MLB GPP Tournament Picks 8/12/19: FanDuel & DraftKings GPP Strategy

The purpose of this column is to highlight some players with upside and well-suited for tournaments. While the majority of the hitter picks will likely have power upside, that's not necessarily the case for all the listed options. Other contextual factors such as batting order, ballpark, opposing pitcher, price, speed, etc also come into play, and you'll see these items sprinkled into the write-ups below. Along with that, we'll be gauging the ownership levels, giving you some plausible pivots from the popular choices in a given game slate.

Tournament Pitchers

Joey Lucchesi - SP - San Diego Padres

Pitching is scarce tonight, but Joey Lucchesi stands out as a potential option. The upside is there against a Rays projected lineup that strikes out at a 24% clip against left-handed pitching. He has two strong pitches in terms of being able to punch guys out. His curve has a 40% whiff rate and his changeup is near the same. His sinker is also useful with over a 50% groundball rate.

Top GPP Hitters

Danny Santana - 1B - Texas Rangers

Danny Santana continues to rake, and the Texas offense overall is in a good spot today. Toronto is rolling out a committee of arms, but nothing that scares us away from the Texas lineup. Santana has a .259 ISO and .384 wOBA on the season against right-handed pitching.

Jesse Winker - OF - Cincinnati Reds

Jesse Winker is in a great spot tonight. He has a .230 ISO and .377 wOBA off right-handed pitching on the year, and Fedde is someone who struggles with lefties. He has allowed a .372 wOBA and .158 ISO. Winker also has over a .400 wOBA off sinkers, which Fedde throws a lot to left-handers.

Aaron Judge - OF - New York Yankees

Aaron Judge sat out in the first game of the double-header, and would expect him back. He has a .246 ISO and .453 wOBA off lefties this season. He will face Ty Blach, who has to make a start in the second game. His mediocre stuff puts the Yankees chalk in play again, but Judge has big potential.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr - 3B - Toronto Blue Jays

Jurado has allowed a .358 wOBA and .214 ISO to right-handed hitters this season. Vlad Jr has been crushing of late, and overall has a .380 wOBA and .209 ISO off right-handed pitching. Love the Jays bats tonight, especially the front half of the order.