MLB Daily Fantasy Helper: Tuesday 6/23/15
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As for today's lineups -- those can be found here. The information below is to help you understand why particular players are being picked, because we don't want you going into the things completely blind. We want to help you. Keep in mind, however, that things often change up until the games start, so make sure you're refreshing the optimal lineups as close to the start of games as possible.
Top Pitchers
High-Cost Pitcher
Madison Bumgarner – The reigning World Series MVP has gotten off to a strong start this season, earning a 7-4 record with a 3.09 ERA, 3.29 FIP and 3.34 xFIP through is first 14 starts. Although he ranks just 25th in the league in strikeout percentage at 23.3%, Bumgarner draws a spectacular matchup against a Padres squad that strikes out at the third-highest rate in the league at 22.6% and ranks in the bottom five in the Majors in both wOBA (.295) and wRC+ (89). With San Francisco currently listed as a -190 favorite in a game that Vegas expects to be the lowest scoring on the slate, the Giants' ace is our highest projected pitcher on the board.
Alternative Options: Chris Archer, Carlos Martinez
Cost-Effective Pitcher
CC Sabathia - Yesterday I recommended Michael Pineda as the top pitching aspect on the board due to his excellent matchup against Philadelphia. Then the Phillies knocked him around for eight earned runs on 11 hits in 3.1 innings. That said, the Phillies still rank 29th in the league in both wOBA (.284) and wRC+ (77), so let's try this again. The former Cy Young award winner Sabathia has gotten off to a bit of a rough start this season with just a 3-7 record and a 5.31 ERA. However, his 3.42 xFIP indicates that he is primed to bounce back, and a matchup with the Phillies is a great place to start. Though I'm probably not ready to trust him in cash games, Sabathia makes a very interesting tournament play tonight.
Alternative Option: Stephen Strasburg
High-Cost Hitters
Nolan Arenado - The Rockies will be home at Coors tonight, so pretty much every batter in Colorado's lineup is in play. While Diamondbacks starter Chase Anderson has been very impressive as of late -- he has allowed two or fewer earned runs in eight of his last nine outings -- the last time he faced the Rockies he gave up five earned runs in 5.1 innings, and that game wasn't even in Colorado. Meanwhile, the Rockies' budding star Arenado has gotten off to a scorching hot start this season, posting career bests in wOBA (.370), OPS (.883), wRC+ (120) and ISO (.284) while nearly matching his home run total from a season ago in just 67 games. Although he doesn't have the platoon advantage at first glance, the Rockies' third baseman has actually been better against righties than lefties this season, earning a massive .383 wOBA and .325 ISO against right-handed pitching this season. He makes a very strong play in all formats tonight.
Paul Goldschmidt - Speaking of great hitters who will be playing at Coors tonight, Goldschmidt has been one of the best hitters in baseball this season. He ranks second in the league in both wOBA (.469) and wRC+ (199) and leads the majors with a .356 batting average through his first 69 games of the season. Much like Arenado, Goldschmidt doesn't have the platoon advantage but it doesn't really matter considering he has put up a ridiculous .466 wOBA, .293 ISO and 1.127 OPS against righties this season. The only problem with the Diamondbacks' slugger is that he costs an obscene $6,000 on DraftKings and $6,100 on FanDuel. However he is our highest projected batter on the board tonight, so definitely do your best to fit him into your lineup despite his absurd price tag.
Alternative Options: Stephen Vogt, Kolten Wong
Cost-Effective Hitters
David Peralta - As I already mentioned, the Diamondbacks will be visiting Coors Field today so it's far from a surprise to see another Arizona player on this list. What I didn't discuss already is the fact that the D-Backs will be facing off with Kyle Kendrick who has been straight up terrible this season. Kendrick has posted a 5.95 ERA with a 6.11 FIP and 5.18 xFIP while striking out just 4.36 batters per nine innings, and his numbers against lefties are even worse. The Rockies' starter has allowed a horrific .408 wOBA to lefties -- .518 to lefties at home -- and has earned an abysmal 6.62 FIP to left-handed batters this season. Meanwhile, Diamondbacks' sophomore Peralta has fared very well against right-handed pitching with a .336 wOBA and .190 ISO and should be batting in the middle of the order tonight. Peralta makes a strong play on all platforms tonight but is an absolute steal at just $2,500 on FanDuel.
Chris Parmelee - The Orioles' bats have been on fire as of late and Parmelee is no exception. In six games since being called up from the minors, the Orioles' outfielder has already hit three homers and knocked in four runs while posting a .501 wOBA. While that is definitely a small sample size, what gives me confidence in Parmelee tonight is his career .317 wOBA and .154 ISO against right-handed pitching and his matchup with Red Sox' righty Joe Kelly and his 5.32 ERA and 4.08 xFIP. Parmelee should provide excellent value at just $2,500 on FanDuel and $3,200 on DraftKings.
Alternative Option: Shin-Soo Choo, David DeJesus
