MLB Daily Punts: Monday, April 14th
Nine games on the MLB docket tonight, all of which start at 7 PM EST or later. It’s tough to find many reliable starting pitcher options with a number of teams using the 4th or 5th starter, but that’s usually good news for your bats. It looks like the only weather concern as of this writing is with the Pittsburgh/Cincinnati game, so keep an eye on the forecast if you want to roster players from that game.
For each player I list below, I’ll include their prices (from FanDuel, DraftKings and DraftStreet) on sites where I’m targeting them.
Catcher
Derek Norris – $2,700 on FD, $5,489 on DS – Norris will almost certainly be behind the plate tonight with left-hander Hector Santiago on the mound, and we’ve already seen him leave the yard a few times this season. Norris has been a guy the A’s use against left-handed starters since last year, but he’s actually hit both of his HR’s this season against right-handers. Santiago has struggled out of the gate this season and while he at least gets to pitch in his home ballpark, I don’t see him having a ton of success against the A’s lineup.
Jose Lobaton – $2,200 on FD, $2,400 on DK – With Wilson Ramos out of action, Lobaton will see most of the starts behind the plate for the Nationals, so he’s a nice option at minimum price if you’re looking to completely punt the position. Lobaton doesn’t have much of an offensive game, but he’ll have the traditional splits in his favor against lefty Brad Hand and the Nationals offense (the right-handers, at least) looks like a nice target on a relatively short slate.
Also receiving consideration: Miguel Montero, Evan Gattis, Mike Zuzino
First Base
Justin Smoak – $3,300 on DK – Smoak has been ice-cold since starting the season strong in his first few games, but he’s been streaky his entire career so this isn’t terribly surprising. I don’t think I could trust him in a cash game since he strikes out a lot and has had quite a few 0-4’s over the past 7 to 10 days, but he’s got the kind of double dong upside that could win you a GPP and he’s playing in a much more hitter friendly park then he’s used to in Seattle. If you’re throwing together three or four GPP lineups on DraftKings tonight, get Smoak in one of them and hope he can tag Colby Lewis for a big fly or two. He actually spent time in the Rangers organization earlier in his career, so there may be a little revenge factor for those of you that believe in that kind of thing.
Joey Votto – $5,214 on DS – I felt obligated to mention Votto at this price tag even with the lefty/lefty match-up and the weather concerns in Cincinnati. For what it’s worth, the forecast has been improving a bit as of 4:00 EST, so it’s possible that this one will be played without a delay. Votto is hitting in the two-hole tonight in front of Brandon Phillips and Todd Frazier, which could allow him to see a few more fastballs from Wandy. Votto is actually 19 for 54 (.352 BA) against Wandy with seven XBH’s and 6 RBI’s over his career, and he’s the kind of hitter you don’t worry too much about when he steps up to the plate against a left-hander.
Also receiving consideration: Ryan Howard, Lucas Duda
Second Base
Brandon Phillips – $4,754 on DS, $3,700 on DK – Phillips is another one of the underpriced Reds tonight, and I’ll have a tough time avoiding him at this price tag on DraftStreet unless I’m paying up a bit for Cano. He has the traditional splits in his favor tonight and is hitting in the three hole right behind Votto, so he’s very much in play at a reduced price tag tonight. Again, keep an eye on the weather if you’re targeting any of the Reds/Pirates.
Danny Espinosa – $2,600 on FD, $4,578 on DS, $2,900 on DK – Espinosa will get another chance at regular playing time with Ryan Zimmerman out for at least a few weeks. He’s always an interesting GPP play when he’s in the lineup due to his solid power/speed combo for a middle infielder, and with Brad Hand on the mound tonight (4.37 ERA in 16 career starts), it’s hard to argue with targeting a Nationals bat or two (again, preferably the right-handers).
Also receiving consideration: Robinson Cano (he’s not a punt play, but at only $6K on DS, he’s about as solid of a cash game play as you’ll find), Kolten Wong, Scooter Gennett, Kevin Frandsen
Third Base
I wanted to list Chris Johnson here if he was hitting clean-up against the Phillies, but he’s not in the lineup today, so that one is out the door. Todd Frazier is a nice option hitting clean-up against Wandy Rodriguez, but I don’t want to list too many Reds in case the game gets rained out. I think it’s best to pay up for either Evan Longoria or Josh Donaldson tonight (both are facing average left-handers).
Shortstop
Andrelton Simmons – $3,200 on DK, $5,050 on DS – Simmons and the Braves have the pleasure of squaring off with the pitcher formerly known as Fausto Carmona tonight in Philly. Roberto Hernandez (as he’s now called) is just simply not a very good pitcher and the fact that he’s pitching in hitter-friendly Citizens Bank against a relatively hot offense will likely result in him getting the loss. Simmons is a cheap way to get exposure to what looks to be one of the top offenses to target tonight.
Brad Miller – $5,468 on DS – Miller gets to hit in Arlington tonight instead of the spacious Safeco Field, and on top of that he gets to face a pitcher making his way back from an injury. Colby Lewis has not pitched much in the majors the last two years, and he wasn’t all that effective even when he was healthy in this “prime” of his career. Miller usually hits right above Cano in the order, so stacking those two together looks like a nice option in both cash games and tournaments.
Also receiving consideration: Erick Aybar, Sean Rodriguez
Outfield
Domonic Brown – $3,000 on FD, $5,523 on DS – Brown just looks a bit under-priced for his potential, so I’ll probably target him in some of my GPP lineups in hopes of him taking Santana deep. He’s hitting sixth tonight behind Howard and Byrd, and since Santana looks to be one of the more popular pitching options today, Brown most likely won’t end up as a very popular selection on any site. He’s got too much power to go homerless for much longer.
Wil Myers – $3,400 on DK, $4,734 on DS – Here’s another guy that just seems underpriced given his talent and upside. The Rays will likely be a fairly popular target against left-hander Wei-Yin Chen, and Myers is in a nice spot in the order to see a few AB’s with runners in scoring position (he’s hitting 5th behind Longo).
J.B Shuck – $2,200 on FD, $2,200 on DK – Shuck just recently returned from an injury and if he’s hitting leadoff tonight, he’d be one of the top overall values on the board at or near minimum price on both FanDuel and DraftKings. He has the traditional splits in his favor against righty Jesse Chavez, and he’s usually only in the lineup with a right-hander on the hill. The Angels lineup hasn’t been released as of 4:30 EST, but it should be out before lineups lock on non late-swap sites.
Allen Craig – $3,554 on DS – I could barely believe my eyes when I saw Craig at this price tag on DraftStreet, and even though he’s in a serious slump to start the year, he’s too good of a hitter not to bounce back soon. I don’t like the match-up with Garza and I think there are better options on other sites, but at this price tag he’s definitely worth of cash game and GPP consideration.
Also receiving consideration: Gerardo Parra, Ryan Ludwick, B.J. Upton, Will Venable (Upton and Venable are under $3.5K on DS)