MLB Cash Game Picks: 6-3-15

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

If you want an ace, you have choices today. Unfortunately, there's a wrinkle with each of them. In some ways, Cole Hamels is my favorite despite his lousy supporting cast. He occasionally catches homeritis, as evidenced by his 14.5 percent HR/FB ratio. FIP isn't a fan of his work, but xFIP and SIERA both see something around a 3.40 ERA. The Reds offense isn't particularly impressive, but they have performed well against southpaws (107 wRC+). With Mike Leake on the hill, I expect it to be a closely contested, low scoring game.

Alternatively, Chris Sale draws the Rangers at Texas. The lefty is pitching as well as ever despite an unusually high 3.66 ERA. He strikes out over a batter per inning (10.07 K/9) and limits walks (2.14 BB/9). Two issues are apparent. Like the Reds, the Rangers have hit well against southpaws (111 wRC+). Additionally, Globe Life Park is the second best stadium for run scoring and ninth best for home runs. The White Sox are opposed by a strangely effective Nick Martinez. I keep saying he'll turn pumpkin. It will happen. Right? It will happen?

If we have concerns about Hamels and Sale, maybe we should just pony up for the mack daddy – Corey Kluber. His peripherals are even more elite than last season, but a .351 BABIP has led to a 3.52 ERA. After a slow start to the season, he's looked invincible in recent appearances. Kauffman Stadium is a good locale for pitching, but the Royals lineup is one of the toughest in baseball. Not only do they avoid the strikeout, they also have the sixth best offense against righties (106 wRC+). With Jason Vargas on the other side of the matchup, Kluber should pull down a victory.

Catcher

I suspect some of you are tired of reading about Dodgers at Coors Field. What can I tell you – it's a fantastic situation. Yasmani Grandal hits in the middle of the Los Angeles lineup, and he's in the process of taking his place as a star catcher. He has plate patience, decent power, and good contact ability. He had Monday off and only played one game yesterday. He'll start.

First Base

Here's another mixed recommendation. I'm not rushing out the door to pick Anthony Rizzo for my rosters. He'll face righty Dan Haren at Marlins Stadium. The ballpark is neutral for run scoring, but it castrates left-handed power (70 LH HR park factor). As we know, Rizzo is a very good hitter. The matchup also works in his favor. Haren's 3.03 ERA belies his 4.43 FIP. Left-handed hitters have bashed a .274/.305/.513 line with eight home runs. The poor performance feels fluky because he has a long-standing reverse platoon split.

You've seen this one before, right? Adrian Gonzalez will probably bat third at the hitter's buffet known as Coors Field. Gonzalez is in the midst of a career season. He's hitting a robust .339/.415/.611 with 10 home runs. A .370 BABIP is helping to inflate his average. A .272 ISO also looks fluky – it's his best rate since 2009. Given the location, I wouldn't worry about regression today. Gonzalez played both games of yesterday's doubleheader. Don't be shocked if he sits or plays a partial game.

Second Base

Oh, a Dodger. Howie Kendrick was rested in the second game of yesterday's doubleheader. He should start today. The Dodgers cleanup man won't have the platoon advantage against Chad Bettis. Kendrick has very modest platoon splits this year and over his career. As such, I usually ignore pitcher handedness against him. The biggest issue with this Dodgers stack is the emergence of Rockies starter Chad Bettis. The righty is running hot with three straight quality starts. Of course, two of those came against the Phillies. Bettis' first start of the season was against the Dodgers. He gave up seven hits, four walks, and four runs in five innings. And remember, Coors Field.

Shortstop

Shortstop is a mess these days, isn't it? There are certainly plenty of non-terrible matchups today. Jimmy Rollins is at Coors Field. Hanley Ramirez should hit at some point during his doubleheader. None of them have that comfortable cash game feel. I'm thinking it's another day to punt shortstop – a cheap Mike Aviles versus Jason Vargas could easily outperform the “safe" picks.

Ian Desmond will have the platoon advantage against Mark Buerhle. Some managers load their offense with left-handed hitters because Buerhle throws so softly. The data says he doesn't have platoon splits. The rumor on the streets (aka Twitter) is that Buerhle is working through a minor injury. I suspect he's healthy again based upon his three most recent starts (24.1 innings). Desmond has been less than impressive this season, but he's hit .306/.348/.500 since mid-May. Perhaps that's just an arbitrary endpoint, or maybe he's starting to turn it around. He did something similar last season. He also had a .425 BABIP since mid-May. That feels flukish.

Third Base

You may recall I mentioned Hamels' homeritis in the pitcher section. All 10 of his home runs were hit by righties. Todd Frazier has developed some intense power. This year, he's hitting .298/.340/.723 against southpaws. His career numbers are substantially less impressive, so don't get too excited about 50 plate appearances. Even so, he's in the process of building on his 2014 breakout. He's bashed 16 home runs and shows no signs of slowing. It's not too hard to imagine Frazier popping number 17.

Outfield

I like to say that Giancarlo Stanton is stadiumproof. With his prodigious power, he can smash home runs in any location – even Marlins Stadium. His average fly ball distance is 308 feet. FanGraphs tracks quality of contact using soft, medium, and hard buckets. Stanton has the highest hard hit rate in the league (nearly 50 percent). His matchup today is against a good pitcher – Jon Lester. Stanton is a career .289/.384/.598 hitter against southpaws. Lester isn't an ordinary lefty.

Last season, FanGraphs' Jeff Sullivan discovered that Mike Trout had a major hole in his swing – high pitches. Sometime over the offseason, Trout solved his little problem. Now he's hitting all pitches in the strike zone with aplomb. Nate Karns does a nice job using all of the strike zone, but I'm not at all worried about Trout. Good luck finding a weakness in his profile. If there's any issue, it's that Angels Stadium is slightly pitcher friendly. It's a small issue.

The Dodgers leadoff man continues to hammer home runs. With a high 15.6 percent swinging strike rate, he's a volatile asset. He's always a risk for a golden sombrero. Over 41 percent of Joc Pederson's contact is of the hard hit variety. That should play well at Coors Field against Bettis. His 32.6 percent HR/FB ratio is otherworldly. That's the kind of power displayed by vintage Ryan Howard and Jim Thome. Regression seems all but inevitable. As with Gonzalez, don't worry about the future until after the Dodgers leave Denver.