Fantasy Baseball:

Daily Pitcher Analysis (May 16th)

By Muntradamus

BEAST DOME NATION,

BEAST DOME has recently teamed up with DRAFT STREET to bring you a FreeRoll $250 Tournament this Friday.  It is Free to sign-up for the tournament, and you could win $$$.  Plus you will have the chance to compete against me (Muntradamus) and the great WunderChad!

 

DAILY DRAFTSTREET TEAM:

*Play in a Free-League with this team.  You will win.  Best team I have ever created..Hands down.

C: John Buck
1B: Bryan LaHair
2B: Ryan Raburn
SS: Sean Rodriguez
3B: Miguel Cabrera
OF: Luke Scott
OF: Delmon Young
OF: Giancarlo Stanton
UTI: Alfonso Soriano
UTI: Travis Ishikawa

SP: Gio Gonzalez
SP: Ubaldo Jimenez
RP: Rafael Soriano
SP: Johan Santana

 

 

Hot Fantasy Hitters Entering (5/16):

*Not Ranked in Any Order.  Based purely on observation.

Catcher:

Carlos Ruiz

Brian McCann

Carlos Santana

Wilin Rosario

Jarrod Saltalamacchia

Ryan Doumit

John Buck

A.J. Ellis

Jonathan Lucroy

A.J. Pierzynski

 

1B/DH:

Carlos Lee

Travis Ishikawa

Albert Pujols

Mark Trumbo

Adrian Gonzalez

David Ortiz

Billy Butler

Paul Konerko

Bryan LaHair

Mark Teixeira

Adam Dunn

Kila Ka’aihue

Michael Cuddyer

Prince Fielder

 

2B:

Ryan Raburn

Rickie Weeks

Mark Ellis

Ian Kinsler

Jemile Weeks

Omar Infante

Robinson Cano

 

SS:

Ian Desmond

Jose Reyes

Starlin Castro

Asdrubal Cabrera

Brian Dozier

Brandon Crawford

Mike Aviles

J.J. Hardy

Troy Tulowitzki

Rafael Furcal

Sean Rodriguez

Elliot Johnson

Willie Bloomquist

 

3B:

Aramis Ramirez

Hanley Ramirez

David Wright

Placido Polanco

Mike Moustakas

Ryan Roberts

Will Middlebrooks

Ian Stewart

Miguel Cabrera

 

OF:

Austin Jackson

Hunter Pence

Allen Craig

Ryan Braun

Josh Hamilton

Mike Trout

Vernon Wells

Chris Heisey

Andre Ethier

Jay Bruce

Michael Bourn

Bryce Harper

Delmon Young

Martin Prado

Jose Bautista

Ben Zobrist

Emilo Bonifacio

Matt Joyce

Carlos Gonzalez

Melky Cabrera

Jason Heyward

Matt Holliday

Dayan Viciedo

Shin-Soo Choo

Carlos Beltran

Ichiro Suzuki

Josh Reddick

Andrew McCutchen

Giancarlo Stanton

Seth Smith

Curtis Granderson

Adam Jones

Alfonso Soriano

Milton Bradley

Daniel Nava

 

HOT HITTING TEAMS POWER RANKINGS (5/16):

1 (2). Atlanta Braves

2 (3). St. Louis Cardinals

3 (1). Texas Rangers

4 (6). Chicago Cubs

5 (7). Detroit Tigers

6 (4). Boston Red Sox

7 (8). Milwaukee Brewers

8 (9). Cleveland Indians

9 (11). Miami Marlins

10 (5). Oakland Athletics

11 (14). Colorado Rockies

12 (15). Los Angeles Angels

13 (16). Washington Nationals

14 (18). Kansas City Royals

15 (20). Chicago White Sox

16 (21). Tampa Bay Rays (Can only hit RHP pitching)

17 (22). New York Yankees

18 (10). Cincinnati Reds

19 (13). Toronto Blue Jays

20 (26). Philadelphia Phillies

21 (12). Baltimore Orioles

22 (23). Los Angeles Dodgers (Matt Kemp Injury hurts)

23 (19). New York Mets

24 (17). San Francisco Giants

25 (26). Seattle Mariners

26 (27). Minnesota Twins

27 (28). Pittsburgh Pirates

28 (29). Arizona Diamondbacks

29 (30). San Diego Padres

30 (30). Houston Astros

 

 

 

DAILY PITCHER RANKINGS (May 16):

 

 

ELITE STARTERS:

1. GIO GONZALEZ VS. PIT

Gio has been one of the best fantasy pitchers in the NL so far this season.  Pittsburgh does not have a hot offense at all coming into this game.  Andrew McCutchen has been putting together some nice games, but his bat will not be enough to save the team.  Gonzalez should easily dominate in this one.

