Not a particularly great first night for this blog. Bats were non-existent, but it was that way largely across the board. Finished middle of the pack in a lot of bigger tournies. Found some loose change in league matches. Well, I am back again to take another swing at things.
Pitchers:
- Gold: R.A Dickey TOR - Dickey has been pitching much better of late and his counterpart Shields has been going the other direction. I can't see the Royals bats being patient enough with Dickey's knuckler. It's also more about the Toronto bats giving him run support. I think this is the game Dickey rounds back into 2012 form.
- Silver: Jake Peavy BOS - I go with Peavy for the same reason I went with Lackey last night. Braves hate veteran right handed pitching. They have a tough time making contact meaning the Ks should be there for Peavy.
- Bronze: Dan Haren LA - Like Dickey, I put Haren on the list more for the team he plays on than the pitcher himself. Haren is kind of a mixed bag, never know what your going to get from game to game, but the Pirates have a tendancy to be a free swinging bunch. On a tough night for pitching matchups, it's a time to look for bats when deciding on pitching.
- Economy: Zach Wheeler NYM - I'm finding Wheeler's prices a little low, especially on the site I play on, DraftKings. Partly because of the team he plays for should be sued for lack of support, partly because Wheeler is still finding his way through the league. His stuff is still mighty fine and should find Ks vs. the Phils, but also comes with a rough up warning as Phils have a gauntlet of left handed bats in their lineup.
Catchers:
- Gold: Buster Posey SFG - Posey will likely be a fixture on this list most nights, as one of the best hitting catchers in the game. Faces lefty Jaime Garcia in an ideal matchup on paper, though Cards pitchers have a tendency to give the runs down. But on a light night for catcher, Posey easily mans the top spot.
- Silver: Jason Castro Hou - Castro has never met a fastball he doesn't like and he'll face a quality one in Ubaldo Jimenez. Castro is hitting cleanup for Astros that has a surprising amount of offense in those bats this year. Castro is really the only other quality option at catcher outside of Posey.
- Bronze: Hank Conger LAA - This where the drop off in hitting catchers occurs, but anyone facing Brandon Maurer should feel like a safe play. Conger does hit fairly well, though does hit well down the lineup. Feel free to insert Chris Iannetta if he happens to be catching instead.
- Economy: Mike Zunino SEA - Pretty much in play for the same reasons as Conger. Faces spot starting lefty in Wade Leblanc. Hits down the Mariners lineup but likes to mash left handed pitching. Feel free to insert John Buck if gets the start instead of Zunino. CORRECTION: Matt Shoemaker is likely pitching for the Halos, but I'd still feel comfortable with Zunino at these prices.
1st Base:
- Gold: Edwin Encarnacion TOR - These days, I'd pretty much ride Edwin like a mule. Guys mashing the middle of the Blue Jays. Jays face the enigmatic James Shields. Shields will either be brilliant or suck immensely. There is no in between with him. With the way the Jays are locked in, I figure Shields will have a tough time finding outs.
- Silver: Paul Goldschmidt ARI - Goldschmidt is pretty automatic to be here when facing a lefty. He faces Tony Cingrani. The Cingrani of last year, I'd be a little more hesitant with Goldy, but this year's Cingrani has been no great shakes. Goldy just finds ways to put points on the boards.
- Bronze: Chris Davis BAL - Davis is my own personal kryptonite which infuriates me to no end. I pick him, he Ks a ton, I fade him, homers everywhere. Just never know when he's going to explode. When he does, it's usually pretty epic. Faces righty Brad Peacock, who is an enigma in his own right. This matchup could go any which way.
- Economy: Marc Krauss HOU - Not should why you'd want to with the 3 aforementioned above. 1B is a tough position to fade, but here he is Mr. Economy Marc Krauss. Left handed hitting Krauss will likely get the nod with righty Jimenez on the mound, though likely hitting down the lineup. Krauss is literally an all or nothing player. Will put up a pile with a homer or put up a donut. Either way, if you need a fade, there he is.
2nd Base:
- Gold: Aaron Hill ARI - The D'backs should pose a RH hitting minefield for the young Cingrani tonight. Hill is another player that hasn't met a fastball he doesn't like and Cingrani is chalk full of them. on paper, this seems like a really good matchup for Hill.
- Silver: Dustin Pedroia BOS - Pedroia faces his own lefty in Mike Minor. Minor is more a junk throwing lefty, though Pedroia has more than enough plate patience to wait him out. Like it better now that Pedroia has recently been hitting in the three spot.
