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

Matt Harvey (R), Mets

FanDuel Salary

DraftKings Salary

Opponent

Park Factors

FIP

K%

GB%

Opposing Team

Run Total

$11,000

$10,700

San Francisco Giants

Basic - 90, HR - 104

3.15

27.60

39.70

3

There is a clear top dog this evening – Matt Harvey. The Mets ace is a modest favorite to take home the win against Tim Hudson and the Giants. Harvey does everything you could possibly want from an expensive pitcher. He strikes out over a batter per inning, limits walks, and averages six and two-thirds innings per start. The Giants have a solid lineup with good lefty-righty balance, but Harvey isn't prone to platoon splits. He's actually more lethal to left-handed opponents thanks to a plus changeup. Hopefully the Mets can push through a hit. Or whatever is required to score runs.

Jake Arrieta (R), Cubs

FanDuel Salary

DraftKings Salary

Opponent

Park Factors

FIP

K%

GB%

Opposing Team Run Total

$9,900

$9,800

Detroit Tigers

Basic - 104, HR - 100

2.78

26.60%

51.10%

4

Today's alternative to Harvey is Jake Arrieta. The Cubs righty has actually outperformed Harvey by a narrow margin. Like his fellow ace, Arrieta strikes out over one batter per inning, hands out few free passes, and averages over six innings a start. Unlike Harvey, Arrieta's ground-ball profile helps him to avoid big flies. The issue tonight is that he's opposed by the Tigers. Detroit has the seventh ranked offense against right-handed pitching (104 wRC+). There is a lot of home run power in that lineup, including some who fare well against ground-ball pitchers.

Catcher

Evan Gattis (R), Astros

FanDuel Salary

DraftKings Salary

Opp Pitcher & Handedness

wOBA vs LHP

2012-2015

ISO vs LHP

2012-2015

wRC+ vs LHP

2012-2015

Batting Order

Team Run Total

$3,700

---

Jose Quintana - LHP

0.337

0.237

115

4

3.5

Generally, DraftKings is looser with their position eligibilities. So it's odd to see Evan Gattis available at catcher on FanDuel but not DraftKings. The platoon advantage isn't a big deal in this one. Over his career, Gattis is barely better against southpaws. He's opposed by Jose Quintana who also doesn't have notable platoon splits. However, Quintana has been battered by righties this season. I usually defer to the larger sample, especially in lieu of an obvious change. Gattis isn't an ideal cash game pick. His DFS production is lumpy because it's almost entirely dependent on the long ball.

Yasmani Grandal (S), Dodgers

FanDuel Salary

DraftKings Salary

Opp Pitcher & Handedness

wOBA vs RHP

2012-2015

ISO vs RHP

2012-2015

wRC+ vs RHP

2012-2015

Batting Order

Team Run Total

$2,900

$3,200

Jeremy Hellickson - RHP

0.352

0.175

128

5

4

Yasmani Grandal is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. At some point, these sites are going to figure out how to price him correctly. He's a high contact hitter with excellent plate discipline and solid power. He hits in the heart of an explosive lineup. Jeremy Hellickson has made some much needed adjustments, but he's still an exploitable pitcher. Hellickson pitches to contact against southpaws. This year, he has 5.48 K/9 and 6.33 BB/9 versus lefties.

First Base

Anthony Rizzo (L), Cubs

FanDuel Salary

DraftKings Salary

Opp Pitcher & Handedness

wOBA vs RHP

2012-2015

ISO vs RHP

2012-2015

wRC+ vs RHP

2012-2015

Batting Order

Team Run Total

$4,500

$5,500

Shane Greene - RHP

0.38

0.228

140

3

4

Anthony Rizzo has reached a new level of elite this season. He's hitting .332/.449/.608 with more walks than strikeouts, 11 home runs, and 10 stolen bases. The Cubs are opposed by Shane Greene. You probably noticed his five homer nightmare a couple starts ago. He's looked particularly bad for three starts now. Left-handed hitters have a robust .301/.371/.454 line versus Greene. As is often the case with mid-tier righties, his stuff just doesn't fool southpaws.

Paul Goldschmidt (R), Diamondbacks

FanDuel Salary

DraftKings Salary

Opp Pitcher & Handedness

wOBA vs LHP

2012-2015

ISO vs LHP

2012-2015

wRC+ vs LHP

2012-2015

Batting Order

Team Run Total

$5,400

$5,400

Brian Anderson - LHP

0.439

0.282

178

3

4

Perhaps the only first baseman outhitting Rizzo is Paul Goldschmidt. The righty has a .340/.466/.650 slash. He absolutely melts left-handed pitching with a career .325/.417/602 line. Dodgers starter Brett Anderson isn't chopped liver (whatever that particular idiom means). In fact, he has modest reverse platoon splits over his career. No need for concern when it comes to Goldy. If you can afford the price tag, you can count on Ruthian production.

Second Base

Jason Kipnis (L), Indians

FanDuel Salary

DraftKings Salary

Opp Pitcher & Handedness

wOBA vs RHP

2012-2015

ISO vs RHP

2012-2015

wRC+ vs RHP

2012-2015

Batting Order

Team Run Total

$4,700

$4,800

Taijuan Walker - RHP

0.351

0.151

127

1

4.5

Jason Kipnis has recovered the borderline elite talent he demonstrated in 2013. If you still recall the specter of his injury plagued 2014 season, put it out of your mind. At least until he's playing through an injury. He has the total package – contact skills, plate discipline, power, and speed. His .338/.414/.518 line is buoyed by a .377 BABIP, but he should remain 20 to 30 percent above league average over the rest of the season. He's opposed by Taijuan Walker. To describe the high ceiling hurler as “inconsistent" would be putting it lightly. After an abysmal start to the season, he's basically scrapped his cutter. He's posted better numbers since doing so, but now his repertoire looks mighty shallow.

