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Daily Fantasy Baseball: FanDuel Pitcher Picks For June 26

By Mike Marteny

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Jun 20, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) is covered in chocolate syrup after throwing a no hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Nationals Park. The Nationals won 6 – 0. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

All 30 pitchers taking the mound tonight are in the big FanDuel tournaments. Who are the best options? Do you have to be a fool not to go with Scherzer? Let’s find out!

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NOTE: these picks are based solely on statistics. Some players 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. If you have a gut feeling, then by all means, follow that. This is not an exact science.

Here are my FanDuel pitcher picks for June 26:

High Priced ($8,500 and up):

Best Bet:

Jake Arrieta, Cubs ($9,900): Arrieta is a full $2,500 cheaper than Scherzer, and he has excellent career numbers against the Cardinals. The Redbirds are only hitting .211 off of Arrieta in 133 at bats  with one homer and seven RBI. They have also struck out a whopping 40 times. That said, Matt Holliday is just 1 for 15 off of Arrieta. Since he is on the DL, you can remove his career numbers which puts the team average at .229. That still isn’t very good.

Honorable Mention

Max Scherzer, Nationals ($12,500): I certainly couldn’t fault you for putting Scherzer at the top of your list, but this is based on stats only. Then again, with the extra $2,500, you could turn Torii Hunter into Giancarlo Stanton. The Phillies have hit .232 off of Scherzer in 138 career at bats, but only have one homer and seven RBI to go with 34 strikeouts. He is a great bet to turn in another good game, but will it be $2,500 better than Arrieta’s?

Stay Away:

Anibal Sanchez, Tigers ($8,700): The White Sox have clobbered Anibal Sanchez in his career. They are hitting .339 in 171 at bats with only two homers and 30 strikeouts, but they have also driven in 20. Expect to see plenty of the South Side’s finest on the basepaths tonight, which could spell trouble for Sanchez against them yet again.

Next: Who Will Provide The Best Value In The Mid Range?

Jun 20, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Edinson Volquez (36) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Mid Range Options ($7,000 – $8,400):

Best Bet:

Wei-Yin Chen, Orioles ($7,800): Chen often flies under the radar, but he has put up three straight double digit point starts in FanDuel. His history against Cleveland suggests that a fourth is on the horizon. Chen has held Cleveland to a .224 batting average in 85 at bats, but has given up three homers. Still, they have only driven in seven and have struck out 14 times. These are not elite numbers, but they point to Chen being a solid choice once again.

Honorable Mention:

Edinson Volquez, Royals ($8,400): Volquez has spent a vast majority of his career in the National League, so he has only faced five current hitters on Oakland’s team. Those five guys hold a paltry .136 average in 22 at bats with only one RBI and five strikeouts. Now, Billy Butler, Josh Reddick, and Stephen Vogt have not faced Volquez, so that leaves some cause for concern.

Stay Away:

Jose Quintana, White Sox ($7,700): Quintana has been punished by the Tigers. Even worse than his mound opponent Anibal Sanchez has by his team. The Tigers are hitting .330 in 194 at bats with six home runs and 28 runs batted in. Quintana may rack up some strikeouts, but he is a better bet to give up almost as many runs.

Next: Are There Any Good Cheap Options?

Jun 16, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Alex Colome (37) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Cheap Options ($6,900 and under):

Best Bet:

Alex Colome, Rays ($6,400): Colome pitched well against the Red Sox back on May 6th in Fenway. He gave up one run on four hits while striking out four and not issuing a walk. If he can do that again, he will provide solid value. That is a big if though. Colome has only managed two double digit point starts in nine tries since then.

Honorable Mention:

Brett Anderson, Dodgers ($6,800): Yes, the Marlins have got on base at a pretty good clip against Anderson racking up 18 hits in 65 at bats (.277), but they have only walked once and driven in two runs. Anderson isn’t going to pile up the strikeouts, but he has done a great job of keeping the Marlins from crossing the plate. Ichiro’s .364 average off of him is skewing this a bit as well. Without Ichiro, the Marlins’ average dips to .188 (6 for 32).

Stay Away:

Kyle Lohse, Twins ($5,400): His former teammates have hit him hard, piling up a .348 average in 46 at bats with three homers and 13 RBI. In just 46 at bats! Joe Mauer has done most of the damage, going 4 for 6 wtih two homers and five RBI off of Lohse. I wouldn’t go anywhere near this one. However, it does make Trevor May a nice risk/reward play, especially in smaller tournaments.

Next: The Top 50 RBs for 2015

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