MLB GPP Plays: Friday, June 12th
GPPs are very different from your cash games and you use a different strategy with them. In our GPPs we are not interested in safe plays, GPPs are all about UPSIDE. We want players who can explode, all-or-nothing type players can become GPP gold, and your value players are just as important as your star players. You need your players to have huge nights in order to take down these big tournaments.
My goal is to provide players who will be under-owned and/or have that big game upside you are looking for. I will also try to find as much value as I possibly can. Now, let’s get to the MLB GPP Plays!
STARTING PITCHERS
Michael Pineda, New York Yankees – There is a plethora of stud pitchers available tonight, making it very difficult on fantasy owners to select their pitching in tournament play. I have nothing against aces Felix Hernandez and Clayton Kershaw, but their salaries make it very hard to get the bats you want in your lineup. Pineda is much cheaper and has similar upside to the aces mentioned above. Pineda has thrown a few masterpieces already this season, including a dominant performance over the Baltimore Orioles (7 IP, 1 ER, 16 Ks) the last time he faced them. The New York Yankees offense should have no issues providing Pineda with plenty of run support against Ubaldo Jimenez for the all-important win as well.
Danny Salazar, Cleveland Indians – If you are less worried about the win and more concerned about strikeouts, Danny Salazar is your guy tonight. When Salazar has everything working, he is downright filthy. Salazar has produced 81 punch-outs in just 61.2 innings pitched this season, racking up double-digit strikeouts four times this year including his last meeting against these Detroit Tigers (7 IP, 1 ER, 11 Ks). If the Indians are able to score a few runs versus David Price, Salazar could easily have the most fantasy points of any pitcher toeing the rubber this evening.
Other Pitchers to Target – Drew Hutchison, Alex Wood, Mike Fiers, Jeff Locke
CATCHER
Brian McCann, New York Yankees – McCann has looked great at the plate recently, rolling out seven hits in his last five games, including two doubles, a home run and five runs batted in. McCann is hitting a robust .333 in the month of June and he has had success versus Ubaldo Jimenez in the past (.294 BA, .351 OBP in 37 plate appearances). McCann is facing a hittable pitcher in a great hitting environment and I love his upside in this matchup.
Other Catchers to Target – Dioner Navarro, Mike Zunino, Rene Rivera, Robinson Chirinos
FIRST BASE
Albert Pujols, Los Angeles Angels – Because he is no longer one of the best hitters in the game, Pujols tends to get overlooked a lot of nights. However, now is a great time to get back on board. Phat Albert is on a heater, generating five multi-hit games in his last nine contests, including six home runs and nine runs batted in. Despite the recent hot streak, his price remains quite reasonable on most sites. As a bonus, Pujols has hit Jesse Chavez very well (.438 BA in 16 AB) in a decent sample size.
Adam Lind, Milwaukee Brewers – Lind had another big game last night and he continues to crush right-handed pitching. Jordan Zimmermann is not a pitcher I tend to pick on, but lefties have done some serious damage to him this season. With so many good arms on the hill tonight, our options at every position are somewhat limited. Lind is inexpensive, has big game upside and won’t be highly owned.
Other First Basemen to Target – Adam LaRoche, Pedro Alvarez, Justin Bour, Billy Butler
SECOND BASE
Dee Gordon, Miami Marlins – Dee Gordon continues the lead the Major Leagues in batting average (.356 BA) and he has been an on-base machine against right-handed pitching this season (.370 BA, .398 OBP). Lefties have teed off on Kyle Kendrick this year and I expect more of the same tonight in Miami. Look for Gordon to reach base multiple times and create havoc on the base paths.
Stephen Drew, New York Yankees – When you punt a position you are not just looking for salary relief, you are also looking for home run upside. In his last seven games, Drew has put together three multi-hit games, including two double-dong performances. Drew is extremely inexpensive and has that “home run upside” we require in our tournament play.
Other Second Basemen to Target – Brian Dozier, Logan Forsythe, Ben Zobrist, Scooter Gennett
THIRD BASE
Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays – Longoria is no longer a guy we can trust most nights in our cash games. However, when he is facing a bad southpaw, I am definitely going to have some exposure to him in my GPPs. Longoria has always raked versus left-handed pitching and this year is no exception (.327 BA, .433 OBP). John Danks is a “Gas Can of the Night” nominee every time he takes the mound and all the Rays’ righties should be considered against him, starting with Longo-Dongo. Longoria has a great shot to take Danks deep tonight at the Trop.
Maikel Franco, Philadelphia Phillies – Franco is completely locked in at the dish right now with hits in each of his last nine contests, including six multi-hit efforts. During his nine-game hitting streak, Franco has hit the ball with authority, producing five doubles, four homers and eight runs batted in. Jeff Locke has struggled mightily for the Pirates and right-handed hitters are having their way with him. Franco has gross numbers against lefties so far this season (.313 BA, .421 OBP, 1.109 OPS) and he makes a sneaky play at third base this evening.
Other Third Basemen to Target – Josh Harrison, Trevor Plouffe, Pablo Sandoval
SHORTSTOP
Jose Reyes, Toronto Blue Jays – Jose Reyes is the catalyst on top of the Blue Jays’ potent offense and he has done exactly that since coming off the disabled list on May 25th. Since his return, Reyes has hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games, including seven of the multi-hit variety. During that stretch, he has been very effective with both his bat (23 hits, 5 doubles and 2 homers) and his legs (10 runs, 6 SBs). Reyes has multi-hit/run/stolen base upside again tonight as he faces the very hittable Joe Kelly in Fenway Park.
Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers – Andrus lacks home run upside, but he can have a multi-hit or multi-run game and the stolen base is always in play with his speed. Andrus has hit lefties much better than righties in his career and Tommy Milone has been lit up like a Christmas tree against right-handed batters this season. Andrus has also had some success versus Milone in his career (.375 BA in 24 ABs) and makes a great punt option at shortstop.
Other Shortstops to Target – Troy Tulowitzki, Ian Desmond, Alcides Escobar, Jung-Ho Kang
OUTFIELDERS
Pittsburgh Pirates’ Outfield – The entire Pirates’ outfield (Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco) is in play for me tonight against Kevin Correia, as I expect Pittsburgh to beat him like a rented mule. In his career, Correa has been hammered by both lefties and righties alike. All three Pirate outfielders can hit home runs and steal bases and you should be targeting them heavily tonight.
Joey Butler, Tampa Bay Rays – Butler has been one of the biggest surprises in baseball in 2015. Butler has registered hits in 11 of his last 12 games and he is now hitting .330 on the season with 13 extra base knocks. If you know anything about John Danks, you know that right-handed batters have given him fits over the years. Butler is crushing lefties to the tune of .341 this season, along with a .932 OPS. Despite the moderate price across the industry, I expect Butler to be under-owned and I love his potential in this game.
Adam Eaton and Melky Cabrera, Chicago White Sox – Tampa Bay Rays’ starter Matt Andriese is a below average pitcher who has allowed left-handed batters to smack him around consistently at both the Minor League and Major League level. Both Eaton and Cabrera are capable of ripping off a couple of hits tonight and scoring multiple runs hitting atop the White Sox batting order.
Other Outfielders to Target – Nelson Cruz, Bryce Harper, Kole Calhoun, Delino DeShields, Andre Ethier, Michael Cuddyer, Steven Souza, Carlos Beltran