H2H/50-50 vs. Tournament Plays: April 1st
In this article I am going to give you my strategies in baseball for building a winning lineup for all game types, including 50/50s/double-ups/head-to-head and GPPs. I will break down each game type and my strategies involved.
Part 1 – 50-50’s, Double Ups and H2H
When playing 50-50s/double-ups or head-to-head, you want guaranteed points. This is not where you roll the dice on all-or-nothing players. The idea is to simply produce a solid, well balanced team. It may not be explosive, but it doesn’t matter whether you finish in first place or not, you just need to cash.
STARTING PITCHERS
- Zack Greinke – Greinke is the safest pitcher on the board tonight. He is a stud and rarely has bad outings. He will face Ian Kennedy tonight in what should be a Dodgers win. The Padres strike out a lot and Zack owned them last year. You will have to pay for him, but he won’t disappoint.
- Alex Cobb – Cobb was nothing short of spectacular last season. After the All-Star break he posted a 2.41 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and had 58 K’s in 59.2 IP. He also had a great spring with an 18/2 K/BB ratio. He seems to be relatively inexpensive considering the upside. Facing the Jays minus Reyes and against Hutchison, look for Cobb to have a great night.
CATCHER
- Brian McCann – McCann is one of the few catchers capable of a multi-homer game. Tuesday night he faces RHP Scott Feldman in Minute Maid Park, and Brian hit 17 of his 20 HRs off of RHP last year and is a career .285 hitter against righties. McCann is my favorite catcher play of the night.
FIRST BASE
- Albert Pujols – Phat Albert is in a great position tonight facing Erasmo Ramirez. Pujols is healthy and had a solid spring. Albert may never be the stud he once was, but I think as long as he remains healthy we see a much better season. He has a ton of talent around him in that potent Angels offense and he hit Ramirez well in their first and only meeting.
SECOND BASE
- Howie Kendrick – There are not a lot of great options/matchups with 2B today. Kendrick faces arguably the worst pitcher of the night in Ramirez and I think he is in for a multi-hit game. He is fairly cheap, so he leaves you plenty of room for other studs.
SHORTSTOP
- Hanley Ramirez – Hanley is one of the few shortstops capable of a monster game. Tonight he faces Ian Kennedy who was awful last year and gave up a whopping 27 HRs. Kennedy has not had a great spring either and I think Hanley hits one in the seats tonight.
THIRD BASE
- Adrian Beltre – Beltre is one of the best GPP and cash game players to own. When Beltre has a big night he can carry your team. He won’t come cheap but I think he has a big game tonight. Burnett has struggled in AL parks and Adrian has hit Burnett well in the past.
OUTFIELDERS
- Mike Trout – Yeah I know this is an easy one, but I think Trout is the best player tonight. I rarely recommend him due to his price, but with so much value at other positions, I think you should pay up for him tonight. Trout is almost in a league of his own and should smash Ramirez tonight. In a small sample size he is 4/10 off Ramirez with a bomb, and it is Mike Trout bobble head night.
- Jacoby Ellsbury – Ellsbury is one of few players with the ability to have both multi-homer and multi-SB games. He can do it all. Atop the Yankees lineup facing an average pitcher in Feldman I expect Ellsbury to at the very least get a couple hits with a SB and a couple runs scored.
Other hitters I like – C – Johnathan Lucroy, 1B – Adrian Gonzalez, SS – Jean Segura, 3B – Evan Longoria, OF – Carlos Gomez and Carlos Beltran.
Part 2 – GPPs and Tournaments
GPP’s are a whole new ball game. You need guys to have huge nights. GPP’s are all about upside. All or nothing players can become GPP gold. Value players are just as important as your star players.
STARTING PITCHERS
- CC Sabathia – Sabathia was pretty bad last year and absolutely fell apart in the 2nd half. CC got in much better shape in the offseason and had a fantastic spring. He is facing the Astros who struck out more than anyone else in baseball last year and he is cheap. I think CC flies under the radar tonight.
- C.J. Wilson – Wilson has a home matchup with the Seattle Mariners tonight. In 2013 C.J. had outstanding home numbers with a 2.55 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. The Mariners were the worst team in the American league last year when facing a LHP. They lead the league in strikeouts and had the worst team batting average VS lefties. This, my friends, could be GPP gold.
Other pitchers with Boom or Bust potential – Scott Kazmir and Brett Anderson.
CATCHER
- John Jaso – You are going to see a lot of Jaso in my articles when facing a RHP. He has an OBP of over .400 in each of the last two seasons when facing a righty, like he is tonight. He may not have the upside of some of the stud catchers, but he seems to put up points every night. He will come cheap and allow you to load up elsewhere.
FIRST BASE
- James Loney – Loney had a great comeback season last year. He will bat in the middle of a solid Ray’s lineup and faces a RHP. All of Loney’s power comes when hitting left handed. He is unlikely to have a multi-homer game, but is capable of a multi-hit/RBI game and at his price has great value.
SECOND BASE
- Kelly Johnson – Johnson quietly had 16 HRs in 386 ABs last season. He will start for the Yankees tonight when they face Feldman and he has multi-homer upside. He is your typical boom or bust option.
SHORTSTOP
- Dee Gordon – Most sites still have him listed at SS. Gordon has incredible speed (9 SBs in the spring) and if he gets on base is almost guaranteed a SB. He is very cheap and capable of a multi SB/run game
THIRD BASE
- Casey McGehee – If you are looking for value, McGehee should always be considered when he faces a lefty like he does tonight. He is extremely inexpensive and will likely be hitting clean up behind Stanton. He had a nice start to the season with 2 hits and 4 RBI last night.
OUTFIELDERS
- Kole Calhoun – Kole will hit leadoff tonight for the Angels and by now you know I love their matchup. Calhoun should get on base and score runs at the very least. I expect 2 hits and 2 runs scored and would not be surprised if one of those hits leaves the yard. At his price tonight he is a steal on most sites.
- Matt Joyce – Joe Maddon loves playing the matchups and Joyce is always in there against RHP. Joyce can smash RHP and is a great value play tonight. He got off to a good start with 2 hits and 3 RBI last night.
- Jeff Baker – Anytime he faces a LHP he warrants consideration. He has an inexpensive price tag and will likely bat 2nd in the lineup in front of Stanton. In 2013 he had an OBP of .407 vs LHP and hit 10 homers in just 105 at bats.
Other hitters I like with Boom or Bust potential – 1B – Mark Reynolds, 2B – Rickie Weeks, 3B – Matt Dominguez, OF – Corey Dickerson, BJ Upton and Khris Davis.