Daily fantasy baseball has grown immensely in popularity over the course of the last few years. While the yearlong game is still a favorite amongst many, it does not provide the daily thrill like a Draft Kings or Fanduel can. Even mlb.com’s Beat the Streak can be looked at as a daily fantasy game, as you pick one or two players to get a hit any given day.
With that said, it is time to introduce the very first edition of the Wednesday Forecast. Here I will make one recommendation for every position to be used in your Draft Kings, Fanduel lineups or Beat the Streak picks.
Catcher:
Willson Contreras (CHC) 12:35 @ Cin – The 24 year old catcher is off to a hot start to start his career. The Cubs will be in Cincinnati squaring off against fellow rookie Cody Reed. Contreras is hitting .370 since being called up with three home runs in only 27 at bats. Considering he will be in the hitter friendly Great American Ballpark, launching another long ball off a struggling young arm could very well be in play today.
He has been getting some work in the outfield as well, as Joe Maddon wants to work his bat into the lineup. As long as Maddon has him in his lineup, it would be wise to have him in yours as well. Overall catchers are cheaper than other players in daily fantasy, and Contreras should not be at the top of that list anyways. So he should come at a nice price, especially when you consider the potential production he could provide.
First Base:
Hanley Ramirez (BOS) 12:10 @ TB – Hanley currently owns a seven game hit streak entering Wednesday’s contest against the Rays. He will be squaring off against lefty Matt Moore and his 5.04 ERA. In the last five years, Hanley is one for four against Moore. It is a small sample size, but at least we know he can hit the Moore.
A middle of the order hitter who will have a few guys in front of him who have solid career numbers against Moore. Mookie Betts is four for six against Moore. Xander Bogaerts is four for seven. Big Papi is eight for nineteen. So Hanley should be stepping to the plate with plenty of RBI chances, and at a fairly decent price. Paul Goldschmidt has a nice matchup against the Phillies, but given the price point, Hanley is my pick for the day.
Second Base:
Jose Altuve (HOU) 3:35 @ LAA – You can never go wrong with Altuve, as the guy seems to get a hit almost any night. He is my go to pick in Beat the Streak when I need to get jumpstarted, and he never lets me down.
Today he will be squaring off against Jered Weaver, whom Altuve is ten for thirty in the last five years against. It also helps that fellow big name Astros’ hitters George Springer and Carlos Correa also have solid career numbers against Weaver. So the Astros big three should be set up for potential solid numbers today. The one downside to Altuve is you will have to pay top dollar for him, as he is a virtual lock to be the top priced second baseman. But he is well worth it.
Third Base:
Danny Valencia (OAK) 10:05 vs SF – Valencia has been piling up the hits as of late, and he now has his season average up to .335. He will be facing off against Jake Peavy, whom he is three for six against in the last five years. Throw in the fact he is bats smack dab in the middle of the order and we have ourselves a potential bargain.
While many people will flock to the big names like Arenado and Machado and Bryant, you could have a guy who is dirt cheap in comparison. He does play for Oakland, so overall the offense is not going to provide much of a spark, but any given night they could put up some runs. Peavy is known to have a handful of rough games, and if he does here, expect Valencia to be a prime reason why. Save some of that salary to put elsewhere, and take a bargain price at third.
Shortstop:
Corey Seager (LAD) 8:10 @ Mil – Another hot bat. Seager enters the game with an eleven game hitting streak. On top of that he had a day off Monday, so he should be fresh and ready to go after getting back into the swing of things last night. He will be facing off against Brewers’ Junior Guerra. Two starts back Guerra surrendered five runs to the Dodgers over the course of five and a third innings. Seager went one for three.
He shouldn’t cost you top dollar either, as he has been hovering around the middle wave of shortstops in regards to price (at least on Fanduel). Combine the fact he is going against Guerra, who did not pitch very well last time he faced off with the Dodgers, and the way he has been swinging the stick, seems like Seager is a pretty solid bet at his current price point.
Outfield:
Adam Jones (BAL) 3:40 @ SD – Jones enters the game holding a nine game hit streak. The man has been raking, hitting close to .500 the past week with a few home runs. Wednesday he gets to face off against Christian Friedrich, who has given up ten earned runs in his last two starts (eleven innings). So while Jones does not have any numbers against Friedrich, his hot streak vs Friedrich’s cold one, should end in good results.
Salary wise, he should be a decent price. Nothing dirt cheap but also not the top shelf prices that will break the bank. Given his position in the lineup and the way he is currently smacking the ball around, he will be worth whatever price tag is associated with his name for the day. Get him in your lineup, and maybe Mark Trumbo and his three for four against Friedrich will drive him in for a few runs.
Pitcher:
Danny Salazar (CLE) 7:10 @ Atl – Salazar gets a strikeout per inning. He is also going up against Major League Baseball’s proverbial minor league club, the Atlanta Braves. He has had some issues with the walks as of late, but anyone going against the Braves has to be in consideration. Given his stuff and strikeout ability, Salazar tops my list of arms for the day.
He will be near the upper echelon of prices for pitchers, but like I said, it is the Braves. The odds of getting a W have to be greater than any other potential selection. If he can rack up the K’s, he could be the highest scoring arm of the evening. And then paying the extra salary will pay for itself.
Bonus:
The Twins are facing off against James Shields in Chicago at 8:10. Any member of the Twins who is starting is worth a slot in your lineup as Shields has been down right awful. If you need a cheap fill in at a position, look for a Twin. Joe Mauer will come cheap at first base, and he has great numbers against Shields. Brian Dozier and Eduardo Nunez won’t be bargains, but given their success against Shields and his poor pitching, they are both worth consideration as well.
Also of note, all Cubs and Blue Jays batters should be under consideration as well. Both teams are facing a young pitcher in extremely friendly hitter friendly ballparks.
So there are today’s picks to click. Take a shot with some of these guys when setting your lineups, as the numbers and scenarios set things up for nice days for these players.