MLB GPP Tournament Picks: 6-19-15

The game slate Friday is comprised of 15 night games, and we're back to the random single interleague play game mixed in. There are polarizing pitching options to choose from with aces Chris Sale and Sonny Gray taking the hill, and then three pitchers making their first start of the season -- Yohan Pino, Phillippe Aumont and Matt Wisler. Nasty weather continues to linger, and taking a conservative approach on sites without a late-swap option might be wise in regards to those games. There are a number of value arms and bats to target to clear cap space for your lineup building blocks, which is especially critical when chasing upside in GPP contests.

Pitchers

An unsustainably high .342 BABIP skews Carrasco's numbers, as for the season, he sports a 4.38 ERA with a 2.67 FIP and a 2.84 xFIP. Correction's course appears cleared, especially considering his 10.34 K/9. Enter the pedestrian Rays offense (.678 OPS, .299 wOBA versus righties, and just 29 road home runs over 30 games), and Carrasco has top-tier upside at a second-tier price.

Just note, Carrasco's game-to-game inconsistency might not be enough to keep his ownership down in GPP contests.

Over his past five starts, Hendricks has limited opponents to a .592 OPS and posted a 2.25 ERA with 29 strikeouts over 32 innings. Minnesota enters with a league-worst .622 OPS vs. righties and third-last .292 wOBA. Plus, the Twins have averaged just 2.5 runs per game over their past 10 outings.

Hendricks offers mid-range strikeout potential, and should limit the damage enough to receive the four-point win kickback with his offense likely to bully Phil Hughes (4.59 FIP).

Ross' pitching arsenal passed the eye test in his first start, and he picked up the win over an eight-inning showing with eight punchouts last time out. He faces an admirable opposing hurler (A.J. Burnett), and the Pirates have offensive potential, which should keep Ross' ownership down despite a near contest-low cap hit.

Sweetening the deal, Pittsburgh ranks 10th in strikeouts against righties with an underwhelming .306 wOBA and .682 OPS. Ross, meanwhile, has yet to allow a home run and has issued a single walk with a 60.5 percent ground-ball rate and 1.49 FIP. He checks out as a high-reward, low-investment play.

Top Hitters

Duda draws a righty making his major league debut. He is an established masher against right-handed pitchers and is beginning to heat back up with a .930 OPS over his past six games, including a round tripper Thursday. And if Wisler is pulled early, the Braves bullpen sports a 4.61 ERA and has allowed a third-worst .750 OPS. First base is deep and top heavy, so Duda should fly under the radar Friday.

Brantley has a hit in all but one June game with a .396 OBP, however, the counting stats and extra-base hits have been lacking (five runs, four doubles and five RBI). Look for him to be rewarded Friday.

A stolen base Wednesday, a home run Thursday and a .345/.367/.517 slash line over his last nine games, maybe Heyward is finally ready to produce to his talent. A speculative leap of faith that he'll continue the trend could reward at his cost-effective salary. And after all, Heyward is facing a pitcher making his major league debut.

Bogaerts has emerged as a reliable hitter, and over his last 36 games, he has a .317 batting average. His supporting cast has hindered his upside in the counting stat department, though, as he has just 14 runs and 16 RBI during the span. Hitting in the heart of the order is rare for a shortstop, especially at Bogaerts' cap hit. Plus, Pino is making his first start of the season.

Santana flamed out during his six-game debut in 2014. Through two games this year, though, he has already hit his first home run. He had a 1.028 OPS with Triple-A Fresno with 13 doubles and 11 long flies over 56 games. He'll also have the handedness advantage against Elias, and the M's starter allowed eight runs to the Astros in his last start.

Value and Platoon Plays

Lance McCullers (P - HOU) FD: $6,700 DK: $8,000

McCullers has plus-stuff which is represented by his 10.0 K/9 to start his career. Seattle's lineup is filled with struggling hitters (.513 OPS over their last season games), injury question marks, and they're third in strikeouts against right-handed hurlers this season. McCuller's 2.32 FIP supports his ascent, too. Just note he is more of a value at FanDuel.

Kyle Schwarber (C/OF - CHC ) FD: $2,500 DK: $3,000

Expect Schwarber to be highly owned, but as an upside source of cap relief -- and at a shallow position at Draft Kings -- it is difficult to fade him. He has shown incredible plate discipline and hasn't been overmatched at the dish. Phil Hughes has allowed a 1.77 HR/9 to lefties, too.

Victor Martinez (1B/C - DET ) FD: $3,100 DK: $3,900

Activated from the disabled list Thursday night after a four-game rehab stint with Triple-A Toledo, Martinez is the ultimate dice roll. It isn't an imposing matchup with Adam Warren on the hill, and Martinez projects to return to the heart of an order which lives on base.

Derek Dietrich (2B - MIA) FD: $2,400 DK: $3,400

This is somewhat lineup dependent, as Dietrich has batted second against righties in both his past two starts. He has a career 22.1 line-drive rate and 30.9 hard-hit percentage in the bigs, so his .871 OPS in Triple-A appears to have legs and makes him a nice value. Note the rain in the forecast, though.

Brock Holt (3B - BOS) FD: $3,100 DK: $3,300

Over his last 13 games, Holt has nine runs and a 1.133 OPS while hitting first or second. The Royals are turning to reliever Yohan Pino to start Friday, and over 11 starts last season, he posted a 5.07 ERA. In his current form with a plus-matchup, Holt is cheap.

J.J. Hardy (SS - BAL) FD: $2,300 DK: $3,400

Currently riding an 11-game hitting streak with three consecutive multi-hit games, Hardy is well within flier territory. Estrada's 5.01 ERA as a starter is where it should be, and Hardy has seven home runs at Rogers Centre during his career.

Chris Coghlan (OF - CHC) FD: $2,900 DK: $3,500

Sporting a solid 31.8 hard-hit percentage and currently riding a 14-for-34 run with a 1.130 OPS, Coghlan projects well against Phil Hughes Friday. He is a nice low-budget target attached to a potentially high-scoring lineup.