MLB GPP Tournament Picks: 4-9-17

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.

Top GPP Pitcher

There are some tough decisions to be made on today's early slate with pitching. Early looks have me thinking Lance McCullers, Stephen Strasburg, and Jake Arrieta will be amongst the highest owned pitchers today. Martinez will likely be up there too, but I am liking his matchup, odds for a win, high K rate too much today. On FanDuel where only one starter is an option he only costs $300 more than McCullers. DraftKings I will not be locking him in every lineup, but he will be heavily owned for me.

The Reds are a team that strikes out plenty, and pitching at home adds plenty of benefit with Park factor of just under 1.

Martinez's last start was excellent, and that was against the formidable Cubs. Today he faces the Reds and should be able to coast to a quality start, likely win and plenty of K's.

Top GPP Hitters

It is difficult to ignore the Coors Field pull today, and Arenado is elite no matter which park he plays in. I think his price tag may keep ownership down on him today as players opt for Miguel Sano, or Justin Turner today. I am sticking with the guy with a 0.401 wOBA, and with the second most project runs scored on the slate. Arenado is hitting .364 over his last ten games along with 2 home runs and 4 RBI. Safe, and should meet value for those who invest today with a tremendous ceiling.

Puig has been red hot to start the young season and now he faces a young lefty in Coors field. I am sure Puig will be very popular today, along with all the other Dodgers for game stacking today. He comes at a more modest price on FanDuel than DraftKings but he feels safe enough for me on both sites. His wOBA against left-handed pitching is a solid 0.338, and playing in the most hitter friendly park in the league is a plus. Chalky or not, I am plugging in Puig today.

Diaz has been one of my most popular players this week, and he has not disappointed in the least. It feels like chasing yesterday's whopping 2 home run day, and it very well may be just that. He makes a nice pivot off of the Trevor Story, Corey Seager, and Carlos Correa plays today. He has had 3 big games, and 3 goose eggs, so buyer beware. Just remember he is facing Scott Feldman. That is enough incentive for me to jump back in the well. Cardinals are also projected for 4.75 runs scored today.

Matt Joyce may be a popular play, or extremely overlooked today at near minimum salary. His matchup is more than favorable if he is in the lineup for the A's with his near elite wOBA versus righties of 0.395. This season he is struggling a bit only hitting .176, but he has potential for a big game at any point, and today in what may be a close game Joyce is a deep, deep flyer who can open up salary cap room elsewhere. Buyer beware, but that is what makes a great GPP play.

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