Today in fantasy baseball daily, we have a great number of games to analyze. Most of the games are evening/night games but there is one day game on the slate and that would be the Cincinnati Reds vs. the Chicago Cubs at 2:20 Eastern Time. With that game we have 15 games 30 teams worth of players to choose from.
We bring you fantasy daily picks for FanDuel.com and if you haven’t signed up yet, be sure to follow this link http://eDraft.com/FanDuel/MLB to receive a 100% deposit bonus on your initial deposit. This is an amazing deal that you can’t miss so be sure to check it out and make yourself some extra cash. The cap for FanDuel is $35,000 with only one player at each position like a real MLB lineup (with the exception of outfielders where you can start any three players that are outfield eligible.)
The scoring system for FanDuel is as follows:
Hitters: Single = 1pt, Double = 2pts, Triple = 3pts, Homerun = 4pts, RBI = 1pt, Run = 1pt, Walk = 1pt,
Stolen Base = 2pts, Hit By Pitch = 1, Out (calculated as at bats - hits) = -.25pt
Pitchers: Win = 4pts, Earned Run = -1pt, Strike Out = 1pt, Innings Pitched = 1pt
Good Value Players
Pitcher
Aaron Harang, Braves, $5,800: Harang turned in another strong start, allowing just one run on five hits with five strikeouts over six innings of work against the Nationals. The victory improves Harang's record to 2-1 after his first three starts of the campaign. The veteran hurler was signed by the Braves about a week before the regular season kicked off and has performed brilliantly here in the early going. He is sporting a 0.96 ERA and 0.80 WHIP while holding the opposition to a .145 average across 18.2 innings so far. He now faces the struggling Mets and should have another solid outing today.
Catcher
Evan Gattis, Braves, $3,400: In the past few games Gattis has played in for the Braves he has been on fire. He is 9-for-13 with a double, three homeruns, five RBI’s, and three runs scored in his past three games he played. Unfortunately being that he splits time as the catcher of the Braves, that makes him less valuable in standard fantasy leagues but being that this is fantasy daily, he is valuable every day when he starts.
First Base
Joe Mauer, Twins, $3,400: Mauer was on a five game hitting streak until yesterday where he went 0-for-3 but managed to draw two walks and scored two runs giving him 3.25 points for FanDuel. He hit his first homerun of the season on Saturday in a win over the Kansas City Royals. Mauer hit 11 home runs in just 445 at bats last year (second best home run rate of his career), so it's possible he could continue his increased home run rate this season.
Second Base
Dee Gordon, Dodgers, $3,500: Gordon was 3-for-4 with a triple on Wednesday against the Giants and is now batting .404. His nine stolen bases lead the league and he appears to be locked in as the team's leadoff man. He faces left handed pitcher Wade Miley of the Diamondbacks who has over a 5.0 ERA in four starts and gave up eight hits and five runs the last time he saw the Dodgers in his previous start. Gordon did not play in that game.
Third Base
Pablo Sandoval, Giants, $3,500: Sandoval may be dropped down in the batting order in today’s game against the Padres. Sandoval's off to a slow start (11-for-63) in the three-hole, but his numbers don't hint at an underlying problem, and a drop in the batting order would very likely be temporary. Furthermore, he'd likely just be dropped to No. 5 or 6, rather than to the bottom of the order. With three home runs, a 14:8 strikeout to walk ratio, and a line-drive rate north of 20 percent, Sandoval should be fine in the long run. Whether he'll be more than fine remains to be seen, as he's hoping to bounce back from a down season in 2012.
Shortstop
Everth Cabrera, Padres, $3,000: Cabrera was scratched from Tuesday's lineup with a sore right knee. The 27-year-old Cabrera is off to a strong start, and has hit safely in nine straight games. He can stretch a single to a double with his speed and can steal bases to add points to your total fantasy score. He faces the Giants Matt Cain who is off to a shaky start with a 4.0 ERA and 17 hits given up in three starts.
Outfield
Starling Marte, Pirates, $3,600: Marte went 2-for-4 with a walk, three runs scored and pair of steals in Thursday's win over Milwaukee. He’s been having some trouble with strikeouts but should be just fine once he finds his groove. Marte has great speed on the base paths and can hot the long ball as often as he wants. With all of these dynamics it is easy to pick him up for your fantasy squad.
My Lineup: $35,000 Cap
Pitcher – Aaron Harang, Braves, $5,800
Catcher – Evan Gattis, Braves, $3,400
First Base – Joe Mauer, Twins, $3,400
Second Base – Dee Gordon, Dodgers, $3,500
Third Base – Pablo Sandoval, Giants, $3,500
Shortstop – Everth Cabrera, Padres, $3,000
Outfield – Starling Marte, Pirates, $3,600
Outfield – Shin-Soo Choo, Rangers, $3,900: Choo hit his first homer of the year Thursday as part of a 2-for-5 day against the Mariners. Choo's had a bit of an uneven start to the year, as he's hit for decent average, but the extra-base hits haven't really been there, and he's only stolen one base. However, his plate discipline remains strong and he should rack up tasty numbers in Texas as the year goes along. He faces the White Sox Felipe Paulino who has been torn to shreds his last two starts giving up six runs in each.
Outfield – Jose Bautista, Blue Jays, $4,900: Bautista hit a solo homer in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader at Minnesota. It was the fifth home run of the season for him, who is likely to post some of the best power numbers in the American League, assuming he can stay healthy. He is matching up against Cleveland’s Justin Masterson who has been struggling as of late with five runs given up and seven hits in each of his last two starts.
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @eDraftSports and myself @dwolfe_themayor