Daily Fantasy Baseball 2015: Best MLB Position Player Picks for July 11 … – Bleacher Report
On MLB‘s penultimate day before the All-Star break, DraftKings will want to conserve money with their position players.
With Chris Sale taking center stage during Chicago’s cross-city battle and Dallas Keuchel facing the Tampa Bay Rays, players have two elite aces worth choosing. That will make it tougher to stack stud sluggers, especially those with inflated Coors Field prices.
Employing one or two savvy platoon steals, however, should free up enough cash to form a winning lineup around expensive pitching.
Stack: San Francisco Giants vs. Philadelphia (RHP David Buchanan)
Jeff Chiu/Associated Press
The Philadelphia Phillies are promoting David Buchanan to start on Saturday, which is great news for the San Francisco Giants. Before getting demoted from baseball’s worst team with a colossal pitching mess behind Cole Hamels, the 26-year-old righty allowed 32 hits, 15 walks and 24 runs through 24.2 innings.
In other words, Stack City resides in San Francisco. Buster Posey is a premium pay, but potentially out of many gamers’ price range. Joe Panik and Matt Duffy are solid mid-level targets, but Brandon Belt leads the charge while hitting .305/.372/.540 against righties.
| POS | Player | DK Price |
| C | Buster Posey | $4,400 |
| 1B | Brandon Belt | $4,100 |
| 2B | Joe Panik | $3,400 |
| 2B/3B | Matt Duffy | $3,200 |
| SS | Brandon Crawford | $3,700 |
| OF | Hunter Pence | $4,400 |
DraftKings.com
As a reward for returning before the break, Hunter Pence gets a golden opportunity to torch his old club. He dusted off the cobwebs on Friday by crushing a grand slam.
3B Chris Johnson, Atlanta Braves ($3,100) at Colorado
Carlos Osorio/Associated Press
A career .317/.353/.446 hitter against lefties, Chris Johnson should get the start against Jorge De La Rosa at Coors. The Colorado Rockies southpaw has posted a 6.81 ERA at home this year and a career .793 OPS against righties.
For a team playing at Coors, the Atlanta Braves are fairly priced. Cameron Maybin and Jonny Gomes would have received a closer look if not for the influx of intriguing outfielders mentioned below.
SS Carlos Correa, Houston Astros ($3,600) at Tampa Bay
Charles Krupa/Associated Press
It sure didn’t take long for everyone to grow bored of Carlos Correa. The rookie sensation has collected one hit over his last five games, giving him a measly .508 slugging percentage since his early-June promotion.
He’ll face Jake Odorizzi, a tough opponent coming off a month’s hiatus. In the time the Tampa Bay ace has spent sidelined, the 20-year-old shortstop has accumulated seven homers and five steals. But yeah, go ahead and abandon ship because of a five-game slump.
OF Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City Royals ($4,600) vs. Toronto
Orlin Wagner/Associated Press
Lorenzo Cain is on fire, going 13-for-29 with two homers and steals apiece to start July. Because of that, anyone who wants to use the All-Star will unfortunately have company.
This recommendation, however, has less to do with his hot streak than his .971 OPS and .417 weighted on-base average (wOBA) against lefties this season. Mark Buehrle has a 1.41 ERA over his last eight starts, so hopefully that draws the competition off the trail.
OF Nelson Cruz ($4,600) and 1B/OF Mark Trumbo ($3,500), Seattle Mariners vs. L.A. Angels
Jeff Chiu/Associated Press
Although quite a contrasting duo of Seattle Mariners sluggers, Nelson Cruz and Mark Trumbo both clobber lefties. Cruz sports an unfathomable 1.295 OPS against them this season, going deep seven times in 72 plate appearances.
He has stayed silent since joining Seattle, but Trumbo holds a .500 slugging percentage against southpaws and went yard on Friday night. Don’t pay too much attention to C.J. Wilson’s reverse splits this season, as righties have registered a .741 OPS off him since 2013.
OF Chris Young, New York Yankees at Boston
Chris Carlson/Associated Press
Hitting .243/.298/.446 during irregular playing time this season, Chris Young hides at the bottom of DraftKings‘ outfield registry. Still, he’s hitting .351/.412/.649 with five homers versus lefties this season. No MLB venue features a shallower right field than Fenway Park, the only place with a shorter porch than Yankee Stadium.
Note: All advanced statistics, updated as of late Friday night, are courtesy of FanGraphs.
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