Welcome to the 5-12-15 Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks. Keep an eye on lineups and weather as the day progresses, there may be some guys on this list who are out today. The values are based off of FanDuel.
5-12-15 Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks
Pitcher
Chris Archer, Tampa Bay Rays, $8,700 – Archer is a strikeout machine and has a nice home matchup versus Nathan Eovaldi and the Yankees. Archer has 50 strikeouts in 42 innings so far in 2015, including 34 strikeouts in just 28 innings at home. That is an enormous strikeout rate, and combined with Archer’s success versus the Yankees in 2014 (2-0, 2.70 ERA), makes Archer the top pitcher value on the board. Archer has double-digit strikeout potential at an attractive price, so fire him up on Tuesday night.
Mike Bolsinger, Los Angeles Dodgers, $4,700 – Bolsinger is the cheapest pitcher available on FanDuel on Tuesday, and is a tremendous value at his price point. Bolsinger has pitched very well in AAA so far in 2015, and was solid in his lone start for the Dodgers earlier this year. In that start versus the Giants, Bolsinger allowed one run in 5.2 innings, and struck out six batters. Now he gets to pitch in Dodger stadium, versus the primarily right-handed lineup of the Marlins, and has a good chance to earn the win, making him a great value play. Also interesting is Noah Syndergaard, $7,100, making his major league debut. The young right-hander nicknamed “Thor” has electric stuff, and is worth a look against the strikeout-prone Cubs.
Catcher
Derek Norris, San Diego Padres, $2,900 – Norris feasts off of left-handed pitching, and is batting a robust .520 versus left-handers in 2015. Norris faces James Paxton (0-2, 5.08 ERA) who has struggled so far in 2015, and bats in the middle of the Padres new look lineup. There are not too many catcher options, but Norris is a nice value play, with a strong matchup at a nice price.
First Base
Kendrys Morales, Kansas City Royals, $2,700 – Morales is having a monster 2015 season for the Royals, yet his price on FanDuel seems to stay the same regardless of his production. Morales is batting .304 with four home runs and 23 RBI so far in 2015, and has a juicy matchup against Nick Martinez in Arlington. Morales is slugging .515 versus right-handed pitching, and has hit three of his four home runs on the road, making Morales a nice value play in what should be a high scoring game.
Second Base
Neil Walker, Pittsburgh Pirates, $3,000 – Walker switch-hits, but is a far superior hitter from the left-hand side. Walker is batting .315 with both of his home runs and all of his twelve RBI versus right-handed pitching. Walker also has a prime matchup facing Sean O’Sullivan, who is barely a major league caliber pitcher. With a six game hitting streak going, look for Walker to keep producing on Tuesday night.
Third Base
Luis Valbuena, Houston Astros, $2,900 – Similar to Neil Walker, Valbuena is also a switch-hitter that is far superior versus right-handed pitching. Valbuena is batting .244 and slugging .500 from the left-hand side, compared to .094 and .219 from the right-hand side. Valbuena also has six home runs in just 82 at-bats versus right-handers in 2015, and has a nice matchup at home against the struggling Chris Heston. Batting second or third for the Astros in hitter-friendly Minute Maid Park, Valbuena makes an excellent value play at third base.
Shortstop
J.J. Hardy, Baltimore Orioles, $2,500 – Shortstop is a good position to save salary, as there are very few expensive options worth paying for. Hardy is a nice value play, as he faces Mark Buehrle at home, in hitter-friendly Camden Yards. Hardy came back from injury about a week ago, but has shown some power recently, with a home run and a double in his past four games. Buehrle has really struggled in 2015, with a 6.00 ERA, making Hardy a nice value play at a tough position.
Outfield
Kole Calhoun, Los Angeles Angels, $3,100 – Calhoun leads off for the Angels, and is a great play when he is at home in Angels stadium. Calhoun is batting .333 with three home runs at home, compared to .233 with zero home runs on the road. Facing the mediocre Kyle Kendrick at home, Calhoun thus makes an excellent value play in the outfield. Calhoun bats in front of Mike Trout, $5,400, and has multiple hits and runs scored potential. Confidently start Calhoun at a very attractive price, and combo him with Trout if you can who is the top overall play regardless of position.
Colby Rasmus, Houston Astros, $2,900 – Rasmus has resurrected his career with the Astros in 2015, and has slowly moved up in the batting order due to his production. Rasmus struggles versus left-handed pitching, but has a nice matchup versus the right-handed Chris Heston. Rasmus has six home runs in just 70 at-bats versus right-handed pitching in 2015, making him a nice value play for under $3K in the outfield.
Delmon Young, Baltimore Orioles, $2,300 – Young has been batting in the heart of the Orioles lineup consistently, and loves to face left-handed pitching. Young is a great value at his near-minimum salary, and faces the struggling Mark Buehrle in Camden Yards, where he is batting a robust .440. Young also loves facing Buehrle, and is batting .353 versus left-handers so far in 2015. Add it all up and Young has an ideal matchup at an attractive salary, making him the top value play in the outfield.
(Picks courtesy of Ronny Mor/Rotowire.com)
