MLB GPP Tournament Picks: 6-26-15

All fifteen games are evening tilts with Max Scherzer taking the hill looking to extend his historic run. Giancarlo Stanton and Miguel Cabrera also draw the handedness advantage facing southpaws. All three players project to receive plenty of lineup love in the daily racket Friday.

The pitching pool is top heavy but quickly diluted, so there are plenty of upside plays in the mid-salary range. Most of the below picks are of that nature with a heavy tilt towards hot hitters with the handed split advantage.

Pitchers

A winner of three consecutive starts with a 1.14 ERA and 19 punchouts over 23.2 innings during the span, Sanchez has found his groove after early-season struggles. His line-drive rate is down to 17.2% in June, and his ground-ball mark is up to 50.6%. Further evidences are the improvements in strand rate, HR/9, and most impressively, Sanchez is holding batters to a .185 batting average this month.

Enter the offensively inept Chicago White Sox, and Sanchez stands as an arm capable of returning a top-tier point total on a second-tier salary.

It has finally clicked for Walker, as he is pounding the strike zone at a 70% clip over his past five starts. The strikeout tally sits at 38 over 35.1 innings while holding opposing hitters to a .206/.224/.336 slash line during the span. His 4-1 record and 2.04 ERA are also enticing targets, especially considering the opponents (New York Yankees, Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants and Cleveland Indians, twice).

The Angels enter the game with a .242/.301/.383 slash line against right-handed hurlers this season and just 12 runs over their past five games. Plus, there are only two intimidating bats for Walker to manage.

Top Hitters

Since returning from his knee injury June 19, Martinez has gone 10-for-29 with five runs a home run, seven RBI and a .904 OPS. Against southpaw starters this season, he is 16-for-33 with a 1.217 OPS, which supports his .373 wOBA and .868 OPS against lefties. Just note, Martinez is far more viable as a catcher at FanDuel.

It is worth picking on Nathan Eovaldi's road struggles (6.31 ERA, .361/.396/.848 slash line against). Rasmus owns the handedness advantage and has 10 runs, two home runs, nine RBI and a .915 OPS over his past 50 plate appearances.

Sandoval has a 29.1 hard-hit ball percentage against right-handed pitchers this season, and of late, he is scorching hot. Through his past 12 games, Sandoval has eight extra-base hits, including a home run, to go along with his six runs, seven RBI and 1.065 OPS. He screams value at FanDuel.

Sporting a seven-game hit streak with nine runs, four doubles, three home runs, nine RBI and a .467/.500/.900 slash line, Bruce is locked into one of his hot stretches we saw four times a year from 2010 to 2013. His mid-range price lands him in high-reward territory, and Bruce should carry low ownership percentages due to the potentially daunting matchup.

Rizzo is heating up again with six runs, four doubles, four home runs and six RBI over his past nine games. His salary has him below the top options, though. For the season, he has a 1.004 OPS and a .423 wOBA against righties, and he could fly under the radar at first base.

Value and Platoon Plays

Johnny Cueto (P - CIN) FD: $10,600 DK: $10,600

Clearly more of a matchup play than value, given Cueto's hefty price tag. However, the New York Mets have scored four runs or fewer in each of their last 10 games, and they average just 1.9 per outing during the run. Cueto will also likely be heavily owned, and he has been dealing with a nagging elbow injury, so there are concerns. Still, it is a gravy matchup, and he is capable of being the highest-scoring pitcher Friday.

Rajai Davis (OF - DET) FD: $2,700 DK: $3,700

Look for Davis in the leadoff spot against Jose Quintana Friday. Davis has a .310/.385/.552 slash line against southpaws this season, and eight of his 18 hits against them have gone for extra bases. Additionally, the Chicago White Sox has the third lowest success rate of throwing out steal attempts in the league.

Jeff Baker (2B - MIA) FD: $2,300 DK: $3,100

Eligible at a shallow position, Baker is an excellent source of cap relief with his success against lefties. He has a .857 OPS and .370 wOBA this season and a .867 OPS and .373 wOBA for his career against southpaws.

Xander Bogaerts (SS - BOS) FD: $2,700 DK: $3,400

The counting stats are finally starting to add up and align with Bogaerts fine plate work. Over his past 23 games he has a .348 batting average, after all. During the span, he has 11 runs, 15 RBI and only failed to register a hit four times. Expect him to hit closer to the heart of the order Friday, too.

Gerardo Parra (OF - MIL) FD: $2,700 DK: $3,500

There is nothing scary about the matchup or cap hit, and Parra had a .338/.365/.488 slash line before his 0-for-4 showing Thursday. In fairness, Jacob deGrom and allowed just four hits all game. Turn to Parra as a source of cap relief with upside, especially if he hits first or second in the lineup.