MLB Cash Game Picks: 6-16-15

Cash Game Locks: MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball

Pitcher

Matt Harvey has not pitched at a level this season in which I am confident in paying over $10,000 for him against the Blue Jays. Believe it or not, Jake Arrieta has a better strikeout rate than the Dark Knight this season. Neither of the three top pitchers have a great matchup tonight, but Arrieta has been tough on lefties, and that gives me confidence against the Indians. Since 2013, he has allowed a .272 wOBA with a 26% strikeout rate. Cleveland has gone missing from time to time against right-handed pitching this season, and they will lose the DH tonight, which is also a plus. The Cubs are a slight favorite, and the Indians have just a 3.5 team total.

Garrett Richards has not been the same guy this season as we was before the injury in 2014, but he has not been bad. He had a couple poor starts against the AL East recently, which sent his numbers on the rise. He has a healthy ground-ball rate and is holding hitters to an 11.6% line drive rate. Not much is coming off the bat hard from opposing hitters, and his batted ball stats are very impressive. He has allowed the fourth most infield hits among starters this season, so he has been unlucky at times. Outside of Paul Goldschmidt, there are not many batters I see doing damage off Richards tonight.

Catcher

If the pattern holds, Matt Wieters may have the day off today, but I would be a fool not to mention him anyway. Not much rust from Wieters so far in his first few games back. He is 8-for-20 off right-handed pitching, with four extra-base hits, and two homers. Not bad at all. The Orioles team total is spot on. Jerome Williams struggles against both sides of the plate, and he is allowing a .335 wOBA to lefties this season. I am just praying Wieters is in the lineup.

If he is not, we have another solid option in a great spot. Yasmani Grandal has been crushing the ball, with three homers in the last four games. Grandal has a .398 wOBA against right-handed pitching this season, and is much better off on the road. He holds a .437 wOBA on the road and just a .322 wOBA at home. Texas has had a 108 park factor for left-handed runs in the last three seasons.

First Base

While Miguel Cabrera is the ultimate play, the price tag leaves you limited if you are playing a top priced pitcher. Adrian Gonzalez has a great price point and is in a solid matchup against a rookie right-hander. Gonzalez has been good so far, but he is nothing more than a pitch to contact guy. He is only hitting .255 this month, but he has close to a 40% hard hit ball rate. A lot of team totals set at five today, providing clear options to target.

Albert Pujols has found his old self as of late, he is hitting .373 with seven homers in the month of June. He has just a 9% strikeout rate against right-handed pitching this season, and has a 37% hard hit ball rate. There is a reason the Angels' team total is set at five, and that is because of how awful Jeremy Hellickson has been. The majority of damage has come from the left side, but right-handed bats still have decent success off Hellickson. Pujols is locked in, and he should be considered a lock in for your lineups.

Second Base

Unfortunately there are not many lefties to attack Nathan Eovaldi with tonight, so it leaves Dee Gordon. Eovaldi has allowed a .425 wOBA to left-handed bats this season, and they are hitting .380 off him. I love Gordon's price on FanDuel, given all he needs to do is get on and swipe a bag for value. He should do more than that tonight. He has a ton of upside with his speed and OBP against right-handed pitching.

Third Base

The Todd Father has been great this season, and really one of the few bright spots for the Reds this year. Todd Frazier has a .378 wOBA against left-handed pitching this season and is at a nice pace for homers, with 18. He will get an inexperienced lefty in Detroit tonight, and I expect Frazier to keep doing what he has been doing all year, mashing baseballs. His price tag is a little steep, but if Baltimore has some weather issues, he is the guy.

Williams is allowing a .411 wOBA to right-handed bats, and he has a 2.68 HR/9 this season. Right-handed bats also have a 28% line drive rate off Williams. Manny Machado will jump all over Williams tonight, as I expect many of the O's bats to do. He has a .353 wOBA against right-handed pitching this season, with a solid 33% hard hit ball rate. His price is a steal on FanDuel tonight.

Shortstop

Shortstop doesn't have much to offer in the higher price ranges, so come down here and grab a cheap shortstop who will likely hit cleanup tonight. Jung-ho Kang has been solid against lefties this season, hitting .333 off lefties. The Pirates may get lost in all these other games tonight, but they have a great matchup. Jose Quintana has allowed a .352 wOBA to right-handed bats this year with a 24% line drive rate.

Outfield

Starling Marte is going to highlight the trio of outfield plays tonight, and he has been on an absolute tear that should continue today. He has 13 hits in the last four games, and comes into tonight hitting .359 off lefties. He has a .504 wOBA, which is among Donaldson and Stanton. The Pirates are in a great spot, so feel free to use Andrew McCutchen and Josh Harrison as well.

I mentioned Hellickson really struggling against lefties, he has allowed a .412 wOBA, and a 25% line drive rate. With the Angels' team total set at five, why not target their cleanup hitter for a depreciated price? Kole Calhoun has not been a tremendous force this season like he was last year, but this is a solid matchup for him. He has a 25% line drive rate off right-handed pitching, so still hitting the ball well.

For a value outfielder, take a gander at Anthony Gose. He has tremendous speed, and will be the table-setter for this Tigers team tonight. Lefties have a .382 OBP against Lorenzen, which suits Gose and his speed. He is an extra base threat, and he has a good chance of being driven in when he reaches base. He has a solid 25% line drive rate against right-handed pitching, and a 110 wRC+.