MLB Cash Game Picks: 5-16-15

Cash Game Locks: MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball

Cash games typically reward high floor rosters. You don't need to score 60 points on FanDuel or 160 on DraftKings to win money. Instead you should aim for a nice base of around 40 and 120 points respectively. Our MLB Cash Game Picks will highlight the top pick and a value pick at each position for both platforms.

Pitcher

Two top dogs going tonight, and you can really do no wrong with either. I am leaning towards Max Scherzer's way. The Padres have a 20% strikeout rate, compared to Boston's 16%. Other than that, they are pitching against nearly identical opponents -- team stats wise. Scherzer is also averaging 3.8 pitches per plate appearance this season, making him one of the more efficient pitchers. PetCo is a slightly better place to pitch, and having to face a pitcher possibly creates one-to-two more strikeouts. He has pitched less than seven innings in just one of seven starts this season, and has dialed up eight-plus strikeouts in five of those.

Felix Hernandez is slightly cheaper on DraftKings making him a little more appealing there, the extra $600 could come in handy. The Mariners are heavier favorites, but both should come away with wins tonight. Hernandez ranks top five in groundball percentage so far this season, and top 10 in strikeout percentage. It's nearly impossible to roster them both on DraftKings, but you can look towards Danny Salazar and Archie Bradley to fill the SP2 spot.

Catcher

If you get Buster Posey out of AT&T Park, he becomes a great play behind the dish, whether he is facing a lefty or a righty. He is hitting .326 this month, and as expected five of his six home runs have come on the road this season. Mike Leake is a contact pitcher, and he has a 3.98 FIP against right-handed bats, meaning his hot start should even out to what he was last year. Posey is hitting .326 this month with three home runs, and it is safe to say he is heating up.

Catcher is usually the position to go cheap at when there are aces on the mound, and Salvador Perez is the best option. He has great numbers against left-handed pitchers, and faces CC Sabathia, who is allowing a .389 wOBA to right-handed bats. Sabathia has also allowed seven home runs, and is allowing a 33% hard-ball rate. His batting order spot is the only downside, but at the price, I can deal with it.

First Base

The Reds have an excellent matchup tonight, and the Vegas team total agrees with me. Vogelsong has been bailed out at home in his career with a 3.84 ERA. That ERA jumps to a 5.11 on the road. Great American Ballpark is not going to do him any favors. He has allowed six home runs in three road starts in 2015, and seven to left-handed bats. Lefties are hitting .321 off Vogelsong, and Joey Votto is the guy to take advantage of this.

Brandon Belt provided great salary relief without sacrificing matchup and power at first base last night. He does that again today facing Leake, who allowed a .352 wOBA to lefties last season. He has a 4.62 FIP against lefties this season, so the regression is coming. Belt registered his first home run last night, which could be a jump-starter in that department. A great place to hit with an average pitching matchup makes him a solid value play again.

Second Base

The rebound year for Jason Kipnis is in full swing. He is hitting over .400 against right-handed pitching this season, with a 196 wRC+. It's a great matchup for all the Cleveland lefties. Colby Lewis has allowed a career .359 wOBA to lefties. Kipnis hitting .519 this month has driven his salary sky-high, but if you have the cash to splash, get him in.

Jimmy Paredes is your cheaper second base option, except on DraftKings where he is not eligible. He is hitting .346 against right-handed pitching, and gets a big boost as a lefty in Camden Yards. Matt Shoemaker has allowed two-plus home runs in four of his six starts this season, and six to lefties. Paredes is a great option, especially with him now hitting third in front of Adam Jones.

Shortstop

Shortstop is not the usual wasteland, there are some decent options to look at tonight. Alcides Escobar has been an excellent table-setter this season, with a 111 wRC+. He is hitting over .300 against lefties this season, and more than likely if he gets on, he is being driven in. I will be targeting a few right-handed bats against CC tonight.

Marcus Semien has great numbers against lefties in his short career. In 129 at-bats, he is hitting .295. This season, he is hitting .379 and takes on a weak lefty in John Danks. Right-handed bats are hitting .323 off him, and last season he allowed a .355 wOBA. Although it is not a favorable park, Semien possesses a high floor and high ceiling with his speed and on-base ability. I like him on DraftKings over Escobar at the same price.

Third Base

Even though Todd Frazier has a low average, his ability to hit for power keeps him in the cash game list with certain matchups. Tonight is one of those matchups. The Reds have a high team total, and Frazier is right in the middle of that order, which should produce plenty of runs. Frazier is closing in at a 40% hard-ball rate, which paired with his 16% strikeout rate means his average could be a lot higher than what it is. Despite hitting .250, I am confident with him in cash games.

The ERA has caught up with the FIP for Danny Duffy this season. He had a 2.55 ERA as a starter last season, but had a 3.92 FIP. This season, he has a 5.62 ERA, and hitters from both sides are hitting over .300 against him. Alex Rodriguez stands out as the lone play for cash games from the Yankees. He is fairly cheap with a great history against lefties.

Outfield

With so many aces going tonight, Michael Brantley is a little tough to roster, but is the best outfield play tonight. He is hitting .360 with four home runs this month, and gets an excellent matchup against Lewis. Another thing to like about Brantley is he doesn't strikeout. He only has a five strikeouts in 105 plate-appearances. Match that with his .211 ISO, and you have a top quality cash game play with high floor.

I am going to jump down a few price tiers due to the pitching selection tonight. Lorenzo Cain has been on fire this season, especially against lefties, with his .408 average. He is in a great spot to drive in runs, and is a stolen base threat as well. Great numbers over the last few seasons against lefties, so this is not a fluke. He has a 38% line drive rate, and he is really seeing the ball well striking out seven times in 58 plate-appearances.

Scott Van Slyke has always been a GPP play when facing a lefty due to him possibly seeing only two chances to get the job done. That is not the case anymore. With all the injuries, Van Slyke is seeing all the time he can handle. He is cheap across the board tonight, and has excellent numbers against lefties. De La Rosa has allowed a career .350 wOBA to right-handed bats in his career. He is hitting .333 on the year and actually proving he is not a platoon guy.