MLB Daily Fantasy Helper: Tuesday 7/9/13
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Stults | SP | 15.92 | $19,300 | 0.82 |
| Tony Cingrani | RP | 22.7 | $18,400 | 1.23 |
| Yasiel Puig | RF | 15.52 | $8,200 | 1.89 |
| Hanley Ramirez | SS | 14.14 | $7,500 | 1.89 |
| Paul Goldschmidt | 1B | 13.92 | $7,100 | 1.96 |
| Robinson Cano | 2B | 15.09 | $6,800 | 2.22 |
| David Ortiz | DH | 13.96 | $6,800 | 2.05 |
| Shin-Soo Choo | CF | 14.5 | $6,800 | 2.13 |
| David Wright | 3B | 13.28 | $6,700 | 1.98 |
| Jay Bruce | RF | 13.76 | $5,900 | 2.33 |
| Buster Posey | C | 12.13 | $5,700 | 2.13 |
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
Justin Verlander - He may be lost in the shadows of Scherzer-mania, but I'm sure not going to turn down his 24.7 percent strikeout rate and second-lowest of his career 1.7 percent homerun rate. If not for a .333 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) holding him back, he'd be right up there with his lauded teammate as one of the best pitchers in the AL. We think that BABIP number will regress considering he has only previously topped the .296 MLB average once in his career, and the White Sox 28th-ranked .296 OBP will go a long way towards getting there.
Tony Cingrani - We still like the guy, just maybe not as much as we once did. Cingrani hasn't posted more than five strikeouts in any of his last five starts; his strikeout rate is now down to (only?!?) 28.7 percent. While that's still an great figure, can it make up for a 4.2 percent homerun rate allowed? Well, against the Brewers, who have exactly a league-average homerun rate and a below-average OBP, we think it can.
Eric Stults - Because one mid-priced pitcher (clearly) isn't enough, Eric Stults is the definition of a sleeper. 6-7 record and 3.70 ERA, but also a 1.170 WHIP, a 4.8 percent walk rate, and a below-MLB average .289 BABIP? I'll take it. Stults' only issue is not striking out as many guys as a league-average pitcher, which puts a lot of balls in play. But even though Colorado does hold the third-highest BABIP in the majors (limiting Stults' upside), he's still a great enough value because of the low cost to be worth considering if you'd rather spend your cash elsewhere.
Top High-Priced Hitters
Yasiel Puig - The longer Puig plays, the less likely that these insane numbers are actually a fluke. And what do we have for a sample size now? Just 140 plate appearances, but those have yielded a 1.102 OPS, 5.7 percent homerun rate, and 29 percent line drive rate. That's enough for at least three of our optimized rosters to believe he's the real deal, and against Ian Kennedy's 1.303 WHIP and 27 percent line drive rate allowed, we have little reason to believe the fun won't continue tonight.
David Ortiz - Hello everybody, and welcome to the Hisashi Iwakuma anti-bandwagon! It's sunny and beautiful this time of year as we continue to ponder why people don't think Iwakuma will regress. Sure, the pitcher has an off-the-charts WHIP thanks to an absurdly low walk rate, but as the past four outings (with 4 ER allowed a piece) have proven, a good offense can do damage against him with balls in play. David Ortiz isn't just a power hitter - his .324 BABIP shows he can find holes in the defense as well. It's not only 0.27 projected HR that have him as a top option; it's his .318 projected average as well.
Mid-Range Cost-Effective Hitters
A.J. Pierzynski - I've been writing enough of these articles that I can pretty much guess the script at this point. When A.J. Pierzynski's 23 percent line drive rate and 77 percent of plate appearances putting a ball in play shows up, I can almost guarantee the opposing starter is a low-strikeout guy who also allows a ton of balls in play. And looking at Orioles starter Zach Britton's stats... a 9.2 percent strikeout rate and 79 percent of opposing plate appearances getting a ball into play. Yup, looks about right.
Didi Gregorius - No, Gregorius in fact has not gone completely away yet. We look long-term here at numberFire, and the fact remains that he holds a .348 OBP, .319 BABIP, and a below-average 14.8 percent strikeout rate so far this season. Considering he only had 20 plate appearances last season for Arizona, those numbers are essentially his mean, and there's no reason to believe he won't continue them moving forward. Still not convinced? Then try new Dodgers starter Ricky Nolasco's 25 percent line drive rate and .305 BABIP allowed to opposing batters this season.