- Bronze: Matt Carpenter STL - Carpenter has slowly been coming around with the bat lately, though his power numbers are still way down. Carpenter price point is now middle of the pack in terms of 2B, so even if all he does is gets on base, he'll still be worth it. Faces the overachieving Vogelsong tonight.
- Economy: Nick Franklin SEA - Bottom of the order hitting Nick Franklin is as good as it gets for economy class at 2B. Since the Mariners are facing left Wade LeBlanc and are totally bereft of right handed bats, good chance Franklin plays. CORRECTION: Like Zunino, Franklin faces Matt Shoemaker, might get bumped tonight for Brad Miller, so keep an eye on his situation.
3rd Base:
- Gold: David Wright NYM - Wright gets the gold spot at 3B tonight, facing right David Buchanen in his 2nd start. Wright has been the lone shining light on an otherwise dismal Mets offense. Things are setup for the Mets to have their "sun shining on a dogs ass" moment. Wright power numbers are down, but has solid numbers across the board.
- Silver: Martin Prado ARI - It's going to be feast or famine with me on the Arizona bats vs. Cingrani. Prado is just another right handed hitter that feasts on lefty pitching. Arizona bats are starting to come around as they put up a 12 spot on the Padres last night. Prado homered in last night's game.
- Bronze: Juan Francisco TOR - Francisco has been a godsend for the Jays this season. Another power lefty bat gives them a great blend of hitters from both sides of the plate. Francisco is an all or nothing hitter. He'll either pound Shields' fastball or get baffled by his changeup.
- Economy: Chone Figgins LAD - Not much for punt at 3B either. Enter slappy hitter Chone Figgins who's been quietly doing things at both ends of the Dodgers order. Figgins seems to be in a semi-platoon situation with Justin Turner at 3rd base, so keep an eye at who gets the nod here.
Shortstop:
- Gold: Jose Reyes TOR - Another player that started off slow that is now starting to come around, both with the bat and his legs. On a light night for the SS, being table setter for the hottest bats in the league will have to do. If he gets on base, its gonna be a long night for Shields.
- Silver: Manny Aybar LAA - Probably doing a disservice for not putting more Angels vs. Brandon Maurer, so here is Aybar. Not much for power but has the tendency to get all slappy and make himself a tough out. Did I mention its a light night at SS?
- Bronze: Chris Owings ARI - May as well finish off the quartet for the D'Backs infield. Boy I hope Cingrani is off his game.
- Economy: Jonathan Villar HOU - Another slappy hitting SS hitting at the bottom of the order. Villar, much like Aybar, has the tendency to put in tough ABs. If yer lucky, he might swipe you a bag.
Outfield:
- Gold: Jose Bautista TOR - I don't really fear the righty v righty matchup due to the fact that Shields doesn't have much for breaking pitches. As long as the Jays stay patient, Shields will be around the plate and there will be plenty of ripe strikes to pound. Bautista is right in the middle of all of this.
- Gold: Melky Cabrera TOR - I like Cabrera for the same reason I dislike Shields. Cabrera will make Shields come to him and throw strikes. Cabrera is a patient hitter that will spray the ball all over the park. Cabrera has been a tough out all year and continues to set the table for the heart of the Jays order.
- Silver: Mike Trout LAA - Trout should like be a gold play, but since his steals are down and his price point is still way up, I have a hard time justifying it. All the same this just seems like such a ridiculous mismatch in his matchup vs. Maurer. Trout is still pounding the ball as hard as he ever has.
- Silver: Kole Calhoun LAA - When Calhoun first came off the DL, his price point was far too high. Now that his price point is at a decent range and a few games under his belt, its time for him to mash. And who better than vs. Maurer.
- Bronze: Jay Bruce CIN - Have you seen his price point lately? What? Have I seen his batting average lately? Yeah, I know, its creeping near the Mendoza line. Bruce is still too good of a hitter to be hanging out with the dregs. Y'know there is a breakout game for Bruce just around the corner. Who better than vs. Josh Collmenter.
- Bronze: Curtis Granderson NYM - Speaking of dregs, here's another guy that is grossly underachieving. But he keeps getting trotted out there hitting cleanup, every once in awhile he proves his worth. Tonight could be one of those games vs. 2nd time starter David Buchanen.
- Economy: Donald Lutz CIN - Lutz looks like a guy that should be playing community slo-pitch on the weekend. But if there is one thing he can do, he can mash. And with him being a bit of a secret, with Votto on the DL, he makes for a sneaky play vs. Collmenter.
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