Today, it is finally Friday and we are headed into a 3-day weekend. With that in mind, here are the 5-22-15 Daily Fantasy Picks. These picks are based off the contests starting at 7:05 PM EST/4:05 PM PST on DraftKings.
Disclaimer: These picks are subject to change based on last minute line-up changes and weather.
The early data indicates that the Orioles-Marlins and Giants-Rockies games could be impacted by weather. This was somewhat disappointing as I would have otherwise started some players on the Giants as they are scheduled to face Kyle Kendrick and his 6.70 ERA at Coors Field.
Starting Pitchers
Felix Hernandez, SP, Seattle Mariners, $10,800
For tonight’s games, there are plenty of high-level pitching options available. While Max Scherzer is having the best season out of all the starting pitchers and has a strong match-up against the Phillies, he also costs $1,900 more than Hernandez who is the next best and second-most expensive pitcher available. Personally, the price tag for Scherzer scared me off for tonight.
With Hernandez, I’m taking advantage of the fact that his price tag is about as buy-low as it gets with him. His price tag was as high as $12,200 on May 4 but has decreased since then especially since his last outing against the Red Sox only netted him 8.9 points. Despite that, you have a pitcher with a 2.31 ERA, a 9.05 K/9 and someone with a good chance to pick up a win since the Blue Jays starter for tonight (Marco Estrada) is the complete opposite of what you would look for in a Cy Young caliber pitcher.
Noah Syndergaard, SP, New York Mets, $7,500
Amongst the pitchers in the $7,000-$7,500 range Syndergaard is by one of the strongest options. He is coming off a very strong start against the Brewers. One thing that makes me think he will have a strong rookie year (and not be available at this price for long) is that he even managed to pull a 1.82 ERA/3.03 FIP this year while playing in the Pacific Coast League, a league with a well established reputation of inflating hitters numbers while making the majority of pitchers look mediocre.
Catcher
Robinson Chirinos, C, Texas Rangers, $3,500
Chirinos does not have the prettiest looking stat line this season as he is only hitting .190. However, his bat has heated up lately as he has hit 2 HR over the last week. With the Rangers traveling to Yankee Stadium, Chirinos has a strong opportunity to continue this strong stretch of play and add to his HR total.
First Base
Stephen Vogt, 1B, Oakland Athletics $3,400
Due to the wonders of multi-position eligibility, I was able to squeeze Vogt in at 1B. Yes, he does have a tough pitching match-up as the Rays will be starting Chris Archer.
Second Base
Robinson Cano, 2B, Seattle Mariners, $4,500
Cano is the first of 3 Mariners players in my line-up tonight. Yes, Cano has hit up to expectations this season. However, Rogers Centre is somewhere where Cano is familiar hitting and has hit well there in his career .286 AVG and 6 HR. Also, he will be facing Marco Estrada who has given up more than a few HR in his career and could be just what Cano needs to break out of his slump.
Third Base
Yunel Escobar, 3B, Washington Nationals, $3,700
Escobar is the first of 3 Nationals players in my line-up tonight as the Phillies will be starting Sean O’Sullivan who has a 3.68 ERA but also a 5.53 FIP. Escobar has been a pleasant surprise for the Nationals as he is hitting .326 this season. Granted, he also has a .366 BABIP and could be in for a regression at some point but that will probably come when he’s facing pitchers that are much better than O’Sullivan.
Shortstop
Ian Desmond, SS, Washington Nationals, $4,400
So far, 2015 has not been very kind to Ian Desmond as he is only hitting .244 and has an OPS of .679. However, he has played better during the month of May (.278 AVG with 3 HR) and he has hit much better against righties than he has against lefties.
Outfield
Denard Span, OF, Washington Nationals, $4,700
Span saw his season get off to a late start as he missed the first couple weeks due to injury. However, he has made up for lost time by hitting very well (.333 AVG over his first 24 games). The fact that the Nationals have a chance to go up against mediocre right-handed pitching tonight helps make Span worth this higher price tag as Span is hitting .388 against righties this season.
Seth Smith, OF, Seattle Mariners, $3,900
Just because the last 3 picks were Nationals players does not mean I’m close to being done picking on Marco Estrada. In addition to stacking lineups with teams going up against weak pitchers, I also like to look at players who either hit better over one type of pitching over the other. Smith fulfills both of these areas as he has hit right handed pitching very well throughout his career.
Logan Morrison, OF, Seattle Mariners, $3,600
Morrison is only hitting .230 but has shown some pop with 6 HR on the season. However, this conceals a couple of factors which helps his value. First, he has been much better in May, hitting .271 with 5 HR in 70 PA. Also, his bat has been more productive away from the confines of Safeco field as he is hitting .283 on the road this season.
All statistics found on fangraphs.com
All statistics through 5/20/15
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