MLB GPP Tournament Picks: 6-18-15

The purpose of this column is to highlight some players with upside and well-suited for tournaments. While the majority of the hitter picks will likely have power upside, that's not necessarily the case for all the listed options. Other contextual factors such as batting order, ballpark, opposing pitcher, price, speed, etc also come into play, and you'll see these items sprinkled into the write-ups below. Along with that, we'll be gauging the ownership levels, giving you some plausible pivots from the popular choices in a given game slate.

Top Pitchers

The Cubs blew up for 17 runs last night, but that doesn't mean we should automatically fade opposing pitchers, regardless of ability. The fact that Chicago strikes out more than any other team (24.6%) still remains. That triggers some tremendous upside for a strikeout-heavy pitcher like Salazar (28%), who has developed a much better groundball rate (44%) this season as an added layer of security. Positioned with a salary just below the likes of top dogs like Cole, Archer, and Greinke, the Cleveland hurler will give you more cap space to build your hitting stack of choice.

Top Hitters

Let's just get the obvious pick out of the way. Anytime Stanton steps in against a lefty, you'll definitely wan some exposure. When that lefty is the struggling CC Sabathia with a .336 wOBA mark against right-handed hitters (in New York's smaller ballpark), it only further's Stanton's already great cause. Fade at your own risk, as it may be better to take some chances "going against the grain" in other spots - building around Stanton.

Anthony Ranaudo will get a spot start for Texas, and he will do so against the best team at hitting right-handed pitchers. Pederson has a lot to do with that, as you can see with the .384 wOBA .247 ISO numbers above. Ranaudo only has only recorded 25 innings against left-handed hitters, but has shown an exploitable .375 wOBA mark with a 47% fly-ball rate.

This is more of a FanDuel specific play, as his price point has dropped to a new low over there. While his cold-streak is concerning, especially since it coincides with a back injury that most likely has lingering effects. Therein lies the risk with this pick. However, you don't have to sacrifice much salary on FanDuel for a guy with elite power against a mediocre pitcher. It's a gamble, so you'll probably want to limit your exposure, but definitely work him in when building multiple tournament lineups.

Teixeira is a switch-hitter that profiles better from the left-side of the plate, especially in the power department with a .239 ISO compared to .177 while stepping in as a righty. He was out of the lineup last night, but seems optimistic to play tonight. The "DTD" tag designated next to his name in the player pool will likely scare people away, plus there are other quality first basemen that figure to be more popular tonight. With that, we'll likely have a low ownership percentage with Teixeira and some great upside at home against a mediocre, blow-up prone pitcher. Just make sure he's in the lineup first!

Value and Platoon Plays

Wilmer Flores (SS - NYM) FD: $2,900 DK: $3800 (2B eligible)

Taking chances against knuckleballer R.A. Dickey is never a bad tournament proposition, especially in Toronto's hitter-friendly atmosphere. Insert Flores, who has satisfying "pop" for a middle infielder, and a great price on DrafKings. He's salary ascended on FanDuel, where he's still a good play, but one to be more sensitive with.

Matt Duffy (3B - SF) FD: $3,100 DK: $3500 (2B eligible)

Matt Duffy is the definition of a tournament pick. I'm thinking he's a better play on DraftKings with a relatively cheap price point, multi-position eligibility, and they don't penalize failed at-bats. He has displayed some nice homerun upside as of late, holding a decent righty/lefty draw tonight.

Logan Morrison (1B - SEA) FD: $2400 DK: $3700 (OF eligible)

By now, we know what Logan Morrison is all about. He'll either blast a homerun (perhaps two?) or strike out 2+ times. He's looking at a nice matchup against Ryan Voglesong, who allows a .350 wOBA split to left-handed hitters. The only problem comes in the form of opportunity cost with several quality first baseman going tonight. He has outfield eligibility on DraftKings, which may be the spot to work him in.

Curtis Granderson (OF - NYM) FD: $2,900 DK: $3800

Building at least one stack against knuckleballer R.A. Dickey isn't a bad strategy at all. If Dickey doesn't have his stuff working, he'll end up throwing meatball after meatball in one of the best hitter environments in the league. Granderson (and Duda, Flores) has the necessary power to cash in on that scenario.