RADIO
There’s nothing like solid walk-up music to get both the upcoming batter and the home fans excited for a big at bat. For the better part of the last two seasons, Athletics outfielder Josh Reddick has selected fine walk-up songs. Last year, he took the cake during a game in May when he selected “Careless Whisper” by Wham! While another outfielder, Hunter Pence, is rolling with the opening sunrise theme to The Lion King. What a wonderful game this is.
There are two main slates for the day. The early games offer intriguing hitter value while the late games should be dominated by the stars.
Below are my DraftKings picks for Wednesday, June 3rd, 2015. As always, remember to check your players to make sure they are in their MLB starting lineups before lineups lock.
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Game Notes
- There shouldn’t be any problems in the weather department for the early games. The evening contests are a different story. Make sure to monitor the weather in Philadelphia, Washington, and Denver.
- For those players that enjoy utilizing the stack strategy, there’s no better target than Tim Hudson. Opposing batters are making contact eighty-three percent of the time when facing him. Even better- or worse, as it were- is that of those batted balls, a whopping 86.7% are considered medium or hard contact. No wonder righties are hitting .326 off him at AT&T Park.
- Corey Kluber will square off against a tough Kansas City lineup that typically does not strikeout. Chris Sale will make the start in Texas against a Ranger squad that has tattooed lefties as of late. Their prices just do not warrant rosters.
- Look for the Yankees to have Masahiro Tanaka on a short leash and a pitch limit.
- Hector Santiago’s peripherals- .249 BABIP, 4.47 xFIP- suggest he is due for regression.
- This has nothing to do with baseball, but it is rather depressing that there are only two episodes left in this season of Game of Thrones. Winter is coming.
DFS Pitchers to Consider for DraftKings
Early Slate
Francisco Liriano, PIT - $10,000
Frankie isn’t quite a must play, but he’s close enough to being a must play. So let’s make it official and call him a must play.
Eduardo Rodriguez, BOS - $5,700
He is cheap. There’s about a one million percent chance that Rodriguez is rolled out in three quarters of all lineups. While in Triple-A, he struck out over twenty-three percent of all batters which clearly carried over into his first start last week in Texas. His cost equals 8.77% of a team’s budget and owners can expect over 20 points. Also, um, did you see his price tag!? One more thing: look at that price.
Late Games
Jon Lester, CHC - $9,900
The Cubs will start Lester who has given up more than two earned runs only once since the start of May. Lester has a solid K rate and pitches quite well away from Wrigley Field. Not to be outdone, the Marlins counter with Dan Jennings as their manager.
James Shields, SD - $9,400
Big Game made the right choice by moving to the National League. He doesn’t have to face a DH, he gets to pitch in a great pitcher’s park, and- at least for today against the Mets- he gets to face inept offenses. I’m sure the $75 million contract didn’t hurt either.
DFS Catchers to Consider for DraftKings
Early Slate
Brian McCann, NYY - $3,900
Taijuan Walker hasn’t exactly been lighting it up this season against left handed bats. McCann, however, has been lighting up left-handed pitching. He also has posted a silly .524 wOBA over the last week.
Francisco Cervelli, PIT - $3,100
Did you know Cervelli is hitting over .320 this season? This is the typical “take advantage of another weak pitcher” strategy.
Late Games
Josh Phegley, OAK - $2,900
He is seeing the ball well right now and in a small sample size of nine at-bats, Phegley has pummeled Anibal Sanchez. It’s almost as if he is a punt option, but he is very capable of giving top tier value.
DFS Infielders to Consider for DraftKings
FIRST BASE
Early Slate
David Ortiz, BOS - $3,900
It’s true that Ortiz has been down this season. He’s had some success against Twins starter Phi Hughes and he is a better hitter at home than on the road. That being said, it is incredibly hard to not go with Paul Goldschmidt ($5,400) every time out.
Late Games
Adrian Gonzalez, LAD - $5,400
Ben Paulsen, COL - $3,300
The Coors Field factor is too hard to ignore in this one. Gonzalez is a top tier pick, but if you’re looking for value, go with Paulsen. The young first baseman has a .464 wOBA against RHP and is slugging .917 over the last week.
SECOND BASE
Early Slate
Dustin Pedroia, BOS - $4,100
For whatever reason, Pedroia likes to demolish Phil Hughes. In 30 at bats against the former Yankee starter, Pedroia has five home runs. Plus, it seems like he always has a good game at home in the day.
Late Games
Logan Forsythe, TB - $3,000
How is Forsythe’s price still this low? Dude rakes lefties and bats in a premium position to drive in runs and get a fair sure of plate appearances. Easy play.
SHORTSTOP
Early Slate
Jhonny Peralta, STL - $4,100
If you want to get any type of production from short, go with Peralta. If you’re looking for value, there’s really not a whole lot of real solid options. In the early games, it’s either pay up for Peralta or go with the cheapest starter available. That’s how slim the pickings are.
Late Games
Ian Desmond, WAS - $4,200
Desmond is starting to make contact with the ball at a higher rate. Though he still strikes out a ton, he will be facing a southpaw in Mark Buehrle who doesn’t really strike out guys anymore. Could be a boat load of runs in DC if this game is played tonight.
THIRD BASE
Early Slate
Trevor Plouffe, MIN - $4,400
Matt Carpenter, STL - $4,400
This one is literally a toss up. Both have juicy platoon matchups and both are at the exact same price. Carpenter is safer pick, but the aggressive selection is Plouffe and his home run ability.
Late Games
Nolan Arenado, COL - $5,100
Justin Turner, LAD - $4,200
This evening game will feature about a billion runs and DFS players should cash in on the action. Arenado is clearly on another planet right now and will once again probably produce the most points. However, Turner has a great matchup and is less expensive.
DFS Outfielders to Consider for DraftKings
Early Slate
Andrew McCutchen, PIT - $4,800
Honestly, whatever the price is for McCutchen, it’s probably too low. Dude is clearly in some kind of zone and June is historically his best month with a .402 wOBA.
Hunter Pence, SF - $4,100
Pence hits lefties well and has some success against Liriano in his career, though it is a small sample size. When in doubt, trust in the walk up music.
Late Games
Giancarlo Stanton, MIA - $4,500
Despite pitching against a tough pitcher, Stanton still owns the platoon advantage. Plus, at that price, he is just so irresistible and is always a threat to hit a bomb.
Steven Souza, TB - $4,300
As explained above, Santiago isn’t exactly a guy you can trust long term. If there’s a guy in the Tampa lineup that can crush a left-handed pitcher, it’s definitely Souza. Those strikeouts, though.
Josh Reddick, OAK - $4,200
Reddick has been rather cold lately, but at some point he has to get out of the funk. He has a reasonable platoon matchup against a starter that has allowed a ton of hard hit balls. Nearly 83% of all batted balls allowed by Sanchez have been considered medium or hard contact.
DFS Q&A with Max Petrie @ 6PM on 6/3
Leave your question and come back at 6pm when Max answers everything. For our regular MLB & Fantasy Baseball Chat, click here.
