Andrew McCutchen has 4 home runs vs. Mike Fiers, the pitcher he will face Friday. (Getty)
With the baseball season entering its first weekend, we finally get some normalcy back to the schedule.
Home openers are done (or will be by Saturday) and all the players can now get the excitement and nerves of the start of a new season out of their systems. Now everyone can start hitting.
Because it seems only about three or so teams are putting the bat on the ball – Kansas City, Detroit and Colorado.
So if you’re discouraged about your fantasy picks’ slow starts, don’t be; only 7 teams are hitting above .230 thus far. Things will heat up, don’t worry.
DraftKings uses the following parameters: You get a $50,000 cap to spend on 10 players – 2 pitchers, 1 catcher, 1 first baseman, 1 second baseman, 1 shortstop, 1 third baseman and 3 outfielders.
Hitters Scoring:
Single = +3 points
Double = +5 points
Triple = +8 points
Home Run = +10 points
Run Batted In = +2 points
Run = +2 points
Base on Balls = +2 points
Hit By Pitch = +2 points
Stolen Base = +5 points
Caught Stealing = -2 points
Pitchers Scoring:
Inning Pitched = +2.25 points
Strike Out = +2 points
Win = +4 points
Earned Run Allowed = -2 points
Hit Against = -0.6 points
Base on Balls Against = -0.6 points
Hit Batsman = -0.6 points
Complete Game = +2.5 points
Complete Game Shut Out = +2.5 points
No Hitter = +5 points
*NOTE: Hitting statistics for Pitchers will not be counted, and Pitching statistics for Hitters will not be counted.
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Here are the best lineup picks for April 10:
Pitchers
(Getty)
Tim Lincecum, Giants, $7,600, at Padres
Typing Lincecum in this spot makes me nervous. Except for the fact – despite all of his troubles the past few seasons – he has still dominated at Petco Park. And if you watched the Giants-Padres Thursday, you noticed they scored 1 total run combined in 12 innings. I feel confident about a good Lincecum outing.
Jeff Locke, Pirates, $5,700, at Brewers
Locke is far from, you know, a lock to be to be the top producing pitcher Friday night. But, speaking of producing, Milwaukee’s offense hasn’t been. The Brew Crew has just a 6-pack of runs in 3 games. That’s why Locke gets the call. To be fair, Locke did pitch pretty well in 2014.
Catcher
(Getty)
Buster Posey, Giants, $4,300, at Padres
Posey is one batter who seems impervious to Petco Park’s seemingly galaxy-sized outfield. Over the past 3 seasons, Posey is hitting .362 in San Diego, which has to be some kind of record. Most hitters go to die there.
First Base
Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers, $4,700, at Diamondbacks
Hottest hitter in the league, which he can’t possibly sustain. But use until he proves he can’t sustain. Seriously, 5 home runs already? And now a trip to a field I could homer in. Roll with Ad-Gon.
Second Base
(Getty)
Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox, $3,600, at Yankees
Pedroia might have seen a dip in production in the past few seasons. But not when he’s playing the Yankees. Pedroia is .301 overall vs. the Bombers and .292 in the Bronx in the past 3 seasons. Pedroia is a definite bounceback candidate.
Shortstop
(Getty)
Brad Miller, Mariners, $3,800, at A’s
Not only does Miller have some seriously nice hair salad coming out of the back of his batting helmet, but he’s also been putting the bat on the ball – 4-for-10 with a homer. He’s cheap and a good bet to get you a few points.
Third Base
(Getty)
David Wright, Mets, $5,100, at Braves
Wright isn’t off to a torrid start, but he historically crushes left-handers and the Braves. And a quick check of the schedule shows me he’s getting both Friday. Get all over Wright vs. the very hittable Eric Stults at Turner Field.
Outfield
Phillies outfielder Ben Revere. (Getty)
Andrew McCutchen, Pirates, $5,200, at Brewers
Cutch could be the play of the day, despite his slow start. In 14 at-bats vs. Brewers starter Mike Fiers, McCutchen has 4 home runs and 9 RBIs. Let’s not overthink it as this is probably going to be the breakout game of the young season.
Mike Trout, Angels, $5,100, vs. Royals
They are begging you take Trout at $5,100, the same price as Christian Yelich, but only 4th on the OF price list. I’ll take the bait. Especially when I see Trout is 6-for-15 with a bomb vs. KC starter Jason Vargas. I’m not throwing Trout back at that price.
Ben Revere, Phillies, $3,800, vs. Nationals
Here’s one I didn’t expect to come across. Revere owns Nats starter Gio Gonzalez. The left-handed hitting Revere is 8-for-19 (.421) vs. southpaw Gio. He’s off to a rough start in 2015, but Revere hit .341 vs. lefties a season ago. Great price, lots of potential for Friday.
Total Lineup Salary: $49,800 of the allotted $50,000
Each day, we’ll give you the rundown of who to pick for a winning lineup, so stay with us the entire season.
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