Daily Fantasy Baseball: Early FanDuel Picks For July 1

Jun 10, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (32) throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

There are four afternoon games today, which does limit our options for those of us that choose to play matchups based on statistics. There are still enough people to choose from. Just keep in mind that the options might not be that great.

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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 early FanDuel picks for July 1:

Pitcher:

Best Bet:

Taijuan Walker, Mariners ($7,800): Walker has only faced the Padres once, and it was a great performance by him. He gave up two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out seven in six innings. He is definitely worth a shot this afternoon at this price.

Honorable Mention:

Johnny Cueto, Reds ($10,400): Cueto has also only faced the Twins once, and he was almost as good as Walker. Almost. He gave up a three run home run to a player later on this list. Other than that, it was a good start. He did only strike out four though.

Stay Away:

James Shields, Padres ($9,200): Shields has been pounded by the Mariners in his career. Seattle owns a .305 average in 275 at bats with 11 home runs and 31 RBI. The M’s have managed to strike out 71 times though.

Catcher:

Best Bet:

Kurt Suzuki, Twins ($2,200): Remember I said that one Twin did all the damage against Cueto? That one was Suzuki. He is 2 for 5 with a walk, a double, and a home run while driving in three against the Reds ace.

Honorable Mention:

Mike Zunino, Mariners ($2,300): Zunino is 2 for 6 with a double and a solo home run off of James Shields. The bad part? He has struck out three times. Don’t play him in league in which strikeouts count more against you.

Next: How Does The Infield Look?

Jun 26, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz (34) singles during the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

First Base:

Best Bet:

David Ortiz, Red Sox ($2,900): Ortiz has hit Mark Buehrle hard during his career. Ortiz is 25 for 79 (.316) with five walks, nine doubles, four homers, and 14 RBI off of the Jays lefty. Ortiz is one of the better options at any position this afternoon.

Honorable Mention:

Logan Morrison, Mariners ($2,200): LoMo is 6 for 19 with two walks, two doubles, a homer, and two RBI off of James Shields. His numbers are comparable to Ortiz at a lower price if you want to spend elsewhere.

Second Base:

Best Bet:

Robinson Cano, Mariners ($2,500): Cano has blistered James Shields is his career. Cano is 35 for 87 (,402) with five walks, nine doubles, two triples, four homers, and a whopping 15 RBI off of Shields while he was in the American League. No matter how down Cano may be, you can’t ignore this history.

Honorable Mention:

The only one even remotely close to Cano is Dustin Pedroia, who is on the disabled list. Unless you want to go with D.J. LeMahieu’s 1 for 3 with an RBI double off of Jesse Hahn.

Shortstop:

Best Bet:

Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox ($2,700): Bogaerts is another Boston player that has hit Buerhle hard. He is 3 for 11, but all of those hits have gone for extra bases. He has two doubles and a solo home run.

Honorable Mention:

Brad Miller, Mariners ($2,200): Miller is 2 for 5 with a walk and a solo homer off of Shields. Yes, the Sox and Mariners are all over this list today.

Third Base:

Best Bet:

Kyle Seager, Mariners ($2,700): Seager is 5 for 13 with two doubles, two homers, and five RBI off of James Shields. Will the Mariners hit Shields as hard as they have in the past? Maybe not, but most of the lineup is cheap enough to take a chance on.

Honorable Mention:

Will Middlebrooks, Padres ($2,200): Middlebrooks is day to day, but was able to pinch hit yesterday. If he does play, he is the only one that has done much against Taijuan Walker. Middlebrooks is 1 for 2 with a solo homer off of Walker.

Next: Who Are The Best OF Options?

Jun 30, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Seattle Mariners center fielder Austin Jackson (16) hits an RBI single during the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Outfield:

Best Bets:

Austin Jackson, Mariners ($2,500): It’s going to be hard to choose which four Mariners players to go with this afternoon. Jackson is one of the leading candidates though. He is 12 for 35 with three walks, three doubles, two triples, and two RBI off of Shields. On top of that he, is at the top of an order that has blasted Shields. He is one of the better bets today.

Jose Bautista, Blue Jays ($4,700): Bautista is 8 for 20 with two walks and three RBI off of Rick Porcello. Suprisingly enough, none of those are for extra bases. The fact that Bautista is on base so much should net you some decent points though.

Franklin Gutierrez, Mariners ($2,700): Gutierrez is just recently back in the majors, but expect him to get the start today. Gutierrez is 9 for 29 with a walk, a double, a homer, and three RBI off of James Shields. That history should get him a start.

Honorable Mention:

Ezequiel Carrera, Blue Jays ($2,300): Carrera is 2 for 7 off of Porcello, but those two hits are a double and a triple and he has driven in two. If he is in the Jays lineup, he is worth taking a shot on.

Next: Check Here For The Late FanDuel Lineup

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