MLB GPP Tournament Picks: 8-12-15

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.

Pitchers

Jacob deGrom will most likely rival Clayton Kershaw as highest owned pitcher on the night slate, just due to Kershaw's pricing. There is only one other pitcher I really like in GPPs, and that is Andrew Heaney below. It is hard to pass up on the Mets' young right-hander, as deGrom has been lights out for the Mets this season, ranking fourth in ERA, and ninth in strikeout rate. The Rockies struggle on the road, and have struggled tremendously over the last two weeks. We have seen them give up some big lines to pitchers, including this series against Matt Harvey and Jon Niese. New York are heavy favorites for a win tonight, and I don't see anything less than a great outing for deGrom.

Top Hitters

With Mike Trout facing John Danks for another couple hundred, Lorenzo Cain may fly less owned than he should be. Cain possesses massive upside, as we have seen over the last few games, including last night. He has a .438 wOBA off left-handed pitching this season with a .246 ISO. A few more dingers and we could see a 20-20 season from Cain this year. Daniel Norris is one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, but has not shown consistency yet in the majors. He is also rocking a 4.80 FIP, with a very low ground-ball rate.

There are a few first baseman tonight getting a lot of buzz, but Anthony Rizzo is not one of them. I am hoping he sneaks under the radar as the day goes on, so he can feast on Matt Garza tonight. Rizzo has the third highest wOBA off right-handed pitching among first basemen this season, and he ranks fourth in ISO. With lefties punishing Garza this season, it is very hard to pass up on Rizzo tonight.

Miguel Sano has a hefty strikeout rate, but a matchup against Nick Martinez is not one to worry about. Martinez has a modest 7.1% swinging strike rate, and he's been hammered by right-handed bats, allowing a .381 wOBA. Sano is fairly cheap tonight, and is a guy who can do some major damage. Target Field acts a bit differently in the summer, as it is not the same pitcher-friendly park as it is during the cooler months.

With deGrom and Kershaw going tonight, it is very hard to see people paying up for Kyle Schwarber behind the plate. The Cubs' talented prospect has put up monster numbers so far this season, and he has a 42.6% hard hit ball rate off right-handed pitching. The Cubs present a nice little GPP stack in tonight's slate, as Garza has been awful this season. He is allowing a .367 wOBA to left-handed bats and has an ERA close to five.

Value and Platoon Plays

Andrew Heaney (SP - LAA) FD: $7,100 DK: $8,600

Andrew Heaney makes way for a great SP2 tonight on DraftKings, as well as a cheap bullet in FanDuel GPPs. He faces an offense that struggles against left-handed pitching, ranking 29th in the league in wRC+. The White Sox also have an above average strikeout rate, sitting at 21.6%. The Angels are slight favorites tonight (-124), yet their offense can't be trusted. Hitters have a .229 average off Heaney this season, and his ERA is at a cool 2.45.

Chris Iannetta (C - LAA) FD: $2,500 DK: $3,100

Punting away behind the plate makes sense tonight given the pitching options, and Chris Iannetta is a cheap one with some power. He is facing John Danks, who has been a mystery to figure out this year, but more times than not has he given up plenty of long balls. Right-handed bats have a .375 wOBA off Danks this season. The Angels' backstop has not been in play a lot this season, but does have a track record of hitting lefties well. He owns a .355 wOBA since 2012.

C.J. Cron (1B - LAA) FD: $2,600 DK: $2,900

Getting the same matchup as Iannetta, C.J. Cron comes into play as a very cheap option at first base. U.S. Cellular will give him a boost, with a 117 park factor for right-handed homers in the last three seasons. Cron has a .331 wOBA off lefties since coming into the league, with a .175 ISO. Not too shabby.

Carlos Santana (1B/3B - CLE) FD: $3,200 DK: $3,600

Carlos Santana is one of the biggest boom-or-bust plays MLB has to offer. He has a .354 wOBA off lefties since 2012, and has monster upside with his power. Usually when Santana goes off it is for larger numbers, and that could very well be tonight. Right-handed bats have a .387 wOBA against Sabathia with a 2.03 HR/9.

Danny Valencia (3B/OF - OAK) FD: $3,200 DK: $3,400

With Mark Buerhle now not getting the ball, and R.A. Dickey getting the nod, now is the time to not move Danny Valencia from your lineups. I am sure many will pivot elsewhere, but Valencia has hit right-handed pitching well. He has a .384 wOBA, with a .290 ISO this season. You can also toss in the revenge game narrative on to this play. When a knuckler isn't working, an opposing team stack can take down a GPP.