FanDuel MLB Daily Fantasy Picks 6/20/19
Contents
MLB DFS is a high variance game, but one of the more fun fantasy points to play. Cash games you want to find consistent high floor pitchers, and the same goes for hitters. Tournaments you want to find lower owned bats and pitchers that carry huge upside. This article will point you in the direction of both.
Pitchers
Charlie Morton ($10,500) – We just saw this matchup a few days ago, and it was a big outing for Charlie Morton. He will now head on the road in a spacious A’s ballpark to take on an offense that tends to struggle at home. Morton has strikeout upside in this spot, and Oakland’s projected lineup has a 21.5% strikeout rate this season against right-handed pitching. With a 30.6% strikeout rate and 3.10 xFIP, he is one of the few arms I feel safe with tonight. His groundball rate is also at 50.5%. Dominating both left and right-handed bats this season, Morton is a strong play in all formats.
Cash Hitters
Kyle Schwarber ($3,300) – Kyle Schwarber has been sneaky good in the leadoff spot this season, and has an overall .345 wOBA and .247 ISO off right-handed pitching. He is also walking at a 13% clip. The Mets are rolling out an inexperienced young right-hander, who has only pitched 15 big league innings. In that span he has allowed 22 hits, 16 ER, 4 HR, and 10 walks. His numbers down in the minors have been pedestrian, with a near five xFIP and 3.2 K/9. Schwarber is a reasonably priced leadoff bat who has surpassed ten FD points ten times in the last month. He won’t kill you despite the below average strikeout rate.
Albert Pujols ($3,000) – Albert Pujols has been tremendous against left-handed pitching this season. He has a .277 ISO and 10% strikeout rate. His hard-contact rate is at 39%m and the flyball rate is over 50%. He will take on Clayton Richard tonight, who has allowed a .361 wOBA and .200 ISO to right-handers. Richard mostly throws that sinker of his, which off lefties, Pujols has a .254 ISO off of. In a small sample size for 2019 alone, Clayton Richard has allowed a .441 wOBA, .305 ISO, and 45% hard-contact rate. Pujols is value exposure to the Angels, who are once again one of the top offenses on the board to target.
Yasmani Grandal ($3,400) -While he is a catcher, and you don’t necessarily have to roster a catcher on FanDuel, Yasmani Grandal has a .244 ISO and .374 wOBA off right-handers this season. His hard-contact rate is over 40%, and he matches up well with Tanner Roark. He also won’t break the bank like some other Brewers bats. Roark is allowing a .388 wOBA and .180 ISO to lefties this season, which is not unusual given his struggles with lefties in his career. The more concerning part for Roark, is he is allowing a 33% line drive rate and 40% flyball rate to left-handed hitters. I am not in love with a lot of first baseman on this slate, so I don’t mind using Grandal in the C/1B role and splitting him with a 1B if you do like one (or Pujols) in the utility.
Tournament Hitters
Bryce Harper ($4,000) – Bryce Harper continues to be a boom or bust bat, and will head back to Washington tonight. His 31% strikeout rate is hard to swallow this season. His .183 ISO is also not a great number considering his track record. However, he is in a great spot against Erik Fedde. He has allowed a .387 wOBA and .228 ISO to left-handed hitters since last season. Fedde relies on a sinker to lefties, and Harper has a .324 ISO and .471 wOBA off sinkers. The $4,000 price tag is a lot for what Harper has done this season, but he is worth the risk still.
Robinson Cano (3,000) – Tyler Chatwood is making a start for the Cubs tonight, which is a scary thought. He went off the rails last season, and could not control anything. Dating back to last season, left-handed hitters have a .400 wOBA off of him. Robinson Cano is quietly getting going, and has a .350 wOBA off right-handers in that span. This season alone, Cano has a .344 wOBA and .199 ISO off righties. For an even $3,000, he is at a nice price tag. The Mets are enticing bats in this spot, and should go overlooked in tournaments.