 

2. CHRIS CAPUANO @ SD

Capuano is pitching lights out, as he has not allowed more than 2 ER in a start since opening day.  That opening day star however was @SD where he gave up 4 ER in 4.2 INN.  Capuano has a lot of confidence going into this one, and the only reason he was bad in that previous start was 3 consecutive bases loaded walks, to go along with a wild pitch.  Capuano will shut down the Padres.

 

3. MATT GARZA VS. PHI

The Phillies offense have some hot components right now, but for the most part they are not hitting scoring a lot of runs.  Matt Garza faced the Phillies back on April 29^th in Philadelphia, he gave up 0 ER in 7 INN to go along with 10 Ks.  He also only allowed 1 Hit which makes me very skeptical about all Philly players in this one.  I expect Garza to get a lot of run support, and the W as Kendrick has no chance to stop the Cubs.

 

GOOD STARTERS:

 

4. FELIX HERNANDEZ @ CLE

Hernandez earlier this season against the Indians threw an 8 INN shutout with 12 Ks.  The Indians offense is a lot better now, than it was to start the season.  Almost every player in that lineup is swinging a hot bat, and I would personally not be surprised to see Hernandez give up some runs.  Shin-Soo Choo is swinging a very hot bat, and he would be my sleeper pick.  Choo does have a HR off of Hernandez in his career, but he is also batting .190 against him.

 

5. JOHAN SANTANA VS. CIN

Santana has been very solid all season long.  He comes into the game with a 2.92 ERA, and limited a hot Marlins team in Miami to only 3 ER in 6 INN.  The Reds offense is starting to cool down, and with Santana being a lefty to eliminate Joey Votto and Jay Bruce.  He has a big advantage in this one.  The run support should come plenty.  Santana will be solid.

 

6. UBALDO JIMENEZ VS. SEA

Ubaldo is coming off of a game where he got BOMBED.  No need to go into the stats, but it did happen in Boston where the Red Sox bats come alive.  Ubaldo in his previous home start allowed 0 ER in 7 INN to the Rangers.  Seattle has a very cold offense coming into this one, and this is the perfect start to get Jimenez back on track.  Ichiro Suzuki is the most likely to do damage, Justin Smoak is the biggest sleeper.

 

7. ERIK BEDARD @ WAS

Bedard faced Washington his last start, after a shutout 1^st INN he had to leave with an injury that killed all of his daily fantasy owners.  Including yours truly.  Before that start he was one of the hottest pitchers in the game with 20 Ks in his last 10 INN.  He should return right back to form as the Nationals have a lot of Left-Handed hitters.

 

8. YU DARVISH VS. OAK

Oakland comes into this game a bit colder than they were this weekend.  They can still hit quality pitching, but they are having trouble hitting hot pitchers.  Darvish comes into this game semi-hot, actually pretty cold with a 4.86 ERA in his last two starts.  Josh Reddick could get his power stick going, but Kila Ka’aihue is the real sleeper as he is really hot right now.

 

9. GAVIN FLOYD @ LAA

Floyd has been pitching great since his terrible start against Baltimore April 19^th.  He has slowed down the A’s, Red Sox, Tigers in Detroit, and recently the cold Royals.  The Angels do not come into this game particularly hot, but they do have some hitters heating up.  Floyd should leave this game with a W, but an elite performance is not very likely.

 

10. JAMIE GARCIA @ SF

Garcia is really struggling with 10 ER in his last two starts.  One of them includes a 6 ER, 6 INN @Hou.  The Giants come into this game with a few hot bats, but outside of Melky Cabrera it is hard to trust any Giant right now.  Garcia has been bad, but I look for this to be the start that turns him around.  Jamie has a career 1.29 ERA in 3 starts against SF.

