MLB GPP Tournament Picks: 9-4-15

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

Collin McHugh is likely to be overlooked on tonight's slate, due to his price, and the surrounding arms. There are a lot of cheap pitchers who are in great spots to allow bats, and Jacob deGrom is the top option, keeping McHugh right in the middle. He faces a Twins' offense that struggles against right-handed pitching, and strikes out at a 21.5% clip. McHugh has been lights out of late, with a 2.63 ERA in the second half. He had a 25% strikeout rate in August, which was what we were used to in 2014. Everything has been improving for McHugh, from the ERA to batted ball stats as the season has gone on. He is a big time favorite among some of the top arms.

Top Hitters

The Giants let down a lot of people on such a small slate last night, and now with a full slate, it should keep their ownership down compared to last night. Buster Posey is at a position people don't pay up for, especially with him lacking power against lefties this season. We know what Posey can do against southpaws, and he gets the matchup against Jorge De La Rosa. De La Rosa has allowed a .360 wOBA to right-handed bats at home, making the Giants' offense again in play.

There is a flaw in the DraftKings pricing system, which may shoot Miguel Cabrera's ownership through the roof. He was scheduled to face Corey Kluber, but now Josh Tomlin is on the bump. At $4,600 he is a steal no matter who he is facing to be honest, and that is the case tonight. On FanDuel he will be a true GPP play with Joey Votto right there for $200 more. Josh Tomlin has allowed a career .335 wOBA to right-handed bats, and has allowed five homers in 42 batters faced this year.

$2,300 for the Todd Father? Okay, thank you FanDuel. I am hoping he gets overlooked entirely there being so cheap, and many people focused on other players at the hot corner. Matt Garza has an ERA over six on the road, and he's allowed a .342 wOBA to right-handed bats. We usually target Todd Frazier against lefties, but tonight is an exception with the matchup and price. He is also in Great American Ballpark, where he has hit better in his career.

The outfielders in Coors are your top options, but will be heavily owned. The best high priced swerve from that game is Bryce Harper. We know what Harper can do, but it is the matchup with Teheran that I love. Teheran has allowed a .391 wOBA to left-handed bats this season, with a career 1.39 HR/9. He is a home-run prone pitcher at times, especially on the road. Harper should get lost in the madness of Coors, especially with Carlos Gonzalez floating around his price tag.

Value and Platoon Plays

Kris Medlen (SP - KC) FD: $7,300 DK: $4,700

Kris Medlen is an absolute steal on DraftKings tonight. No matter who you pair him up with it will give you plenty of salary to spend on your bats. Medlen has always been a reliable pitcher when healthy, but his health has been the reason why nobody pays attention to him anymore. He has a 9.3% swinging strike rate on the season, and has picked up two wins with 11 strikeouts in the last two starts.

Scooter Gennett (2B - MIL) FD: $2,200 DK: $3,300

If you are looking to punt a position to really pay up for bats, Scooter Gennett is back in the leadoff role, and is hitting like he was last season. He is hitting .299 in the second half, and gets a great matchup tonight. Kevius Sampson has allowed a .372 wOBA to left-handed bats this season.

David Freese (3B - LAA) FD: $2,400 DK: $3,100

David Freese is back and healthy, and he gets the lefty at home. I'd rather go with Todd Frazier on FanDuel, but for a DraftKings cheap GPP play, Freese is your guy. Martin Perez has allowed a .339 wOBA to right-handed bats in his career. Freese has a career .364 wOBA off southpaws.

Ryan Raburn (OF - CLE) FD: $2,600 DK: $2,500

Continuing with the bare-minimum plays, Ryan Raburn is hitting .392 in the last 10 games, and he faces Kyle Lobstein tonight. He has allowed a career .328 wOBA to right-handed bats. Raburn has a .395 wOBA off lefties this season, with a .235 ISO.