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Daily Fantasy Baseball: Early FanDuel Lineups For May 27

By Mike Marteny

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May 22, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Felix Hernandez (34) pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays in the seventh inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

9 of the 15 MLB games today start between noon and 2pm eastern time. That means 60% of the player pool plays early today. Who are the best options? Let’s check the stats!

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NOTE: these picks are based solely on statistics. Some pitchers going today have never faced their opponents, or have very little experience against them. I am not saying that none of those are good picks. This is based on statistical analysis only.

Pitchers:

Best Bet:

Felix Hernandez, Rays ($11,500): Felix is expensive for a reason. Today he gets to take on a Rays team that hasn’t hit the ball well for most of the year. Felix has held them to a .228 average with one home run in 145 career at bats against the King. He also has retired 42 Rays via strikeout. The thing that might diminish his value some is the fact that his opponent, Chris Archer, has dominated Seattle. The Mariners are career .192 hitters off of Archer, but they do have three homers in 52 at bats. That gives Felix the slight edge this afternoon, but if you want to save money, Archer is a good option. Just be aware that his likelihood of getting a win is not very good.

Honorable Mention:

Jeff Samardzija, White Sox ($8,900): Samardzija has spent most of his career in the National League, so most of his experience against the current Blue Jays roster is against former Met Jose Reyes and former Dodger Russell Martin. Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista are a combined oh for five off of him, but that is a small sample size. The thing that has me recommending Samardzija is the fact that his opponent is Marco Estrada. He has had consistency issues his entire career. His experience against the Sox is rather limited as well since he has played his entire career in the National League until this year, but in those limited at bats, the Sox are hitting just .176 off of him. That said, he has never faced Jose Abreu, Alexei Ramirez, or Adam Eaton.

If You’re Cheap:

Chris Young, Royals ($6,300): Forget for a minute his stellar numbers on the season (4-0, 0.78 ERA, 0.75 WHIP). Young has also handcuffed the Yankees in his career. The current roster is hitting a paltry .181 off of him in 116 at bats. He has mustered only 25 strikeouts and given up four homers, but the current performance and the history show the same thing: that Young is a strong play today.

Stay Away:

Carlos Carrasco, Indians ($8,700): Carrasco has a bright future, but it doesn’t look like it when he plays the Rangers. The current roster is hitting .304 with three homers and 13 RBI in just 56 at bats. They have also drawn six walks and boast a .883 OPS off of Carrasco. It is probably best to avoid him today, especially since the Ranger offense is heating up.

Catchers:

Best Bet:

Russell Martin, Blue Jays ($3,200): Martin is 6 for 19 with two walks and three doubles off of Samardzija. He has only driven in one run, but when half of his hits go for extra bases, he is a good candidate to pick up some points for your team today.

If You’re Cheap:

Salvador Perez, Royals ($2,500): Perez is 5 for 12 off of Michael Pineda, but he has no counting stats and just one extra base hit (a double). That could limit his value, but if he gets you positive points for this price, you can’t really be disappointed.

Next: Let's Check The Infield

May 22, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; Texas Rangers designated hitter Prince Fielder (84) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The Rangers won 10-9. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

First Base:

Best Bet:

Prince Fielder, Rangers ($4,400): Not only is Prince healthy and on a tear right now, but he has a history of success against Carlos Carrasco. Prince is 5 for 9 with a double, a homer, and five RBI off of him. Five RBI in nine at bats is a pretty good ratio. Expect Prince to do something to help you today.

If You’re Cheap:

Mike Napoli, Red Sox ($3,400): He is on a short list of hitters you really don’t want to face right now if you’re a pitcher. In fact, he is probably always on the list for Phil Hughes. Napoli is 6 for 15 off of Hughes with two homers and six RBI. When he hits him, he hits him hard, and that is all that Napoli has done lately. Hit the ball hard.

Second Base:

Best Bet:

Brian Dozier, Twins ($4,000): Dozier only has seven hits in 24 at bats off of Rick Porcello, but he has walked twice and homered three times. He has also driven in eight against Porcello. With as well as the Twins have hit Porcello in his career, there is a good bet that Dozier will be up with guys on base.

If You’re Cheap:

Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox ($2,900): Pedroia has torched Phil Hughes in his career. Pedroia is 11 for 35 with two walks, three doubles, three homers and an impressive ten RBI off of the Twins’ ace. That is a lot of bang for your buck.

Shortstop:

Best Bet:

Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies ($3,900): Tulowitzki has only faced Mike Leake eight times, but he has three hits, including a solo home run. Great American Ballpark is probably the next best hitter’s park to Coors Field, so Tulo should find something to hit today.

If You’re Cheap:

Brad Miller, Mariners ($2,600): Chris Archer has fared well against Seattle, but Miller is one of the few that hasn’t really been fooled by him. In seven at bats, he has a walk and two solo home runs without striking out. You can do worse for the money.

Third Base:

Best Bet:

Aramis Ramirez, Brewers ($2,800): Aramis is 8 for 24 with a pair of solo home runs off of Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong. Ramirez has been below average so far this year, but the bright side is that you aren’t risking much for this kind of production.

If You’re Cheap:

Mike Moustakas, Royals ($2,600): Moose has had Michael Pineda’s number so far in his career. He is 5 for 10 lifetime off of Pineda with two doubles, a triple, and a solo home run.

Next: Who Are The Best OF's?

May 24, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians center fielder Michael Brantley (23) hits a pitch that went for an error on Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto (not pictured) during the sixth inning scoring two runs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Outfielders:

Best Bets:

Michael Brantley, Indians ($4,500): Brantley is 5 for 14 in his career off of Rangers starter Colby Lewis. He has a double, triple, homer, and three RBI, not to mention the runs scored and the steals. He might be the best bet in the outfield despite his early season struggles.

Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins ($4,300): Gerritt Cole would love it if he never had to face Stanton again. Stanton has reached base four of the six times he has faced Cole. All three of his hits are for extra bases with two doubles and a home run. He has also driven in a pair. Even if Cole pitches around him, Stanton could rack up some crooked numbers via walks.

Carlos Gomez, Brewers ($4,000): Gomez has only faced Vogelsong seven times, but he has three hits and a walk off of him. He also has a triple, a homer, and three RBI. It looks like Vogelsong doesn’t fool him at all, which could equal some crooked numbers for Gomez.

Torii Hunter, Twins ($3,500): Hunter is 6 for 14 off of Red Sox starter Rick Porcello. Of those six hits, two are doubles and one is a home run. He also has an impressive six RBI. Lots of his teammates will be on base today if career numbers are any indicator, which gives him a chance to add to that total.

If You’re Cheap:

Curtis Granderson, Mets ($2,700): The Grandy Man only has three hits in ten career at bats against Phillies starter Sean O’Sullivan, but all of those hits are solo home runs. If he gets a hold of one, He is an automatic five points.

Jay Bruce, Reds ($2,700): Bruce is 6 for 17 off of Kyle Kendrick with a double, two homers, and three RBI. Kendrick has been hit hard all season. There is a good chance that Bruce does the same to him.

Michael Cuddyer, Mets ($2,400): Cuddyer is 4 for 11 with a double and three RBI off of O’Sullivan. If you have to go cheap somewhere, Cuddyer is not a bad option.

Next: Is Clay Buchholz worth adding?

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