MLB Daily Fantasy Helper: Tuesday 9/3/13
We know that people play all sorts of fantasy platforms, not just from from our friends at StarStreet but on other platforms such as FanDuel, Draft Kings, and Fantasy Feud as well. So once again, we have four optimized rosters, all for you, the numberFire reader. One is for free here; the others can be found in our Premium section.
As always, the full tables for today's action are available at our Daily Fantasy Projections page. Make sure to check it out to see where the best values are for your team.
Our baseball projections are updated throughout the day, so make sure to come back to double-check your optimized rosters for any last-minute lineup changes. Since most action happens later in the day, we will be ignoring the early games (if there are any) and focusing solely on the late contests. That way, you can use and tinker with our optimized rosters throughout the day.
StarStreet Optimized Roster
| Player | Position | Projected FP | Cost | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gio Gonzalez | SP | 24.39 | $30,400 | 0.80 |
| Ethan Martin | SP | 16.71 | $15,600 | 1.07 |
| Hanley Ramirez | SS | 14.22 | $7,700 | 1.85 |
| Andrew McCutchen | CF | 14.43 | $6,700 | 2.15 |
| Edwin Encarnacion | 1B | 14.26 | $6,300 | 2.26 |
| Adam Jones | CF | 16.74 | $6,300 | 2.66 |
| Paul Goldschmidt | 1B | 13.93 | $6,200 | 2.25 |
| Ben Zobrist | 2B | 12.85 | $5,700 | 2.25 |
| Michael Cuddyer | RF | 14.58 | $5,600 | 2.60 |
| Pedro Alvarez | 3B | 12.45 | $5,000 | 2.49 |
| A.J. Pierzynski | C | 11.07 | $4,300 | 2.57 |
Fantasy Feud, Draft Kings, and FanThrowdown Optimized Rosters
For the optimal rosters for the other main players, be sure to check out our brand new Daily Fantasy Optimized Rosters for our Premium members. We know that you're killing it with our picks; maybe now you'll help us continue to help you win each night, every night.
Access to the optimal rosters is immediate, and you'll have it constantly updated for the latest injury news and updates from around the league. The best news of all? For new subscribers, you can use the promo code WELCOME and get it 50% off what was already the reduced price. Think of the savings!
The Top Three Pitchers
Gio Gonzalez – Gonzalez hasn’t been quite as stellar as he was last year, but he’s still got a perfectly solid 3.56 ERA. And his primary skill – generating strikeouts – is still there, as his 9.11 K/9 ranks seventh in the N.L. Gio gets to face the punchless Phillies tonight, who just barely edge out the Giants as the 13th-highest scoring team in the National League.
Kris Medlen – After a rocky July, Medlen settled down in August, posting a 3.00 ERA. Fantasy owners are hoping he can carry that momentum into September, and he’s facing the Mets at home tonight. Pitching at home is a big deal for Medlen: he’s got a 2.78 ERA at home versus 4.39 on the road this year. That’s no small sample size fluke either; Medlen has a 2.60 home ERA for his career. Kris Medlen pitching in Turner Field is an elite pitcher.
Ethan Martin – Ok, so Martin’s a bit of a value play. He costs less than half of what Gonzalez does, so he allows owners to fill out the rest of their lineup with studs. Yeah, he’s got a 6.39 ERA, but look at the rest of that optimized lineup! Even if Martin gives up an unsightly amount of home runs (and we only have a 25 inning sample size to work with), he does strike out a lot of batters – he has a 11.37 K/9 to start his young career. He’s facing the Nationals tonight who strike out at the sixth-highest rate in the N.L.
Top High-Priced Hitters
Hanley Ramirez – Hanley the Manley is one of many Dodgers currently playing like a man possessed. He’s posted 4.0 WAR in just 278 plate appearances without the benefit of outstanding fielding numbers, which is just incredible. The numbers that fantasy owners might care more about: .336/.384/.617 with 15 home runs. Ramirez has been fantastic against all pitchers this year, he’s hitting 37 points higher against righties. He’s facing Jhoulys Chacin in the launching pad known as Coors Field.
Edwin Encarnacion – Encarnacion is one of the ten or so best hitters in baseball, even if he tends to fly a little under the radar. His 147 wRC+ ranks 12th in the majors, his .538 slugging is eighth, and his 35 homers are third. Plus, depending on your settings, he might even have 3B eligibility, which is huge, since the position is so weak offensively. To top it all off, he takes his parrot for a walk on his home run trot. How cool is that?
Cost-Effective, Mid-Range Hitters
A.J. Pierzynski – Pierzynski offers nice pop for a catcher, with 16 home runs. His real value lies in his platoon splits, though. For his career, he’s hitting .288/.330/.439 against righties compared to .266/.296/.397 against lefties. This year is no different: He’s slugging 39 points better against righties. He’s facing righter-hander Bartolo Colon tonight.
Pedro Alvarez – Alvarez is one of those guys who only does one thing, but he does that one thing really well. In his case, that thing is hitting mammoth home runs. He doesn’t field particularly well, he sure doesn’t hit for average (.232 on the year), and this year his walk rate is down as well. But his 32 home runs lead the National League, and that’s not for nothing. The third baseman with the second-most homers in the N.L. has 16 – exactly half of Alvarez’s total. His terrible average drags his price down to the point that he’s actually a bargain.