Jose Altuve (R), Astros

FanDuel Salary

DraftKings Salary

Opp Pitcher & Handedness

wOBA vs LHP

2012-2015

ISO vs LHP

2012-2015

wRC+ vs LHP

2012-2015

Batting Order

Team Run Total

$3,600

$4,300

Jose Quintana - LHP

0.385

0.136

147

1

3.5

Unlike his teammate Gattis, Jose Altuve has big platoon splits. He's a career .352/.394/.485 versus southpaws. This isn't a complicated recommendation. Altuve puts together high quality contact with a hint of power when opposed by lefties. He could even pop a home run at power-friendly U.S. Cellular Field. The park has a 128 park factor for right-handed home runs.

Shortstop

Starlin Castro (R), Cubs

FanDuel Salary

DraftKings Salary

Opp Pitcher & Handedness

wOBA vs RHP

2012-2015

ISO vs RHP

2012-2015

wRC+ vs RHP

2012-2015

Batting Order

Team Run Total

$2,700

$3,900

Shane Greene - RHP

0.308

0.129

91

5

4

You'll be hard pressed to find a blue chip shortstop this evening. DraftKings has Hanley Ramirez available, but I'm slightly concerned about the status of his body. He was removed from yesterday's game after fouling a ball off his knee. I was tempted to recommend Carlos Correa against Quintana, but I'll settle for mentioning him.

Instead, we could just settle for Starlin Castro. He's a solid, unimpressive hitter in the midst of an explosive lineup. As we discussed with Rizzo, he's opposed by Greene. The Tigers' righty is definitely a better pitcher against right-handed hitters. He still allows plenty of power to everybody. A selection of Castro is a pick against Greene. He's had three consecutive terrible starts – perhaps tomorrow will be number four. The Tigers bullpen has performed well by ERA, but the underlying peripherals hint at an impending crash.

Third Base

Kris Bryant (R), Cubs

FanDuel Salary

DraftKings Salary

Opp Pitcher & Handedness

wOBA vs RHP

2012-2014

ISO

2012-2014

wRC+

2012-2014

Batting Order

Team Run Total

$4,200

$4,600

Shane Greene - RHP

0.391

0.2

147

2

4

Unlike Castro, you can feel good about selecting Kris Bryant against Greene. The power hasn't played quite as explosively as we expected (.190 ISO), but it will probably come around. Cash game participants might be wary of his strikeout rate. It's a legitimate concern. Since Greene is a relatively high contact pitcher, Bryant should put enough balls in play to contribute. His .282/.389/.471 slash is bolstered by a .393 BABIP. Given his quality of contact, xBABIP calculators expect him to continue reaching base at a high clip (.330 to .350 xBABIP). Greene may be better against right-handed hitters, but he doesn't do anything to limit their power numbers.

Outfield

Mike Trout (R), Angels

FanDuel Salary

DraftKings Salary

Opp Pitcher & Handedness

wOBA vs RHP

2012-2015

ISO vs RHP

2012-2015

wRC+ vs RHP

2012-2015

Batting Order

Team Run Total

$5,000

$5,400

Erasmo Ramirez - RHP

0.415

0.259

173

2

3.5

Oh! Here's the standard Mike Trout recommendation. He's facing a non-elite pitcher. That's about all you need to know. Since I'm paid to say more, let's run through some numbers. He's doing his usual thing with a .283/.373/.561 line. He's taken care of his weakness against pitches up in the strike zone. He could actually improve over the rest of the season. His current .308 BABIP is well below his career rate and that expected by xBABIP calculators. He could climb into the .305/.400/.575 range. Trout is opposed by Erasmo Ramirez. The Rays hurler is coming off two strong starts. He could shut down the Angels offense. Trout is still a solid play.

Michael Brantley (L), Indians

FanDuel Salary

DraftKings Salary

Opp Pitcher & Handedness

wOBA vs RHP

2012-2015

ISO vs RHP

2012-2015

wRC+ vs RHP

2012-2015

Batting Order

Team Run Total

$3,800

$4,600

Taijuan Walker - RHP

0.357

0.153

131

3

4.5

Michael Brantley was made for cash games. As long as you're comfortable with his nagging back injury, he looks like a safe play. He rarely swings through a pitch. He's hitting .302/.384/.462 on the season with a 12.3 percent walk rate and 7.1 percent strikeout rate. Power, speed, multi-hit games – it's all possible from Brantley. As we discussed with Kipnis, Walker isn't the most exploitable pitcher these days.

A.J. Pollock (R), Diamondbacks

FanDuel Salary

DraftKings Salary

Opp Pitcher & Handedness

wOBA vs LHP

2012-2015

ISO vs LHP

2012-2015

wRC+ vs LHP

2012-2015

Batting Order

Team Run Total

$4,500

$4,400

Brian Anderson - LHP

0.331

0.135

105

2

4

Fantasy analysts weren't sure what to make of A.J. Pollock this year. Last season, he hit seven home runs and stole 14 bases in 287 plate appearances while hitting .302/.353/.498. He never showed that kind of power potential in the minors. This year, he has… wait for it… seven home runs and 14 stolen bases with a .321/.369/.495 slash in 236 plate appearances. In essence, he's performed at this level for almost an entire season. We can comfortably expect more of the same going forward. He's opposed by Anderson. Pollock's power wakes up for left-handed pitching (career .223 ISO). Just remember that Anderson has modest reverse splits.





Comments
joshshep50
I love your assessment of Grandal. He's a stud, yet he's priced like ... well, not a stud.
bigitaly42
A.J. Pollock is a stud. I'll fit him in wherever I can.
JasonG4s
Yeah I am definitely taking Pollock as my highest priced OF tonight.