MLB Cash Game Picks : 6-13-15

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

We have one top dog in the late slate, and his name is Zack Greinke. He will have the luxury of pitching in Petco Park tonight, which suppresses runs and home runs from both sides of the plate. San Diego has the sixth worst wRC+ against right-handed pitching this season, and carry a 21.7% strikeout rate. Greinke spent some time as the ERA leader this season, but now has the sixth lowest ERA in the league at 1.92. Outside of his start at Coors this season, he has not had any real blowups, which we have seen quite a few aces have so far this season. It is a short slate, and you cannot afford to play anyone other than Greinke in cash games.

There is a massive drop off from Greinke and the rest of the pitchers, unfortunately we have to take a second pitcher on DraftKings. C.J. Wilson has been fairly average this season, and he will take on a less than average offense tonight. Scrolling through his game logs, he has pitched well against the teams you expect him to pitch well against. His only struggles have come against the teams that mash lefties pretty well, which the A's don't. Oakland has the sixth worst wRC+ against left-handed pitching this season, and their team ISO sits at a measly .112. Not many other options tonight outside of these two.

Catcher

I am a big fan of picking on Mike Leake with lefty bats, which will be the case today. There are some thunderstorms in the area, so keep an eye on those radars. I will also give an alternative if the game is a washout. Leake is allowing a .340 wOBA to lefties this season, which is on par with his career numbers. They have a 24% line drive off of him, and his FIP is over five. Miguel Montero hitting cleanup is an awesome spot for a catcher, we rarely see a catcher in the lineup position. He has about a 35% hard hit ball rate off right-handed bats, and his numbers for 2015, are similar to the numbers above. If the game looks riskier throughout the day, Yasmani Grandal is a nice option tonight around a similar price point, or if you have the extra cash, Brian McCann.

First Base

Anthony Rizzo will get the same juicy matchup as Montero, and he should be your player to pay up for tonight. Over the course of the season, Rizzo has yet to show any signs of a slump. He has a .417 wOBA off right-handed pitching this season, and has a 36% line drive rate. Rizzo has also dropped his strikeout rate so far by 6% from his career average, and is steadily trending upwards from the last few seasons. He has been a cash game staple for me much of this season, and will continue throughout. With the thunderstorms at Wrigley, I also recommend Mark Teixeira tonight.

Ian Kennedy has somehow allowed nine home runs this season at home, four coming off left-handed bats. Kennedy has a 5.74 FIP against left-handed bats this season and is allowing a 26% line drive rate. Regardless of being at Petco, Adrian Gonzalez is an excellent play tonight, and is at a solid price point. He is one of the premier first baseman this season, with a .423 wOBA. He has a 39% hard hit ball rate this season, and a whopping 48% hard hit ball rate in June. Look for a solid night from Gonzalez in his old stomping grounds.

Second Base

The switch from Josh Collmenter to Allen Webster has made me quite fond of the Giants bats in cash games tonight, even though they are at home. They have a nice team total of four, so Vegas seems to agree with me. Allen Webster has faced 218 lefties in his career, and has allowed a .391 wOBA. Joe Panik has been an absolute stud this season. He has a .365 wOBA off right-handed pitching and is hitting .386 this month. He is a steal on DraftKings, and is at a price on FanDuel I do not mind paying for.

Third Base

I will head to the other side of the plate to attack Leake, with the modern day Babe Ruth, Kris Bryant. His strikeout rate is pretty high for a cash game play, but expected from a rookie. The 152 wRC+ against right-handed pitching makes me forget about all of that, and his hard hit ball rate has gone up each month. Leake has a 4.26 FIP against right-handed pitching, and is a pitch to contact pitcher, which works in Bryant's favor tonight.

Manny Machado doesn't have the splits like his teammate Adam Jones does against lefties, but a matchup against CC Sabathia is still in Machado's favor. He is allowing a .398 wOBA, a 31% hard hit ball rate, and has a 1.82 HR/9. Machado has slightly below average numbers against lefties, but not bad enough for me to shy away from a matchup against Sabathia.

Shortstop

With Webster allowing a .391 wOBA in his career to lefties, Brandon Crawford is a guy to exploit that matchup. Shortstop is a very weak position tonight, and Crawford has the clear cut matchup for cash games. Crawford has done most of his damage off left-handed pitching, but still packs a nice 23% line drive rate against right-handed pitching.

Outfield

The Yankees have a favorable matchup tonight against Bud Norris, who has allowed a career .355 wOBA to lefties. I don't trust any other outfielders besides Brett Gardner for cash games. Carlos Beltran is just a boom or bust guy this season, while they rotate bench players for the third outfield spot. Gardner is a great play, due to his speed, and his ability to hit for some power. Yes, he moves away from the short porch, but Camden Yards had a 122 park factor for left-handed home runs in the last three seasons.

Adam Jones against a struggling Sabathia is as good as it gets tonight. He has a .468 wOBA off left-handed pitching this season, and I already mentioned how awful Sabathia has been. A quarter of his balls hit off lefties are a line drive, which should rise even higher tonight. He is hitting .326 in June, as opposed to his sluggish May, when he hit .239. Jones is another player who has dropped his strikeout rate this season from his career average.

If you are looking for a value outfielder tonight, I am highly recommending Nori Aoki. He will have the same matchup as the other Giants' lefties, and Aoki rarely has games with zero points scored. He is hitting .436 this month, and .320 off right-handed pitching. He is a stolen base threat, and an on-base machine.