MLB GPP Tournament Picks: 5-24-17

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

While I would love to highlight an ideal fade pitcher for Sale on this slate, I'm not sure such a pitcher exists. Sale has been head and shoulders above the rest of these pitchers this season, posting some ridiculous numbers, including a 38.6% K rate, 1.62 FIP, 16.4% SwStr, and 0.79 WHIP. He faces a Texas team that owns the fourth-highest K rate against southpaws this season at 24.8%, and ranks bottom five in both team wOBA (.291) and wRC+ (77). This is a tremendous spot for Sale, and I can't in all good conscious suggest a fade, even in GPPs. Sale has been nearly unhittable at home, allowing just a .151 BAA at Fenway Park this season. Sale is averaging 12.9 more DraftKings points and 18 more FanDuel points than any other pitcher on the slate (Mike Leake), and should have little issue separating himself from the field once again in this one.

Top GPP Hitters

After Zimmerman's hot start, his ownership levels have plummeted, and this may just be the perfect spot to jump in and take advantage. He faces rookie Sam Gaviglio, who has been a solid pitcher in the minors, but still owns a very pedestrian strikeout rate and is very exploitable in this matchup. Zimmerman hasn't homered since May 6th, but this could be a spot where he finds his power stroke once again. He still owns elite numbers against same-handed pitching this season with a .457 wOBA and .331 ISO, and while those numbers are sure to continue to regress, he certainly has big upside in this one. Teammate Anthony Rendon blasted a pair of homers last night, which should drop Zim's ownership oven lower on a slate that includes Chris Sale.

Kemp has quietly been having a monster season for the Braves, and he is now the main cog in this Braves lineup. SunTrust has played like one of the best hitter's parks in baseball this season, and Kemp draws a solid matchup against Trevor Williams, who has allowed a .363 wOBA and four home runs in just 12.1 IP against RHB this season. The Braves have continued to hit in Freddie Freeman's absence, and Kemp will be a very low owned player on this slate, especially on DraftKings at his elevated price tag of $4,800. Kemp has a HardHit of 39.6% against same-handed pitchers this season, and should continue that trend tonight against the young pitcher.

There was once a time where Jose Altuve was a plug and play against a LHP, and he continues to mash southpaws as his career progresses. He should draw extremely low ownership on this slate due to his top price tag at 2B on both sites, and is in an elite spot once again. Opposing pitcher Daniel Norris has allowed a 46.4% HardHit to RHB this season, and Altuve remains one of the best lefty-mashers in the game. The Astros make for a solid stack on this slate, and Altuve and his career .384 wOBA against LHP make him an elite play once again.

After posting a solid .184 ISO in AAA last season, Bonifacio has now blasted nine homers over 40 games between AAA and the majors in 2017, including four in his last five games. Perhaps his ownership takes a small jump due to his hot streak recently, but I'm betting that the matchup against Severino keeps that number down. Severino has allowed five homers in 23 innings at Yankee Stadium this season, and he should see some ownership against a Royals team that has struggled for much of the season. Bonifacio provides you with salary relief and upside on a slate where you absolutely need it.