April 24, 2014

Daily League Strategy

Standing Out

by Mauricio Rubio

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DraftStreet offers one of the best lineup constructions in the industry allowing for three pitchers, two starters and a starter/reliever. Additionally, they don’t overvalue the win as it is worth just two points. The rest of the scoring and roster setup can be viewed here if you aren’t already familiar with it.

I find the days with limited games to be a fun sort of challenge. These are the types of days where guys in the mold of Drew Hutchison become legitimate options as the limited player pool requires a degree of creativity if you want to win.

C Derek Norris (OAK $6,141)
Bret Sayre turned me on to Norris in the preseason and he’s been a valuable play in both traditional fantasy and daily leagues for me.

1B Adrian Gonzalez (1B $7,666)
Gonzalez had a four-game home-run streak that ran from April 9-13. When he gets hot, he gets hot, and he also hits RHP to the tune of a .301/.379/.531 slash line over his career. I’m hoping he gets hot right here.

2B Jose Altuve ($5,383)
Scott Kazmir has been tough this year and Altuve’s .671 OPS isn’t special, but the speed still is. Altuve leads the AL in stolen bases with nine. This is a low-price gamble that Altuve can get on base and not K enough to post positive value.

3B Juan Uribe ($5,559)
I’ve used Juan Uribe a lot this year. He usually comes in fairly cheap, and he usually produces. He’s on a bit of a slide right now, but I think he rights the ship against the Phillies.

SS Xander Bogaerts ($5,187)
Bogaerts has a modest six-game hitting streak going, and I like the matchup against CC Sabathia, who has given up 28 hits in 26 innings of work. The power is a modest concern, but I think I can win with Xander.

OF1 Bryce Harper ($5,116)
Harper hasn’t provided much of anything, as he’s only hit one home run and stolen one base while being a non-factor in the runs and RBI categories. The price was the main draw, to be honest, and it’s a gamble I’m more than willing to take.

OF2 Yoenis Cespedes ($7,111)
I’ve picked a group of guys that I’m just going to use every time out unless the matchup dictates I shouldn’t or they just start playing poorly. Cespedes is one of those guys.

OF3 Yasiel Puig ($7,377)
I sort of leaned heavy on Dodgers and A’s, but that happens on days with light games. Puig has yet to really get going this year; he’s sitting at two home runs and one stolen base. I’m probably going to select him for a few days to try to catch his lightning in my bottle.

UTL Ben Revere ($5,727)
Revere has exactly one stolen base since April 8. I can’t see that trend continuing for much longer, and I think he gets on and steals a few bases today.

SP1 Jordan Zimmermann ($17,410)
Zimmermann has 23 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings. The ERA (3.92) and WHIP (1.49) are eh-to-ugly right now, but I believe in the skillset, and I think he can turn in a fine performance against the San Diego Padres, who are anemic on offense right now.

SP2 Dan Haren ($17,222)
The Phillies offense is a concern. Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Ryan Howard are all experiencing a bit of a revival this year, but I’m clutching to the idea that good pitching beats a good offense (so long as Ben Revere goes 2-4 with 2 SBs and scores the Phillies lone run).

P Drew Hutchison ($9,715)
I built the pitching staff first, keeping my available balance in mind. I could have gone a different direction and sacrificed offense by going with a high-priced starter like Kazmir or guaranteed pitching stats by going with a closer and freeing up money for my offense that way. Instead, I’m rolling with the guy who is having a decent year but is facing a fun offense in Baltimore. I’m hoping that most everyone in my group runs with a homogenous set of pitchers and that my staff Is different enough to break the mold. It’s a risky move, but I prefer to think of it as a bold one.

After all, fortune favors the bold.

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Mauricio Rubio is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @MRubio52
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