MLB

3 Daily Fantasy Baseball Players to Avoid on 4/5/17

Kenyatta Storin  —  @KenyattaStorin Apr 5th, 2017
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Michael Pineda, SP, New York Yankees

FanDuel Price: $8,200

Michael Pineda actually has a ton of upside today, facing off against a Tampa Bay Rays team that struck out 24.2% of the time versus right-handers last season. In 2016, Pineda had an elite 27.4% strikeout rate and 14.1% swinging-strike rate, along with a 3.40 SIERA.

So why is he on this list? If anyone has ever used Pineda in DFS or season-long leagues, they know what a maddening experience it is. Despite all those strong numbers, he had an ERA of 4.82, almost in defiance of his strong peripherals. We keep hoping Pineda can put it all together one of these years, but he's prone to mistakes, leading to ugly outings.

Still, his bloated .339 BABIP and 17% home-run-to-fly-ball rate in 2016 scream positive regression, so in reality, this makes him a strong tournament play. I may even use him! But this is just your friendly reminder to proceed with caution when it comes to Pineda in DFS. And whatever you do, don't play him in cash.

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