MLB GPP Plays: Friday, June 19th
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
I have nothing against the high dollar aces (Chris Sale, Jacob deGrom and Sonny Gray) on the bump tonight, but in order to afford some stud hitters and load up at the Rogers Centre and Coors Field, we need some salary relief.
Carlos Carrasco, Cleveland Indians – Carrasco has electric stuff and when he has all three of his nasty pitches (high 90s fastball, slider and change) working, he is nearly unhittable. The Tampa Bay Rays strikeout at a 21% clip against right-handed pitching and Carrasco can reach double-digit punch-outs each and every time he takes the mound. With his price and upside, Carrasco makes a terrific play in your GPPs tonight.
Lance McCullers, Houston Astros – McCullers has been better than advertised (2.00 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, .172 BAA with 40 Ks in 26 IP) for the Houston Astros this season. There were concerns about his control and the fact that he had never pitched above Double-A, but he has put those concerns to rest so far. The Seattle Mariners bats are ice cold and they have whiffed the second most times in the American League, behind only the Houston Astros. McCullers provides the salary relief needed for all those big bats and he has the upside to match any pitcher’s production this evening.
Other Pitchers to Target – James Shields, Rubby De La Rosa, Tyler Lyons
CATCHER
Jonathan Lucroy, Milwaukee Brewers – Let’s just say all the Milwaukee Brewers right-handed bats are in play tonight against Jorge De La Rosa in Colorado. De La Rosa has pitched well recently but righties still smack him around. Lucroy is starting to heat up with four two-hit games in his last five contests. Lucroy has had plenty of success over the years versus southpaws and I expect him to have a big game tonight in the world’s best hitting environment.
Stephen Vogt, Oakland A’s – I like a lot of catchers tonight, which is quite rare these days. However, none of them have the same upside as Stephen Vogt when he is facing a right-handed pitcher at home. Vogt has a .330 batting average at the Coliseum and a .362 wOBA versus righties. With so many catchers in play Friday night, Vogt may get overlooked in tournaments.
Other Catchers to Target – Brian McCann, Matt Wieters, Yasmani Grandal, Nick Hundley
FIRST BASE
Adrian Gonzalez, Los Angeles Dodgers – Most fantasy owners will probably ignore Gonzalez tonight due to his recent struggles and matchup versus Chris Heston. However, lefties have actually done some serious damage to Heston this year, as he has allowed them to hit .296 off of him. A-Gon has always raked versus righties and that has continued in 2015 with a .393 wOBA. Gonzalez has sneaky upside tonight at a great price.
Adam LaRoche, Chicago White Sox – Even with him struggling to get going in 2015, LaRoche still carries a very impressive .379 wOBA versus right-handed pitching this season. Colby Lewis has looked much better on the bump this year, but he still has issues retiring left-handed hitters. LaRoche is inexpensive across the industry and he has home run upside in this game.
Other First Basemen to Target – Anthony Rizzo, Chris Davis, David Ortiz, Ben Paulsen
SECOND BASE
Kolten Wong, St. Louis Cardinals – Wong’s ability to hit for power and steal bases makes him an intriguing play on a nightly basis. Wong and the Cardinals will face right-hander Phillippe Aumont who is making a spot start in place of Cole Hamels this evening. Aumont has not faired well at the Major League level and Wong has jack-and-a-bag upside in this one.
Derek Dietrich, Miami Marlins – Dietrich has some serious thump in his bat and he also gets a nice ballpark boost playing at the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati tonight. Mike Leake is not necessarily a pitcher that I am looking to pick on, but lefties have had their way with him over the years and he is homer prone. Dietrich is a great punt option in your GPPs tonight.
Other Second Basemen to Target – Dee Gordon, Robinson Cano, Ryan Flaherty
THIRD BASE
Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles – With everyone looking to Coors Field for their third baseman tonight, Manny Machado should fly under the radar. Machado has been on fire recently, rolling out six multi-hit games in his past nine contests. During this nine-game stretch, Machado has compiled 13 runs, five long-balls, nine runs batted in and two stolen bases. Marco Estrada is a very hittable, homer-prone pitcher, facing a tough offense in a great hitter’s park. Don’t sleep on Machado and the Orioles this evening.
Aramis Ramirez, Milwaukee Brewers – Jorge De La Rosa has actually pitched quite well at home over the years and he has shut down lefties, but right-handed batters remain his kryptonite. Ramirez has looked much better at the plate recently, but he has little to show for it. He is having good at-bats and driving the ball well, but luck has not been on his side. However, I expect that to change tonight in Coors Field.
Other Third Basemen to Target – Nolan Arenado, Matt Carpenter, Alex Rodriguez
SHORTSTOP
It appears as though we have a three headed monster at shortstop these days with Carlos Correa joining Jose Reyes and Troy Tulowitzki as the only elite options at this thin position. You really can’t go wrong with any of the three tonight as they are all in great matchups with the splits in their favor (Tulo versus Jungmann is a righty/righty matchup, but Jungmann has reverse splits at both the Minor League and Major League level). If you cannot afford any of the three, I would suggest Jhonny Peralta as the top upside play in the mid-tier or you can simply punt with the options below.
Other Shortstops to Target – Jean Segura, Alcides Escobar, Jimmy Rollins, Alexei Ramirez
OUTFIELDERS
Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers – Ryan Braun is tonight’s BvP special. In 14 at-bats against Jorge De la Rosa, Braun has 10 hits (.714 BA), including four doubles, three homers and 10 runs batted in. Braun has been very cold at the plate, but facing a lefty who he has absolutely owned in Coors Field is just what the doctor ordered to remedy this cold spell. Despite the great matchup and fantastic BvP numbers, Braun may still find himself low-owned tonight due to his slump and expensive price tag.
George Springer, Houston Astros – Springer may just be the hottest hitter in baseball these days. He is batting a ridiculous .406 in the month of June and he has now hit safely in 11 consecutive contests, with six multi-hit games. The Astros face lefty Roenis Elias for the second time in five days and they absolutely blasted him in his last start (3.1 IP. 7 H, 4 BB, 7 ER). Springer is one of the top outfield options outside of Coors Field tonight.
Josh Reddick, Oakland A’s – Ok, so we do need some high upside plays that will not be highly owned tonight and I think Josh Reddick is a great example of that. He destroys righties and he has been a beast at home this season. Reddick has monster potential and I don’t seeing him being all that popular.
Other Outfielders to Target – Coors Field, Giancarlo Stanton, Alex Rios, Will Venable, Melky Cabrera, Chris Parmelee, David Peralta