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Daily Fantasy Baseball: Early FanDuel Picks For July 23

By Mike Marteny

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Jul 4, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers mascot Paws during the national anthem before the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

There are only four afternoon games on the slate for today (Orioles at Yankees, Mariners at Tigers, Blue Jays at Athletics, Twins at Angels), which gives us a small pool to choose from. You need every advantage you can get to cash this afternoon. Here is the stat side of things for those of us that pick from past performances.

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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 23:

Next: Let's Start With The Battery?

Jul 10, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Detroit Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez (41) celebrates his two run home run against the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Catcher:

Best Bet:

Victor Martinez, Tigers ($3,400): Martinez has hammered Iwakuma in his career. V-Mart is 5 for 9 with two walks, two homers, and four RBI off of the Japanese import. It is never safe to expect points in FanDuel, but with a track record like that, I wouldn’t blame you if you did.

Honorable Mention:

Chris Iannetta, Angels ($2,800): Iannetta is 2 for 6 with a double and a solo home run off of Ervin Santana. He is a safe play considering both hits went for extra bases!

Stay Away:

Sure, it’s easy to tell you to avoid Alex Avila and his 0 for 11 career mark off of Iwakuma. I’m going to do one better. How about Mike Zunino. He is 0 for 10 off of Price, but he has struck out nine of those ten times. He is not even close to getting a hit off of him!

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    • Pitcher:

    Best Bet:

    David Price, Tigers ($11,900): The Mariners have managed to hit .240 off of David Price in his career, but Price has limited the damage. They have just eight walks, four homers, and 24 RBI in 192 career at bats. All while striking out 53 times. Coupled with the fact that Iwakuma has struggled against the Tigers, Price should be in line for the win as well. That puts him atop the heap, though I don’t blame you if you don’t want to spend one fifth of your budget on him.

    Honorable Mention:

    Scott Kazmir, Athletics ($9,200): If you don’t want pay the price for Price, Kazmir is a good plan B. The Blue Jays have only hit .214 off of Kazmir with one home run and 11 RBI in 98 at bats. Kazmir won’t rack up the strikeouts that Price will, but he should keep his team in the hunt for a win.

    Stay Away:

    Hisashi Iwakuma, Mariners ($7,600): I hinted at this earlier, but Iwakuma has been hit hard by Detroit. The Tigers have a .318 average in 129 at bats with a whopping 14 home runs and 21 RBI. Iwakuma has managed to rack up 35 strikeouts, but I don’t want to take the chance that the Tigers tee off on him again. And for those of you that think Miguel Cabrera did most of the damage, he did not. He is 3 for 9 with a homer and two RBI off of Iwakuma, but there are others that have hit him harder. Stay tuned to find out who!

    Next: Next Up: Corner Infielders

    Jul 21, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson (20) in the Blue Jays

    First Base:

    Best Bet:

    Marc Krauss, Tigers ($2,200): Krauss already has six at bats off of Iwakuma, and he has two hits, including a two run home run off of him. He could be a cheap source of points if he can get another hit off of Iwakuma.

    Honorable Mention:

    Garrett Jones, Yankees ($2,200): Make sure to check and see if he is in the lineup or not before using him since the Yankees are back at full strength. Jones’s career numbers off of Ubaldo Jimenez warrant him making an appearance. Jones is 5 for 11 with two walks, two doubles, and three RBI off of Ubaldo. Mark Teixeira is just 4 for 24 off of Jimenez in his career. The numbers say go with Jones.

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    • Third Base:

    Best Bet:

    Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays ($4,600): Donaldson is 3 for 6 with a home run and three RBI off of Scott Kazmir. Considering the way he hits lefties, this should come as no surprise. If you have the money, feel free to play him.

    Honorable Mention:

    Nick Castellanos, Tigers ($2,700): Castellanos doesn’t have much of a history against Iwakuma, but he has followed his teammates’ lead. Castellanos is 3 for 5 with a double and a solo home run off of Iwakuma. take him if you don’t already have four Tigers hitters.

    Next: Next: The Middle Infield

    Jul 22, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler (3) hits a single in the eighth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

    Second Base:

    Best Bet:

    Ian Kinsler, Tigers ($3,500): Surprise, surprise. Another Tiger. Kinsler has earned it though. He is 9 for 26 (.346) with two walks, a double, and three solo home runs off of Iwakuma. It is somewhat disappointing that he only has three RBI in 26 at bats.

    Honorable Mention:

    Jonathan Schoop, Orioles ($2,700): Schoop has only faced Masahiro Tanaka six times, gathering hits in two of those at bats. So why is he here? Both of those hits were home runs, netting five RBI. He might even be a better bet than Kinsler!

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    • Shortstop:

    Best Bet:

    Jose Iglesias, Tigers ($2,600): Iglesias is not on here for the same reason as the rest of his team. He is on here because of the barren wasteland that is shortstop today. Iglesias singling twice in seven at bats off of Iwakuma is as good as it gets. J.J. Hardy (1 for 3), Erick Aybar (1 for 4), and Danny Santana (1 for 2) are crapshoots.

    Next: Who Are The Best Outfielders?

    Jul 19, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers left fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) hits a single during the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park. Orioles beat the Tigers 9-3. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

    Outfield:

    Best Bets:

    Nelson Cruz, Mariners ($3,400): Cruz has hit David Price pretty well in his career. Cruz is 7 for 19 with two walks, two homers, and four RBI off of Price. If you are going to gamble with any Mariner, Cruz is the best one to count on.

    Yoenis Cespedes, Tigers ($3,400): Cespedes has destroyed Iwakuma over his career for whatever reason. Cespedes is 11 for 27 (.407) with five doubles, four homers, and seven RBI off of Iwakuma. That is a strong track record, and makes him worth playing in DraftKings as well as FanDuel for all of the extra base hits he has. Only two of his hits are singles!

    Carlos Beltran, Yankees ($2,800): Beltran is back off of the disabled list, and just in time to face Ubaldo Jimenez. He likes Ubaldo. Beltran is 7 for 18 (.389) with three walks, two doubles, two homers, and three RBI off of Jimenez.

    Honorable Mention:

    Matt Joyce, Angels ($2,300): Joyce has seen Ervin Santana more often than any of his teammates. If they follow his lead, it could be a short outing for Santana. Joyce is 6 for 18 (.333) with a walk, two homers, and four RBI off of Santana, but he has struck out nine times. He is a little safer play in DraftKings.

    Mark Trumbo, Mariners ($2,300): Trumbo has managed to do pretty well against David Price. He is 6 for 16 (.375) with two doubles, a homer, and three RBI off of Detroit’s ace.

    Next: Overvalued and Undervalued RBs In Your Fantasy Draft

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