Fantasy Baseball: Daily Pitcher Rankings (May 22nd)
Fantasy Baseball: Daily Pitcher Rankings (May 22nd)
By Muntradamus
DAILY DRAFTSTREET TEAM (May 22nd):
Spent: $99,519 Leftover: $481
C: Russell Martin – $4,892
1B: Eric Hosmer – $,4888
2B: Robinson Cano – $8,029
SS: Derek Jeter – $6,584
3B: Alex Rodriguez – $7,251
OF: Nick Swisher – $6,847
OF: Curtis Granderson – $7,462
OF: Matt Hollliday – $8,538
UTI: Adam Dunn – $7,251
UTI: Travis Hafner – $6,809
SP: J.A. Happ – $8,490
SP: Travis Wood – $8,199
RP: Rafael Dolis – $1,500
SP: C.J. Wilson – $12,779
GOOD DRAFTSTREET VALUES:
(Players that are Hot coming into this Week)
CATCHERS:
J.P. Arencibia ($8,291) @ Matt Moore
Carlos Santana ($7,624) vs. Rick Porcello
Russell Martin ($4,892) vs. Luke Hochevar
1B:
Kendry Morales ($5.973) @ Graham Godfrey
Adrian Gonzalez ($5,860) @ Brian Matusz
Eric Hosmer ($4,888) @ Phil Hughes
2B:
Howie Kendrick ($5,071) @ Graham Godfrey
Gordon Beckham ($4,738) vs. P.J. Walters
Neil Walker ($4,555) vs. R.A. Dickey
SS:
Jose Reyes ($6,609) vs. Ricky Nolasco
Yunel Escobar ($5,436) @ Matt Moore
Brandon Crawford ($3,569) @ Shaun Marcum
3B:
David Freese ($5,524) @ Edinson Volquez
Brett Lawrie ($5,916) @ Matt Moore
Mike Moustakas ($6,512) @ Phil Hughes
OF:
Curtis Granderson ($7,462) vs. Luke Hochevar
Dayan Viciedo ($4,728) vs. P.J. Walters
Eric Thames ($5,035) @ Matt Moore
DH:
Adam Dunn ($7,251) vs. P.J. Walters
Travis Hafner ($6,809) vs. Rick Porcello
SP:
C.J. Wilson ($12,779) @ Oak
J.A. Happ ($8,490) vs. CHC
Travis Wood ($8,199) @ Hou
RP:
Rafael Dolis ($1,500) @ Hou
Addison Reed ($1,597) vs. Min
Rafael Soriano ($1,671) vs. KC
Daily Pitcher Rankings (May 22nd).
*All Prices next to the pitchers are their DraftStreet Salary.
ELITE STARTERS:
1. JAMES MCDONALD ($15,160) VS. NYM
McDonald is unstoppable this season. The Mets offense is not hot at all, and McDonald is on fire with 44 Ks (27.2 INN) in his 5 Starts. He owns a 1.65 ERA at home, and I expect that dominance to continue.
2. C.J. WILSON ($12,779) @ OAK
Wilson has hit a weird rough patch in his season that saw him start back-to-back games because of the rain, and then a 6 BB in 3.2 INN against the White Sox. Now that he faces an Oakland team that does not have a lot going on, Wilson can finally get back to his elite form. He has a career 3.78 ERA against the A’s and in his lone start against them this season, he struck out 8 hitters in 6 INN while allowing 3 ERs. No active A’s hitter has had any real success against C.J.
3. MATT CAIN ($16,418) @ MIL
The Brewers may be without Ryan Braun. If that is the case, Cain takes on a team without their catalyst. Still Milwaukee is hitting the ball very well, but Cain had 10 Ks in 7 INN against the Brew Crew earlier this season.
4. BRANDON BEACHY ($16,780) @ CIN
Beachy is matchup-proof, even in a hitters ball park against a semi-hot Reds team. You still have to view Beachy as ELITE since he has elite starts all season, including his last 2 vs. Mia, @ STL. (15 INN, 1 ER, 12 Ks.) Brandon Phillips does have a HR off of Beachy, but I do not expect #2 to happen this time.
GOOD STARTERS:
5. AARON HARANG ($11,276) @ AZ
Harang has been elite with a 1.39 ERA in his last three starts. After seeing Capuano dominate the Diamondbacks Monday, Harang has to be thinking he could do the same. I do see the Diamondbacks gaining some momentum offensively, and this could be a breakout game as Paul Goldschmidt, Miguel Montero, and Chris Young have all had a lot of success against Aaron. But then again, he owns a 1.99 ERA in 12 career starts against Arizona.
6. ROY HALLADAY ($17,028) @ WAS
This is a trap start. The Nationals offense is on fire, especially Ian Desmond. Halladay is giving up 7.4 Hits in last five outings, and going up against Jordan Zimmerman does not help either. Halladay could be in for a bad one. Ryan Zimmerman, Danny Espinosa, or even the red hot Ian Desmond should do some damage. But you just have to love what Bryce Harper is doing for that team. Great future in Washington.
