MLB GPP Tournament Picks: 8-3-17

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

Rick Porcello has been hard to trust this season, and even in a matchup like this there is some risk. Corey Kluber has the highest strikeout upside on the slate, but Porcello can be a slightly cheaper option and can also be a top three scorer among pitching options tonight. Chicago ranks 29th in wOBA against right-handers, 23rd in ISO, and have a 22.6% strikeout rate which is the ninth highest in the league. Boston should be able to provide a ton of run support and get Porcello the win. His FanDuel price tag is where I like him the most, but he is a tournament SP1 on DraftKings if you want a different approach. Porcello's real plus is eating up innings, averaging 6.3 innings per start this season. His average strikeout rate should take a bump in this type of matchup.

Top GPP Hitters

After a few years of people saying Justin Turner can only hit right-handers, which was BS, he has the numbers to back him up. Last year Turner had a .230 BABIP and 38% hard-contact rate against lefties. His strikeout rate was the exact same as it was against right-handers. Those balls are starting to land against lefties this year, with a .510 wOBA and .347 ISO. His strikeout rate is less than 10%, and he has a 44.6% hard-contact rate. Sean Newcomb is a talented left-hander, and is a promising arm for the future. He has struggled at home a bit, which makes sense in this new hitter's paradise, allowing a .349 wOBA. Newcomb is allowing a .313 wOBA to right-handers, with a 31% hard-contact rate. The lefty has picked on the bad offenses, and this Dodgers lineup is the opposite.

Justin Upton has been one of the hottest hitters in the second half. He has a .441 wOBA and .257 ISO since the all-star break, with a 48% hard-contact rate. Upton's hard-contact was already up this season, with a 42.9% rate against right-handers. The Tigers get a juicy matchup against Chris Tillman tonight, who has allowed a over a .400 wOBA to both sides of the plate. Tillman is allowing a 41% flyball rate to right-handers, with a 37.6% hard-contact rate. In this ballpark against a power bat like Upton, the hot streak should continue. His price on DraftKings should keep his ownership down too. FanDuel he is a bit of a better points-per-dollar play.

A.J. Griffin is scheduled to make the start tonight, who is coming off the DL for the first time since May. Griffin has struggled with lefties, and the sample size is small this year, allowing a .359 wOBA. Last season he allowed a .406 wOBA with a 2.88 HR/9. The hard-contact rate was at 44.4% as well. Even if Griffin exits early, Max Kepler will see a bad Texas bullpen for several innings. Kepler has a .360 wOBA off right-handers this season, and the K% is down below 20%, which is rare for some of these Twins bats. Kepler's prices on both sites are rather attractive, and the matchup doesn't get much better. He is one of my favorite value plays on the board.

Hanley Ramirez isn't the consistent cleanup hitter we can count on, but he is in a hell of spot tonight, and cheap as well. Ramirez has a 35% hard-contact rate against right-handers and has an xwOBA of .355. Big difference from the .326 wOBA he has right now. Hanley is always a HR threat, especially at Fenway Park. Miguel Gonzalez is a flyball pitcher, allowing a .334 wOBA to right-handers. Gonzalez has also struggled away from home, allowing a .368 wOBA and owning an ERA over five. Gonzalez's 5.72 xFIP against right-handers, and is due for some HR regression against righties. The Red Sox team total is hovering at six right now, and while they have gone quiet in good matchups, this shouldn't be one of those nights.