MLB Daily Fantasy Helper: Tuesday 6/11/13
We know that people play all sorts of fantasy platforms, not just from from our friends at StarStreet but on other platforms such as FanDuel, Draft Kings, and Fantasy Feud as well. So once again, we have four optimized rosters, all for you, the numberFire reader. One is for free here; the others can be found in our Premium section.
As always, the full tables for today's action are available at our Daily Fantasy Projections page. Make sure to check it out to see where the best values are for your team.
Our baseball projections are updated throughout the day, so make sure to come back to double-check your optimized rosters for any last-minute lineup changes. Since most action happens later in the day, we will be ignoring the early games (if there are any) and focusing solely on the late contests. That way, you can use and tinker with our optimized rosters throughout the day.
StarStreet Optimized Roster
| Player | Position | Projected FP | Cost | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Wacha | SP | 20.23 | $23,800 | 0.85 |
| Andrew Cashner | SP | 16.77 | $21,100 | 0.79 |
| Troy Tulowitzki | SS | 17.84 | $8,800 | 2.03 |
| Mike Trout | CF | 14.12 | $8,200 | 1.72 |
| Robinson Cano | 2B | 13.43 | $6,100 | 2.20 |
| Buster Posey | C | 12.91 | $5,700 | 2.26 |
| Jayson Werth | RF | 12.75 | $5,500 | 2.32 |
| Jason Kipnis | 2B | 13.26 | $5,500 | 2.41 |
| Manny Machado | 3B | 11.83 | $5,200 | 2.28 |
| Adam LaRoche | 1B | 11.74 | $5,100 | 2.30 |
| Melky Cabrera | LF | 12.02 | $5,000 | 2.40 |
Fan Duel, Draft Kings, and Fantasy Feud Optimized Rosters
For the optimal rosters for the other main players, be sure to check out our brand new Daily Fantasy Optimized Rosters for our Premium members. We know that you're killing it with our picks; maybe now you'll help us continue to help you win each night, every night.
Access to the optimal rosters is immediate, and you'll have it constantly updated for the latest injury news and updates from around the league. The best news of all? For new subscribers, you can use the promo code WELCOME and get it 50% off what was already the reduced price. Think of the savings!
The Three Top Pitchers
Tony Cingrani - I never like to root for injuries; it's just not my style. But don't think I'm complaining about Johnny Cueto's, because it means we get to see Tony Cingrani again. After his 41:9 SO:BB ratio, 31.1 percent overall strikeout rate, and .254 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) allowed over his first six starts, wouldn't you be excited too? That 5.3 percent homerun rate allowed hurts a bit, especially considering that's one of the few parts of the game the Cubs are above-average at, but Chicago's below-average .302 OBP helps make up for it.
Michael Wacha - It's Young Pitcher Day at numberFire! Here's the part that's scary about young pitchers: there simply isn't as much data to go off of that they're actually going to be consistently good. For Wacha, that means exactly 11.2 IP and 48 opposing plate appearances of data, which scares the bejeezus out of me. But he does hold an insanely low walk rate (read: one walk in 48 PA), and the Mets do hold the fourth-worst OBP (2.94) and third-highest strikeout rate (23.4%) in the majors. For that low cost and Cardinals offense backing him, I'd take even a league-average pitcher. Wacha's at least a little better.
Derek Holland - I'm going to be honest: none of the highest-priced pitchers are truly worth the high cost today. It's all about the mid-range guys like Cingrani and Wacha rather than the top guys like Scherzer (we like him, but highest cost across the board) or Sabathia (0.48 projected losses, seriously) or Lincecum (0.41 projected losses). But if you're going to pick a top-cost guy, make it the guy with the 23.3 percent strikeout rate going against the team that strikes out the fifth-highest ratio in the majors. Holland's projected FP sits third among pitchers in most formats behind Cingrani and Scherzer.
Top High-Priced Hitters
Troy Tulowitzki - Want a near-guarantee to get on base at least once tonight? Tulowitzki's .362 projected batting average places him as the only player above .350, and his 0.59 projected walks ranks 10th among all of tonight's batters. But that's what happens when you play Dan Haren, his .321 BABIP, and his 27 percent line drive rate at Coors Field. Tulo's fifth-most 0.28 projected homeruns doesn't hurt, either.
Miguel Cabrera - So if mid-range pitchers are all the rage, why not pair them with the most expensive batter on the board? The Tigers face off against Wade Davis tonight and his 30 (30?!?!) percent line drive rate. Miguel Cabrera holds a .379 BABIP and a 27 percent line drive rate of his own. Our projections could put him with a .500 batting average tonight, and I may even believe it (but it's actually just at a projected .312 with a majors-leading 0.32 HR tonight).
Mid-Range Cost-Effective Hitters
Adam LaRoche - Across most formats, Edwin Encarnacion is the highest projected first baseman tonight. That's a name you expected. The name sitting in second across many formats, Adam LaRoche? Probably not so much. But that's what happens when you bat either fourth or fifth, in Coors Field, against a Rockies starter with only a 15.5 percent strikeout rate and a 24 percent line drive rate allowed. LaRoche's own 26 percent line drive rate is a major contributor to his 0.83 projected runs and 0.84 projected RBIs tonight, both tops among all first basemen.
Jayson Werth - Why take just one Nationals hitter when you could double down? OK, typically that sounds like a terrible idea given that Washington is next-to-last in OBP as a team this season. But Werth is another one whose strengths and weaknesses match up perfectly with Chacin - his 23.9 percent career SO rate will be mitigated, while his 23 percent line drive rate this season will shine. If the Nationals keep Werth and LaRoche back-to-back in the lineup as they have done the past two games (both against the Twins), they complement each other very well tonight.
