside at a great price tag.

Consider - Anthony Rizzo, Carlos Santana, Brett Wallace

 

SECOND BASE

Jurickson Profar FD 2900 DK 3300
Opponent - HOU (Fiers) Park - @TEX
FD - 10.96 DK - 9.31
Rougned Odor FD 2900 DK 4100
Opponent - HOU (Fiers) Park - @TEX
FD - 10.43 DK - 8.53

Here is a combo at second base with Rougned Odor and Jurickson Profar. While the original plan was for Profar to temporarily fill the slot for Odor, Profar hit the ball extremely well over the last week and it looks like he has earned himself a spot on the team for good. Make sure both of these guys are in the lineup and if they are, they are both terrific plays against Mike Fiers. Fiers has had his fair share of trouble against left handers with a .326 career wOBA and his peripherals suggest some decline as well. Both of these hitters are good against righties and have some nice upside in this ballpark. I prefer whoever is higher in the lineup, however, I would ultimately prefer who is lower owned if I could predict that.

Ben Zobrist FD 3400 DK 5200
Opponent - PHI (Morgan) Park - @PHI
FD - 11.81 DK - 9.16

Here we go with another Chicago Cubs bat and there will be a few more, don't worry. The Cubs are taking on the same weak lefty they took on a few weeks ago, Adam Morgan. In that game, the Cubs hit Morgan well and I expect them to capitalize after seeing him recently. Morgan has been horrible this season with a combined .357 wOBA and a 4.82 xFIP. Zobrist on the other hand, has the league's highest OBP in the league at .441. Make sure to get some exposure to this offense, as long as the weather isn't horrible. You can get an update on that with our weather article later in the day.

Consider - Ian Kinsler

 

SHORTSTOP

Manny Machado FD 3900 DK 5100
Opponent - KC (Duffy) Park - @BAL
FD - 10.5 DK - 8.28

Shortstop is not too deep of a position tonight and that is why I will be trying to pay up if at all possible. First off, we have Manny Machado. Machado and the O's are taking on Danny Duffy, a average left handed pitcher. Duffy has been horrible against righties over the past 3 seasons with a .349 wOBA and has given up a 35.2% hard contact rate. Manny Machado has been quite the opposite of horrible against left handers. In 2016, Machado has sported a .396 wOBA with a very supporting cast of peripherals. Machado makes for the top play in all formats at shortstop.

Carlos Correa FD 4000 DK 4500
Opponent - TEX (Lewis) Park - @TEX
FD - 10.52 DK - 8.63

If you are looking for a guy that will be a bit lower owned and has just as much upside, Carlos Correa is your guy. As mentioned, Colby Lewis is due for some regression and it could very well come in this match up. Carlos Correa on the other hand, has smashed righties since he entered the majors. Since his debut, Correa has hit righties to the tune of a .359 wOBA and a 34% hard contact rate. Correa has as much upside as anyone at this position and will be way lower owned than he should be given this stellar match up.

Consider - Javier Baez

 

THIRD BASE

Kris Bryant FD 3900 DK 5300
Opponent - PHI (Morgan) Park - @PHI
FD - 12.68 DK - 9.81

NO WAY! I know, you couldn't of expect another Cubs bat. In all honestly, Kris Bryant is my favorite bat of all on this Cubs team. He has sported a .345 wOBA with a 38.5% hard contact rate since entering the league and there is no reason to believe those numbers are a fluke. As we mentioned, Morgan is a below average pitcher that is going to struggle in this match up at Wrigley.

Evan Longoria FD 3800 DK 5100
Opponent - ARI (Ray) Park - @ARI
FD - 11.23 DK - 8.61

If you have the testicular fortitude to get off of Bryant, well first of all you are brave. Second of all, the guy you might to pivot to is Evan Longoria. Longoria has a long history against lefties with a career wOBA of .386 that is backed up by a 34.8% hard contact rate and a 41.9% FB rate, not that we really need to back up a consistent 9 year sample size. He will be taking on a left hander in Robbie Ray in hitter friendly Chase Field. Ray is an average pitcher and should not scare you away from someone of Longoria's skill set. Longoria is a great GPP play as I will have Bryant in my cash games.

Consider - Nick Castellanos

 

OUTFIELD

Dexter Fowler FD 4000 DK 5500
Opponent - PHI (Morgan) Park - @PHI
FD - 11.56 DK - 9.34
Jorge Soler FD 2800 DK 4300
Opponent - PHI (Morgan) Park - @PHI
FD - 10.54 DK - 8.13

I promise, these are the last bats from the Cubs. I think. We have Dexter Fowler and Jorge Soler here, however, you can add any other outfielder that finds his way into the lineup. What more is there to say about this offense and the spot they are in? Both Fowler and Soler have hit lefties extremely well this season with +3.62 wOBA's. One thing I will add is the contingency of the weather. Do not hesitate when plugging these guys into your lineup.

Justin Upton FD 2700 DK 2600
Opponent - TOR (Happ) Park - @DET
FD - 9.79 DK - 7.65
J.D. Martinez FD 4000 DK 4100
Opponent - TOR (Happ) Park - @DET
FD - 11.6 DK - 8.92

We will end our article with the 2 top offenses of the day in the Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers. I put Upton and Martinez here but feel free to add Maybin if he ends up in the 2 hole again. As we mentioned, Happ is a southpaw that is on the back end of his career and has struggled against righties. With his increasing age and decreasing velocity, you can only expect decline from here on out. These 2 outfielders in Martinez and Upton have smashed lefties over the course of their respective career's with a wOBA of +.364. It is going to be very tough for me to decide which 3 I will plug in to my lineup between Fowler, Soler, Martinez and Upton. I will definitely make sure I have exposure to all of them.

Consider - Steve Pearce, Adam Jones, Nomar Mazara, Mitch Moreland

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