 

11. HIROKI KURODA @ TOR

The Jays offense outside of Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion is pretty cold.  Both of those players could make an impact, but I see Kuroda being more likely to throw a QS.  Hiroki has been semi-bad on the road with a 4.32 ERA, and I expect him to put up a start that will make that number shrink.  Kuroda has a 2.52 ERA in his last 4 starts.

 

12. RICK PORCELLO VS. MIN

The Twins were just shutout by the hot Derek Lowe.  Porcello is not as good as Derek Lowe, but he could potentially throw a QS in this one.  The rule for Porcello is, if he can last 5 INN, he will get a W as the Tigers will score a plethora amount of runs off of Blackburn.  Porcello has a career 2.86 ERA against the Twins, with Justin Morneau being the only fantasy relevant player to hit a HR off of him.

 

RISKY STARTERS:

13. MADISON BUMGARNER VS. STL

Bum is coming off of his worst start of the season allowing 4 ER in 6 INN to maybe the worst hitting team in Arizona.  He better turn a complete with 180, because the Cardinals come into this game very hot with the bat.  I expect the early-middle of that Cardinal lineup to stay hot (Beltran, Holliday, Craig) and create havoc for Madison.  Rafael Furcal is the only Cardinal to have a HR off of him.

 

14. MARK BUEHRLE @ ATL

Mark comes into this game with a 2.81 in 7 starts.  The Braves offense is hot, and this will easily be the toughest challenge Mark has faced all season.  Luckily for him, most of the key Braves hitters are lefty.  Brian McCann will have to make the biggest impact as he is coming off of a HR, and hitting .667 against Mark.  Martin Prado could also make some noise.  It will not be pretty, but Mark should come out with a W.

 

15. RANDY WOLF @ HOU

Wolf faced Houston earlier this season and gave up 2 ER in 6 INN with 4 Ks.  This was when Jose Altuve was the hottest hitter in baseball back on April 24^th.  Carlos Lee has the best history off of Wolf, and he comes into the game semi-hot as well.  I look for him to make an impact, and possibly Chris Johnson as a deep sleeper with Wolf having an 8.80 road ERA.  He is coming off of an impressive 6 INN shutout at home against a hot Cubs team.  I would start Wolf with some confidence, but not a lot.

 

16. FELIPE PAULINO VS. BAL

Paulino was great against the Yankees shutting them down in 6 INN, but his last start on the road was not so hot against the White Sox.  He only gave up 4 ER in 6 INN, and he should be in line for a good start in this one.  Nick Markakis is a good sleeper to get going, but Adam Jones and J.J. Hardy is going to be his big challenge.  If Paulino can slow those two down, he has the chance to escape with a W.

 

17. KYLE DRABEK VS. NYY

Drabek has struggled in his last two starts giving up 8 ER in 9.1 INN.  However he returns to his home where he owns a 1.93 ERA.  There is a chance he throws a QS, but that career 6.89 ERA against the Yankees does not sit well.  Mark Teixeira is hot, and he has a HR with a  .429 average against Drabek in his career.

 

18. CLAYTON RICHARD VS. LAD

Richard has had a good start, and a bad start against the Dodgers so far this season.  In Richard’s last start he gave up 5 ER in 5.1 INN to a pretty cold Phillies offense.  His last home start however he pitched really well against a Marlins team that was just finding it’s groove.  If you want a sleeper pick, look for Mark Ellis or A.J. Ellis to do some damage against the lefty.  Juan Uribe and Matt Kemp are the, “Richard Killers,” but both will be on the DL for this one.

 

19. JEREMY HELLICKSON VS. BOS

Hellickson has his first real test since facing Boston back on April 14th, where he gave up 5 ER in 5 INN.  Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a HR in that game, and he comes into this one with a HR.  He is a great sleeper pick, and David Ortiz should have success as a lifetime .462 hitter with a  HR off of Jeremy.  Hellickson will be put up to the challenge in this one, and I think he falls short.

 

20. BUD NORRIS VS. MIL

Norris has not given up an ER in his last 12 INN.  However against the Brewers on April 24^th @MIL, Norris gave up 7 ER in 5.2 INN.  Travis Ishikawa, Corey Hart, and Rickie Weeks went deep in that game.  Weeks and Ishikawa are both coming off big games, which makes me not want to think about using Norris in this one.  Norris will have his ups, but he will also have his downs.  To make matters worse, Aramis Ramirez and Ryan Braun have both hit 2 HRs off of Bud in their careers.

