2014 Fantasy BaseballChris Garosi

2014 Fantasy Baseball Daily Fix: May 8

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I’m skipping the early games and will focus on the games from 7:05pm Eastern onward to give everyone a chance to get in to the game.

Follow me on Twitter with any changes as lineups roll in.

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DraftStreet Team of the Day

I’m going to put a roster together with three starting pitchers again as there are some cheap offensive players with great matchups.

By Jayne Kamin-Oncea, US Presswire
By Jayne Kamin-Oncea, US Presswire

Josh Beckett | RHP | Dodgers | $17,199 – The Giants are 24th in wOBA against right-handed pitching and Beckett has been reborn this season as he’s struck out more than a batter per inning so far in the young season.

Scott Carroll | RHP | White Sox | $13,625 – The White Sox face cross town rivals Cubs – a team that is 29th in wOBA against right handed pitching. Carroll’s biggest issue has been the walk and the Cubs aren’t exactly the most patient team.

R.A. Dickey | RHP | Blue Jays | $13,894 – The Phightin’ Phils are 22nd in wOBA against righties. Again, Dickey has struggled with walks, but much like the Cubs they are not the most patient team (17th in BB% versus righties).

Alternative: Jacob Turner ($11,158) can be a solid option against an inept Padres offense (last in wOBA against right handed pitching) and I imagine few will be on him today. There isn’t a softer landing spot for a pitcher coming off the DL.

As for relievers, you shouldn’t need to speculate on relief pitchers today. There is enough value in the hitting realm to allow you to pick up three starting pitchers.

Catcher

Yasmani Grandal | C | Padres | $4,745 – The Pads offense is awful against righties. Grandal is one of the few shining stars there as he has a .367 wOBA against them so far this season.

Alternatives: Matt Wieters ($7,095) has a great record against David Price and has been off to the best start of his career. The concern is his elbow injury and whether he’ll be in the lineup or not. And, whoever starts out of the Texas Rangers’ catching duo of Robinson Chirinos ($3,406) and J. P. Arencibia ($4,040) is also a fine option.

First baseman

Edwin Encarnacion | 1B | Blue Jays | $6,841 – Encarnacion has two HRs in 14 at bats against A.J. Burnett and hits righties relatively well and usually succeeds at home.

Alternative: Anthony Rizzo ($8,831) is an option any time he faces a righty and Adrian Gonzalez ($8,257) gets Ryan Vogelsong. James Loney ($6,038) has been hitting in the middle of the lineup and hits righties well. You can go a lot of different directions here.

Second baseman

Dee Gordon | 2B | Dodgers | $6,688 – The Dodgers leadoff man is nearly a must start each day. He’s been the spark plug that everyone hoped he’d be. He’s got a .410 wOBA against righties this year.

Alternative: There aren’t a lot of great options, but you can go cheap (and hope) with Marcus Semien ($4,594).

Third baseman

Evan Longoria | 3B | Rays | $6,765 – Longo likes to hit at home and has eclipsed five points in three of his last four starts.

Alternative: Juan Francisco | 3B | Blue Jays | $5,301 – Francisco’s time on the roster may be short as Adam Lind is due back to the Jays perhaps today. If he’s in the lineup however, Francisco makes a good option as he’s hit righties well so far this season (.482 wOBA).

Shortstop

Troy Tulowitzki | SS | Rockies | $11,398 – It’s not hard to recommend Tulo right now. He’s Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds wrapped into a shortstop. The tough part is getting a lineup around him (which I’ve been able to do here), but if you want to go cheaper…

Alternative: Elvis Andrus ($5,698) gets a lefty and has hits in four of his last five games. He may be in the two hole as well in a game that should see some offensive fireworks.

Outfielder

With the expensive options in the infield (and putting three starting pitchers together), we’re going to go cheap in the OF. If you choose to go cheaper in the infield with some of my alternatives there, the OF alternatives below will help out.

Drew Stubbs | OF | Rockies | $6,150 – Stubbs has been hot lately (greater than 4.5 points in three of his last four games) and has been hitting second against lefties so ride the streak while he’s hot.

Will Venable | OF | Padres | $2,967 – Venable? Really, you say? Sure, he’s not been great, but we’ve seen some life as Venable has hits in three straight games. He hits leadoff against righties and faces Jacob Turner who is just off the DL. And at this price, he gives you flexibility elsewhere.

Michael Choice | OF | Rangers | $4,258 – Choice is another Rangers’ option to hit in the two-hole. He’s done well against lefties and hit a HR in his last game against a left hander.

Alternatives: Matt Joyce ($5,322) has slowed a bit, but he’s back at home (where he crushes) and gets a righty (who he crushes). Jose Bautista ($8,885) has three dingers against A.J. Burnett over his short career against the Phils’ starter. Melky Cabrera ($6,932) also mashes righties at home and he’s also up against Burnett.

Stacking options

I do like the Rockies against left hander Matt Harrison. The Rangers also make a good choice versus Franklin Morales. It’s risky move, but a Blue Jays stack could work as well – Burnett has been lights out since his groin injury, but the matchup looks good for a number of Jays’ hitters. The Dodgers also make an option, but are tough with all of their high priced players.

Good luck on DraftStreet today!

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