MLB GPP Tournament Picks: 6-25-15

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

If you look at Heston's game log, then you'll know why he's in the GPP column. He has been "boom or bust" all season, so which side will we see tonight. Well, the matchup certainly sets up well against a struggling Padres club, and Heston has owned a reasonable 20% strikeout rate all season. He's cheap enough to consider for tournaments - leaving enough cap space for stacks. There is a small chance he could get things going and post a great 15+ FP outing. In addition, there aren't many well-priced hurlers in this slate, so you aren't sacrificing a ton by taking a chance on San Fran's pitcher.

Top Hitters

One thing I've come to find: A.J. Pollock seemingly always falls under the radar, even in good matchups. I suppose the lack of name recognition combined with a higher-than-usual price point scares some people off. That creates a great tournament opportunity, as most people will be on Charlie Blackmon (or spend elsewhere) for a similar salary. Pollock has just as much upside as anyone going in Coors Field today, looking at a nice righty/lefty matchup against Jorge De La Rosa.

Let's get one thing straight: you aren't targeting Vogt for his low ownership percentage, as he profiles as one of the best Catchers of the day. Still, he deserves serious consideration in tournaments, holding substantially more upside than anyone else at the position. Insert Colby Lewis' .360 wOBA split vs LHB to the mix, and Vogt's fantasy potential gains even more momentum.

Tomas will likely slide back into the cleanup spot tonight as Arizona takes on left-hander. He's actually reasonably priced for a Coors Field play, sitting at $3600 on FanDuel. The $4400 tag on DraftKings is still workable (only 3B eligible), but you'll likely want to weigh your options with other quality third basemen going (Machado, Arenado). I'm viewing Tomas as the "platoon equivalent" of David Peralta, and Colorado's De La Rosa owns a .335 wOBA split to right-handed hitters.

I'm assuming most of the attention will be on Nolan Arenado in Coors Field today, which may leave Machado with a lower ownership percentage. While he doesn't have quite as good of a matchup (Eduardo Rodriguez has been solid in his first five starts), he still deserves to be in the same discussion as Arenado, for a slightly small price point. He's on a tear, and Fenway Park is especially generous to right-handed bats.

Value and Platoon Plays

Ben Paulsen (1B - COL) FD: $3,100 DK: $3500 (OF eligible)

Obviously, targeting the highest projected scoring team of the day is a viable tournament strategy. I don't think I'm telling anyone something they don't know. Paulsen is often the "forgotten member" within most Colorado stacks, and he's a nice, semi-cheap way to get exposure - although he does come with a fair amount of opportunity cost on FanDuel (only 1st base elgible). He's a great play in all formats (cheap, duel eligibility) on DraftKings.

Wellington Castillo (C - ARI) FD: $3,100 DK: $3300

Castillo sat out last night, but he should be primed and ready to exploit this quality righty/lefty matchup in Coors Field. If you don't quite have enough cap space to snag Vogt, Castillo is the next best thing in terms of upside. He's particularly cheap on DraftKings.

Adam LaRoche (1B - CWS) FD: $2400 DK: $3500

LaRoche had himself a series against the Twins: going 6-11 with one homer and three doubles. Is this a bounce-back sign, or just noise? It doesn't hurt that he's swinging a hot bat, and Detroit's Alfredo Simon is relatively kind to left-handed bats. He's worth a look in tournaments for a very cheap salary - hoping he can keep the fire going.

Lucas Duda (1B - NYM) FD: $3100 DK: $4600

The price is severely down on FanDuel, which is where I'm thinking of targeting him as a tournament diversifier. Even though Duda has done much of anything lately, he still holds massive power with Miller Park's hitter-friendly atmosphere to present a nice boost. Opposing pitcher Taylor Jungmann can be considered average at best. Expect Duda to have a very low ownership % with plenty of quality first basemen going this afternoon.