Today, it is Friday which means it is my turn to share my opinions and ideas which are leading me to set my 6-19-15 Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks. The values are based off of DraftKings and based off the contests that start at 7:05 PM EST.
Disclaimer: The below picks are subject to last minute line-up decisions and weather.
Starting Pitchers
Jacob deGrom, SP, New York Mets, $10,700
Tonight, there are plenty of high-end starting pitching options available. On the highest end, pitchers like Max Scherzer and Chris Sale are available. However, their price is north of $11,000 which is typically the price point where I’ll personally shy away from picking somebody.
For this pick, I spent time debating between deGrom and Sonny Gray. While deGrom has a price that is $600 higher, I opted to go with deGrom due to a higher K/9 rate (9.53 versus 8.28 for Gray) and feeling more comfortable with going with a NL pitcher for my high-end starting pitcher option when having two similarly priced solid options.
Mike Bolsinger, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers, $7,400
The Dodgers have given Bolsinger an opportunity to start and he has made the most of it, going 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA/2.98 FIP and 8.06 K/9. With the Dodgers playing at home tonight, this sets him up for success as he has a 1.01 ERA at home this season.
Catcher
Stephen Vogt, C, Oakland Athletics, $3,600
The Athletics will be facing RHP Matt Shoemaker tonight. Vogt is in the midst of a breakout season where he is hitting .279 with 12 HR and has a 148 wRC+. Also, Vogt’s strength is hitting against righties as he has hit 11 of his HR in 181 PA against right handed pitching.
First Base
Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Detroit Tigers, $5,700
Going into this season, there were concerns that Cabrera was going to struggle based on a drop-off (by his standards) in performance. For now, those concerns have been put to rest as he is hitting .342 with 15 HR and a 186 wRC+ He has a favorable matchup as he will be facing RHP Adam Warren of the Yankees who has a 3.78 ERA/4.54 FIP and will be playing at Yankee Stadium.
Second Base
Kolten Wong, 2B, St. Louis Cardinals, $3,400
The rest of tonight’s infield is going to be stacked with Cardinals players. Tonight, the Cardinals are facing a Phillies team that has been so bad, they have even lost more games than the Milwaukee Brewers which is no small accomplishment.
The Phillies are also scheduled to start RHP Phillippe Aumont. While he has not pitched in the majors this season, he has pitched in 45 games (all relief appearances) and has a 6.13 ERA in these appearances. Since he will be facing a Cardinals team that has the best record in baseball and has several hitters that are strongest against righties, tonight’s game has the potential to get ugly very quickly.
This season, Wong has taken a step forward as he is hitting .289 with 7 HR and a 118 wRC+. Even with this performance, he is at a bargain level price for tonight. One of his strengths this year is hitting against righties as he is hitting .302 against right handed pitching this season.
Third Base
Matt Carpenter, 3B, St. Louis Cardinals, $3,700
Carpenter is another Cardinals player who has hit better this year than last. Currently, he is hitting .291 with 8 HR (matching his total from all of last season) and has a 139 wRC+. He has been especially strong against righties as he is hitting .329 against them this season.
Shortstop
Jhonny Peralta, SS, St. Louis Cardinals, $3,800
Peralta is on track for a possible career year this season. He is hitting .311 with 10 HR and a 142 wRC+ (which would be a career high if this holds up). He has also been strongest against righties, hitting .332 this season.
Outfield
Anthony Gose, OF, Detroit Tigers, $4,000
Gose has had a solid first season in Detroit as he is hitting .284 and has stolen 11 bases. Even though he has struggled in June, Gose has been strongest against righties this year as he is hitting .302 against right handed pitching.
Carlos Beltran, OF, New York Yankees, $3,900
Beltran has not had the greatest start to this season, as he is hitting .249 with 4 HR. However, this total is weighed down by a terrible April (where he hit .162). He has turned it around since as he hit .298 in May and is hitting .282. With the Tigers starting RHP Alfredo Simon, this matchup works to his advantage as he has hit significantly better against righties this season.
Chris Colabello, OF, Toronto Blue Jays, $3,500
Colabello has been hitting very well since being called up and he is still available for a very reasonable price. He is currently hitting .344 with 4 HR and a 143 wRC+. In June, he has shown little signs of slowing down as he is hitting .305 this month.
All statistics found on fangraphs.com
All statistics through 6/17/15
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