 

21. TOMMY HUNTER @ KC

Hunter has been terrible in his last two starts giving up 9 ER in 10.1 INN.  These two starts were against the Red Sox, and the Rangers.  Before that he had back-to-back QS’s against the A’s and Jays.  KC is on that same level right now as those teams were back then, and Hunter makes for an interesting sleeper pick.  I can also see him getting bombed, and I see this as Eric Hosmer’s big coming back game.

 

22. KYLE KENDRICK @ CHC

Kendrick pitched a decent game in his start on April 29^th against the Cubs.  2 ER in 6 INN with 7 Ks is more than great, however the Cubs are a very hot offensive team right now.  Bryan LaHair, Alfonso Soriano, and Starlin Castro are all picks to make an impact.  Ian Stewart is the big sleeper who has hit a HR off of Kendrick in the pass, and had an RBI in the last game.

 

23. JAMIE MOYER VS. AZ

Moyer comes into this game with a WHIP of over 2.00 in his last three appearances’.  The  D-Backs offense is not very hot, but they did get some momentum after Billingsley pitched another terrible game.  Paul Goldschmidt and Ryan Roberts are good sleeper picks, but Justin Upton is really the one who has to get going.

 

24. PATRICK CORBIN @ COL

Corbin pitched well against the Giants at home in his last start, but his two previous starts which both came on the road he has been less than stellar.  7 ER in 9 INN against the Mets and Marlins should not give you enough confidence for him to pitch well against a semi-hot Rockies team.  CarGo and Tulo look like they are ready to take off.

 

BAD STARTERS:

 

25. CLAY BUCHHOLZ @ TB

Clay has not had a QS all season, and there is no reason it is going to start against a pretty hot Tampa offense.  Earlier this season, Luke Scott had 1 HR and 4 RBIs off of Clay to do most of the damage.  Clay ended up with 7 INN, 5 ER, 5 Ks, which is arguably the best start of his season so far.  I do not expect good results in this one for him.  Sean Rodriguez is a good sleeper as he brings a pretty hot bat into the game.  B.J. Upton is also a .455 hitter off of Clay, avoid Buchholz.

 

26. JEROME WILLIAMS VS. CWS

Williams has been going in the wrong direction since his easy CG shutout against the Twins when they were very cold.  The White Sox come into this game with their bats going, and I expect them to leave this game with their bats going.  Dayan Viciedo is a deep sleeper, and Adam Dunn is always a threat to add to his HR total.  Dunn has already HR’d off of Jerome in his career.

 

27. MIKE MINOR VS. MIA

Minor has been terrible, 21 ER in his last 12 INN.  The Marlins come into this game with a  hot offense, and I expect them to leave this game with a hot offense.  Giancarlo Stanton, and John Buck are great threats to do damage.  The real threat is the red hot Hanley Ramirez, when he is HOT he is going to perform.  Here are some discouraging stats, Giancarlo Stanton 2-2 with 2 HRs against Minor in his lifetime.  Hanley is 2-2 with 1 HR against Minor.

 

28. TOM MILONE @ TEX

On the road Milone comes in with a 7.84 ERA.  Luckily for him he faces a Texas team that is not hitting the ball as well as they did last week.  Tommy was good in his last start which was at home against the Tigers, he only gave up 1 ER in 7 INN with 6 Ks.  I do not expect Milone to leave this game untouched, Adrian Beltre and Ian Kinsler should get going, along with the hot Nelson Cruz.

 

 

29. MIKE LEAKE @ NYM

How Leake is still starting does not make sense to me.  He comes into the game with a 7.11 ERA, and in his last start he gave up 6 ER in 3 INN to the Nationals.  The Mets come into this game very hot, and it would take a miracle to see Leake bounce back to his career 2.19 ERA against the Mets in his career.  David Wright is on fire, but Lucas Duda or Ike Davis could hit a surprise HR.

 

30. NICK BLACKBURN @ DET

Blackburn is going to get crushed in this game.  The Tigers offense is starting to get very hot, and Blackburn has allowed 18 ER in his last 20 INN (8.10 ERA).  There is no way he escapes this one with any quality, resort to the list on top with all the hot hitters to see who will do well.  Delmon Young and Ryan Raburn are the sleepers.  Miguel Cabrera with his .448 batting average and 3 HRs off of Blackburn is a lock for a good game.