MLB GPP Plays: Tuesday, June 30th
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, since GPPs are all about UPSIDE. We want players who can explode, as 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
Danny Salazar, Cleveland Indians – Salazar is one of only a handful of pitchers that can rack up double digit Ks each and every time he toes the rubber. Strikeouts have never been the issue with Salazar, it’s the free passes and getting behind in the count that ruins most of his nights. Salazar has an elite strikeout rate and the Tampa Bay Rays whiff at a 22% clip versus right-handed pitching. If Salazar can harness his control tonight, he could be in for a big game.
Ian Kennedy, San Diego Padres – Kennedy is starting to come around, throwing quality starts in four of his last five outings. Kennedy faces a Seattle Mariners team that strikes out a ton and continues to struggle on the road. With this game being played in Petco Park, there are a lot of reasons to like Kennedy tonight.
Other Pitchers to Target – Colby Lewis, Ryan Vogelsong, Taylor Jungmann
CATCHER
Yasmani Grandal, Los Angeles Dodgers – Grandal hit his 11th home run of the season last night and he continues to thrive against right-handed pitching. Rubby De La Rosa is a talented young pitcher, but his inability to get lefties out (.389 wOBA allowed to LHB) is keeping him from taking that next step. With the ballpark boost and his moderate price across the industry, Grandal is my top catcher in tournaments tonight.
Jonathan Lucroy, Milwaukee Brewers – Lucroy appears to be waking up offensively, producing a four-hit game in Philadelphia last night. Lucroy has had plenty of success against lefties in his career and he has hit Cole Hamels hard in a decent sample size (.462 BA, .533 OBP in 15 career plate appearances). Due to his matchup, Lucroy is likely to be highly under-owned this evening.
Other Catchers to Target – Evan Gattis, Matt Wieters, Derek Norris
FIRST BASE
Adrian Gonzalez, Los Angeles Dodgers – For all the reasons I love Yasmani Grandal, I also love Adrian Gonzalez. A-Gon has spent his entire career crushing right-handed pitching and he has to be one of the top options at first base tonight. A Dodgers stack or mini-stack, filled with left-handed batters is a great strategy tonight.
Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles – Crush (can we still call him Crush?) Davis is seeing the ball much better these days, with hits in nine consecutive games. During that stretch, Davis has produced two doubles, two home runs and six runs batted in. Colby Lewis is a better pitcher than most want to give him credit for and I tend not to pick on him, but I will target left-handed hitters against him. Despite his success in 2015, lefties remain Lewis’ kryptonite, and Davis has multi-homer upside in this matchup.
Other First Basemen to Target – Anthony Rizzo, Brandon Belt, Ryan Howard
SECOND BASE
Jose Altuve, Houston Astros – Altuve has started to heat up again with hits in seven straight games. Kansas City Royals lefty Danny Duffy has been smacked around in four consecutive starts and right-handed batters have done most of the damage. The matchup could not be worse for Duffy, as Altuve and the Astros annihilate southpaws.
Dee Gordon, Miami Marlins – Gordon is riding a 10-game hitting streak and he continues to be an on-base machine atop the Miami Marlins batting order. Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong struggles mightily against lefties and Gordon has an elite contact rate against right-handed pitching. Look for Gordon to reach base multiple times and wreak havoc on the base paths in this one.
Other Second Basemen to Target – Jason Kipnis, Ben Zobrist, Joe Panik, Jimmy Paredes
THIRD BASE
Todd Frazier, Cincinnati Reds – Most did not want to buy into Frazier’s big 2014 season, but make no mistake, he is a legit stud. Frazier is having another terrific season for the Reds and it should only get better tonight when he faces a very hittable Phil Hughes. The Great American Ball Park is very hitter-friendly and fly ball homer-prone pitchers tend not to fare well there. Frazier has jack-and-a-bag upside in this game.
Other Third Basemen to Target – Josh Donaldson, Alex Rodriguez, Danny Valencia
SHORTSTOP
Carlos Correa, Houston Astros – Correa has not been in the Show that long (21 GP), but he has already established himself as one of the elite offensive shortstops in the game. The 20-year-old Puerto Rican has blasted southpaws so far in his young career and he should find success against Danny Duffy in this one.
Brandon Crawford, San Francisco Giants – Brandon Crawford is very quietly having an impressive season for the Giants (.275 BA with 17 doubles, 10 homers and 46 RBIs). Mat Latos has been hit hard all season long (5.49 ERA) and left-handed batters have done most of the damage (.311 BAA). Crawford is once again in a great spot to produce, and I don’t see him being very popular in GPPs.
Other Shortstops to Target – Jose Reyes, Starlin Castro, Jimmy Rollins
OUTFIELDERS
Chris Young, New York Yankees – Young is absolutely destroying southpaws in 2015. In 70 at-bats versus left-handed pitching, Young is hitting .371 with eight doubles, five homers and 12 runs batted in. Look for him to inflict some damage to Andrew Heaney’s ratios in this game.
Andre Ethier, Los Angeles Dodgers – Yes, one more Dodgers lefty. Ethier had a monster game last night (3-5 with a double, and a home run) and he feasts on right-handed pitching. Ethier is not only inexpensive, but he has big game upside.
David Peralta, Arizona Diamondbacks – Los Angeles Dodgers starter Carlos Frias has had very little success against lefties in his career, allowing a .389 wOBA. Peralta does his best work against righties and I love his potential in this matchup.
Other Outfielders to Target – Chris Colabello, Chris Parmelee, Angel Pagan, David Murphy