MLB Daily Punts: April 22nd, 2014

If you’re paying up for Adam Wainwright, Justin Verlander or David Price, you’re going to need a few cheap hitters to help balance out the rest of your lineup. The goal of this article is to help you find a few under-priced gems that will not only allow you to roster one of the night’s top pitchers, but should also help you fit an extra big bat or two. Tonight’s picks will be focused on FanDuel pricing in honor of the $150K MLB Monster, which pays out $25K to first.

Catchers

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John Jaso – $2,200 – The A’s face off against righty Nick Martinez, who was fairly average in his debut back on April 5th, allowing 3 runs in 6 innings on the road against the Rays. I don’t really know much else about the kid but the A’s had much better success at the plate in the Coliseum, so I think they make for an interesting stack in a GPP that not too many people will deploy. Jaso should be behind the plate tonight with a right-hander on the hill, so I don’t see how you can ignore him at minimum price if you’re not targeting Posey.

Carlos Ruiz – $2,700 – Let me preface this by saying that there is no way on Earth I would pay this price for Ruiz with Posey at $3,200 unless I’m stacking the Phillies in a GPP (which I’m not). If Posey isn’t in the lineup, the catcher spot will become a bit more interesting and it’s a little easier to pay for Ruiz after he broke out of an early season slump last night. Ruiz homered and doubled twice against the Dodgers last night and he faces another lefty here, albeit a much tougher one. Ryu has looked very good in his last two starts after a rough start to the season, and both of those performances came on the road. Update – Posey is in the lineup hitting third, so be smart and pay the extra $500 for him in cash games.

First Base

Allen Craig – $2,500 – Can’t say I would have guessed that we’d see Allen Craig priced this low so early in the season, but that’s what happens when you start the season as poorly as Craig has. He’s actually sent his average skyrocketing up to .197 after a few multi-hit games in his past four, so it seems like he’s slowly starting to get his confidence back. Dillon Gee is more comfortable pitching in Citi Field so I’m not rostering more then one of the St. Louis bats in a cash game, but I think Craig offers the best dollar for dollar value. He’s hitting second tonight between Carpenter, Holliday and Adams, so if he can reach base a few times he could post a very solid fantasy line for the $2,500 price tag.

James Loney – $2,500 – I’m finding that I’m paying up at first base in most of my FD lineups, but I think Loney is actually a fairly safe cash game play. He’s hitting fifth at home tonight against right-hander Kyle Gibson, who has really excelled so far this season (0.93 ERA in 19.1 innings). However, he had an ERA over 6.5 in 51 innings last season, so he’s bound to regress in the very near future. Lefties tagged him for a .341 average last season with a .875 OPS, so I like Loney hitting in the middle of the order for just $2,500. If you’re going a little contrarian and stacking the Rays in a GPP, Loney is a great option due to the spot in the batting order and the salary relief he provides.

Second Base

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Danny Espinosa – $2,700 – He’s hitting second tonight against lefty Tyler Skaggs, and I think this is a night where the Nationals bats will come alive. Espinosa is a switch hitter but he’s had a little more success against lefties, and he’s always a high-upside guy with his ability to contribute both power and speed. Espinosa posted a .783 OPS against left-handers between 2011 and 2013, compared to a .668 OPS against right-handers over the same time span.

Scooter Gennett – $2,500 – Gennett for $2,500 against an average right-hander is the perfect recipe for a punt play. He’s hitting second again tonight between Carlos Gomez and Ryan Braun, and has had a multi-hit game in three of his last five. If you’re not paying up for Kinsler or Cano in a cash game, Gennett is a very nice secondary option.

Jose Altuve – $2,700 – Altuve is probably a GPP-only play for me, but I have a feeling that the Astros will get to Erasmo Ramirez for a few runs even in the spacious confines of Seattle. I’m not rostering any of them in cash games, but pairing Altuve and Castro up in a GPP might not be the worst strategy if you’re throwing out a bunch of lineups.

Third Base

Luis Valbuena – $2,200 – Valbuena is leading off tonight against Brandon McCarthy, who has started the season with 20 ER’s in 25.1 innings, good for a 7.11 ERA. The Cubs left-handed bats are all in play tonight, especially those hitting at or near the top of the order. Valbuena is the best minimum price option on the board today.

Alberto Callaspo – $2,600 – Callaspo usually finds himself hitting towards the middle of the lineup, and he should come up in a few RBI opportunities tonight against Nick Martinez. Callaspo has traditionally been better against left-handers, but he’s hitting righties at a .326 clip to start this season. I’d much rather use Valbuena in a cash game, but Callaspo could be a sneaky part of an A’s stack.

Shortstop

Erick Aybar – $2,500 – I really like the Angels bats tonight against Taylor Jordan, and not many of the cheap shortstop options are all that appealing tonight. Aybar is hitting in the 6 spot tonight and had himself a three hit night on Monday, so I don’t have any issues punting shortstop with Aybar in cash games.

Andrew Romine – $2,300 – While the Detroit bats let me down in a big way last night, I’m coming back for more tonight. They can’t possibly get shut down by Charlie Leesman, right? Romine is hitting in the nine spot but taking the $2,300 price tag into account, I don’t really mind that all too much. I’d probably feel a little more comfortable with Aybar, but I don’t think the difference between the two is much at all.

Outfield

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Nate Schierholtz – $2,700 – Schierholtz is hitting in the clean-up spot against Brandon McCarthy, who happens to struggle mightily against left-handed hitters. He’s a great option at this price on one of the nights that I think the Cubs are a viable stack option, especially considering it won’t cost you too much to stack the top of the lineup. Valbuena, Rizzo and Schierholtz make for a nice mini-stack in a GPP and cost a combined $8,100 on FD.

Michael Morse – 2,700 – He’s probably going to hit clean-up tonight and he’s a notorious boom or bust guy, so he’s in play for me in a GPP if you’re stacking the Giants. He’s got double-dong upside but he’ll leave you with an 0-4 much more often.

Josh Reddick – $2,800 – Again, I really like the A’s bats tonight at home against an unproven righty. I don’t see Martinez making it past the 5th or 6th inning tonight and the Rangers bullpen isn’t all that scary either. The only worry with Reddick and Jaso is that if a left-hander comes into the game, they are candidates to be pinch hit for.

J.D. Martinez – $2,600 – He’s getting the start tonight with Austin Jackson getting a night off, and he’ll slot into the six spot in the Tigers order. Any of the Detroit right-handed bats are in play tonight, and Martinez is not someone that will be targeted by the masses since most people probably weren’t even aware that he was on the Tigers. He’s got the traditional splits in his favor against Leesman and I think he pays off the $2,600 price tag tonight.

Abraham Almonte – $2,200 – Lead-off man against Colin McHugh for minimum price? Sign me up. If you need a dirt-cheap outfielder to fill out a lineup, Almonte is your man. The Mariners should score some runs tonight and I’d be somewhat surprised if Almonte didn’t play a role in it. He rivals Valbuena for the minimum price play of the day.

George Springer – $2,300 – Everyone’s favorite prospect is just $2,300 tonight against Erasmo Ramirez, who has been getting roughed up so far this year. He’s been hitting clean-up for the ‘Stros so he’s tough to ignore at the near minimum-price tag.

About the Author

SBK
Stephen Keech (SBK)

Stephen Keech (aka SBK) is a Penn State graduate from the city of Champions. He is a Projections & Alerts Manager at RotoGrinders, monitoring player news, projections, and lineups for NFL, MLB, and NBA. He is currently the #1 ranked NBA expert on the Action Network app. Follow SBK on Twitter – @StephByronKeech