7. JORDAN ZIMMERMAN ($12,984) VS. PHI
Zimmerman has already faced the Phillies at home earlier this season. He lost the game due to a bad 4th INN in which Hunter Pence launched a 2-run HR. Zimmerman has been pretty poor in his last three starts, including one against Philly, with a 4.50 ERA. Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence were the only Phillies to not strike out against Gio, and they are my hitters to watch.
8. MAT LATOS ($12,349) VS. ATL
Latos has settled down into great form with an ERA of 2.11 in his last 3 starts. He even has his K pitch going with 7.3 Ks over that span. Atlanta is in for no jokes, they know they should of hit Mike Leake harder. They are coming out for revenge, and if Latos is not pin-point, he will be rocked. Freddie Freeman, Brian McCann, and Jason Heyward are due for some big games. Latos does own a 2.43 ERA in 5 starts, but I would not be surprised to see that number rise.
9. PHIL HUGHES ($10,757) VS. KC
Hughes has been pitching great as of late, and it started three games back @ KC where he limited them to 3 ER in 6.2 INN with 7 Ks. Historically Hughes has been terrible against KC with a 6.08 ERA, but you kind of want to believe this magical 2.85 ERA will continue. No current Royal has had huge success against Phil.
RISKY STARTERS:
10. ADAM WAINIWRIGHT ($11,717) VS. SD
Blame Wainwright’s defense for allowing 5 runs when only 2 of them were earned against the Giants. I still am not impressed that he could not dominate a weak Giants team at the time. I see this matchup being a huge deal breaker to see if Adam has any value. If he cannot throw a QS against the Padres @ Home, then there is little to be excited about anytime soon. No Padre has my attention in this one. Maybe Cameron Maybin will steal a base.
11. SHAUN MARCUM ($12,663) VS. SF
Marcum was horrible in his last start against the Astros giving up 3 ER in 5 INN. The 9 hits is what really looked bad. The Giants offense did nothing after a 3 run HR by Posey in the 1st INN Monday. Marcum however pitched against the Giants May 6th, and only gave up 3 ER in 6 INN. A start like that is nearly guaranteed, anything more than 6 Ks is a great game. Brandon Crawford is a threat to do damage, as he has already hit a HR off of Shaun, and comes into this game hot.
12. JUAN NICASO ($11,197) @ MIA
The Marlins offense is red-hot. Luckily for himself, so is Juan as he has 16 Ks, and 2 ER in the last 11.2 INN. I still would not use Nicaso with confidence, but I would not say any of the Marlin hitters are must-start. Juan needs to bring his Rockies back with this one.
13. R.A. DICKEY ($12,348) @ PIT
With Dickey averaging a WHIP of 1.50 in his last two starts entering this one, I do not see him having a good game. Andrew McCutchen is one of the hottest hitters in baseball, and Neil Walker seems ready to breakout. Use Dickey with little confidence despite the matchup on paper.
14. J.A. HAPP ($8,490) VS. CHC
Happ was struggling all season long, until he threw a 6 INN shutout in his last to a pretty hot Brewer team. Now he faces a cold Cubs team that cannot get going outside of Alfonso Soriano and Starlin Castro. Bryan LaHair is in a free-fall cold streak, but he may rebound soon. The start looks good on paper, and this may be the best/last-time to trust Happ.
15. DREW HUTCHINSON ($9,414) @ TB
Hutchinson is starting to turn the corner has he allowed back-to-back 1 ER in 6 INN games. The last one being against the Yankees. Tampa Bay has some offense, but they are not a huge threat as they are less than 100%. Drew is definitely heading up, while the D-Ray offense is going straight across. I expect Hutchinson to come out on top.
16. RICKY NOLASCO ($8,138) VS. COL
The Rockies come into this game with their offense not performing all together. Luckily Nolasco comes to the hill where he owns a 6.60 Home ERA, and a lifetime 4.39 ERA against the Rockies. Troy Tulowitzki has hit a HR off of Ricky. He is the player to watch as he has 2 HRs in the past 3 games, clearly starting to heat up. This is a risky start as Nolasco has been pitching poor (10 ER in last 8.2 INN). But the Rockies could be a decent start to get his MOJO going.
17. UBALDO JIMENEZ ($9,964) VS. DET
Ubaldo could be in for a rough start, but let’s start by saying he has a 3.12 ERA at home. The Tigers have hot hitters all-around that lineup, and Ubaldo does own an 8.91 ERA in his last two starts coming into this one. I would personally avoid him as Prince Fielder is overdue for a monster game, along with many of their hitting options.
18. TRAVIS WOOD ($8,199) @ HOU
Wood returns to the majors to make his second start this season against a team he has dominated. In 5 starts, Wood owns a 2.43 ERA against the Astros. However Houston comes into this game hot, as they just scored 7 runs off of Matt Garza. Still, if you want a deep sleeper, look no further than this should-have-been-star for the Reds.
19. EDINSON VOLQUEZ ($11,757) @ STL
This is a HUGE game for Edinson. If he implodes in this one, his value will start to drop quickly with back-to-back poor games does not fit his reputation well. Edinson has been worse on the road with a 4.09 ERA. He also owns a 5.79 ERA against the Cardinals 6 starts, thanks to Matt Holliday and hid 2 HRs with a .417 Average. This is a big game for Edinson, so let us see if he can challenge a great team.
20. MATT MOORE ($12,086) VS. TOR
Moore has never faced Toronto, but he has been pretty awful all season long. Facing hot hitting righties, Jose Bautista, J.P.Arencibia, and Edwin Encarnacion spells disaster. This may be a game that makes Moore owners drop him prematurely, be ready to pick him up.
21. FELIX DOUBRONT ($10,226) @ BAL
Doubront comes into this game with a lot of momentum: 3-0 in his last three starts with a 2.50 ERA. It was not pretty, but he took advantage of some solid teams. I do not see that luck continuing as the Orioles offense can hit lefty pitching pretty well. J.J. Hardy and Adam Jones are very hot coming into this game, and Wilson Betemit is a huge sleeper pick for a HR.
22. GAVIN FLOYD ($12,654) VS. MIN
Floyd has been terrible against Minnesota with a 5.67 ERA in 15 starts. The Twins have a lot of hot hitters including; Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer, Josh Willingham, and Brian Dozier. I do not expect Floyd to do well. He is coming off a 7 ER in 6 INN performance against the Angels. Joe Mauer is a lifetime .421 Hitter with 3 HRs, and 8 RBIs against Floyd. Justin Morneau has hit 2 HRs as well.
23. MATT HARRISON ($8.896) @ SEA
Harrison has been great against Seattle with a 2.67 ERA in 9 starts. However this time, the Mariners come into this game red-hot, and ready to hit anyone. They dominated Rockies pitching over the weekend, and then caused Yu Darvish to have his 2nd bad start all season. The only other being against Seattle opening day. Harrison has not had a QS since April 13th @ Min, for that reason I will avoid him. No Mariner has a great history, but Jesus Montero is getting the job done right now.
BAD STARTERS:
24. GRAHAM GODFREY ($6,662) VS. LAA
Godfrey’s season is heading in the wrong direction as he has not pitched especially well since being sent down to the minors last month. The Angels offense has not hit the ball well at all, but it could take a less-than-stellar pitcher like Graham to get the team going. He has never faced the Angels, but I am sure Albert Pujols will make it feel like they have already met.
25. TREVOR CAHILL ($8,797) VS. LAD
Cahill has been nothing more than terrible in his last three starts with a 6.11 ERA. The Dodgers offense actually has a lot of momentum after sweeping the Cardinals this weekend, and then smashing with 6 runs Monday. Andre Ethier is one of the hottest hitters in baseball, and he is a dangerous threat in this one.
26. BRIAN MATUSZ ($6,563) vs. BOS
With every Red Sox player getting at least one hit on Monday, it is safe to say Matusz will get rocked in this one. Mike Aviles and Dustin Pedroia should make noise to spark-plug the entire team. Kevin Youkilis is also expected to return in a great situation where ducks should be on the pond.
27. RICK PORCELLO ($7,943) @ CLE
Porcello is overdue for a win, but he will not get it at Cleveland. Carlos Santana, Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley, and Travis Hafner have all had a lot of success against Rick each hitting at least 1 HR. Porcello had bad defense ruin his last start, but that won’t be as much of a factor in the Indians dominating this start.
28. P.J. WALTERS ($6,790) @ CWS
The White Sox offense is ready for a huge game. P.J. has been solid so far against a tough Toronto team, and then Detroit on the road. Adam Dunn is hot, and hungry for another HR. He is ready to pounce on any mistake P.J. makes with his career 6.24 ERA.
29. LUKE HOCHEAVER ($6,567) @ NYY
Maybe the last SP to do bad against the Yankees, Luke in his last start against NYY gave up 7 ER in 2.1 INN. The Yankees need a breakout game, and this very well could be it. Robinson Cano hit a GS, and Nick Swisher also HR’d in that game. The Yankees offense are overdue to explode, and Luke gave up 4 ER in 6 INN in KC to Baltimore in his last start.
30. HECTOR NOESI ($7,519) VS. TEX
Hector pitched @ Tex in the opening series of the season. He pitched 3 INN, and gave up 7 ER. Nelson Cruz and Mitch Moreland launched HR’s, and both are threats to do it again. Noesi pitched well in his last start @ CLE, but the Rangers are at another level. Ian Kinsler is red-hot right now.