Daily Fantasy Baseball: Early FanDuel Picks For August 13

By Mike Marteny | Aug 13, 2015

Oct 5, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of baseballs and a glove prior to game three of the 2014 ALDS baseball playoff game between the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Angeles at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

There are only four games in the afternoon tournaments today (Rockies at Mets, A’s at Blue Jays, Rangers at Twins, and Brewers at Cubs). That doesn’t leave us a lot of choices, especially when following past statistics. For example, Noah Syndergaard has only faced one current Rockies hitter. It was Jose Reyes, who went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts off of him. That is way too small of a sample size to infer anything from.

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Eddie Butler has only faced one current Mets player. Juan Uribe is 0 for 2 off of him. That brings us all the way down to six pitchers already. Brewers rookie Tyler Cravy has never faced the Cubs. Rangers rookie Chi Chi Gonzalez has never faced the Twins. So we are really only looking at the stats for four teams. That narrows it down even more!

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. The highest scorer of the day could be someone with no experience against his opponent. 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 August 13. These will be in a little different format due to us only comparing stats for four teams.

Be sure to check out Dave Fuqua’s picks for the late games!

Next: Who Is The Best Pitcher This Afternoon?

Aug 7, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jon Lester (34) looks on during the game against the San Francisco Giants at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports

Pitcher:

Jon Lester, Cubs ($10,700): The Brewers are 11 for 59 (.186) with 2 walks and 17 strikeouts with zero RBI against Lester. He will more than likely be worth the money.

Sonny Gray, Ahtletics ($9,800): Surprisingly, Blue Jays are only 13 for 58 (.224) off of Gray, but they have walked nine times and only struck out ten. Gray has only allowed one home run and four RBI in those 58 at bats though.

Mark Buehrle, Blue Jays ($7,800): The A’s have knocked Buehrle around. They are 64 for 221 (.290) with 12 walks and 26 strikeouts. Hey have also slugged eight home runs off of him and driven in 34 runs.

Ervin Santana, Twins ($7,500): Texas has fared well against Santana. They are 61 for 222 (.275) with 21 walks to 35 strikeouts. They also have a whopping 14 home runs and 47 RBI off of the struggling righty.

My Pick: Lester

Catcher:

Russell Martin, Blue Jays ($2,900): Two singles in four at bats vs. Gray.

Jonathan Lucroy, Brewers ($2,400): One single in three at bats vs. Lester.

Stephen Vogt, Athletics ($2,300): Two singles and a walk in seven at bats vs. Buehrle. Backup Josh Phegley is 0 for 3, so look for Vogt to be in there.

My Pick: Vogt

Next: Next: The Infielders

Aug 3, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre (29) runs away from an ice cooler bath by second baseman Rougned Odor and starting pitcher Martin Perez (33) after the game against the Houston Astros at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

First Base:

Prince Fielder, Rangers ($3,800): 6 for 16 with two walks, a double, three homers, and six RBI off of Santana.

Adam Lind, Brewers ($3,600): 3 for 29 with 12 strikeouts and no counting stats against Lester.

Justin Smoak, Blue Jays ($2,800): 1 for 12 with a RBI and six strikeouts vs. Gray.

Mike Napoli, Rangers ($2,400): 7 for 19 with two walks, three doubles, three homers, and ten RBI vs. Santana.

Billy Butler, Athletics ($2,200): Butler has hit Buehrle hard. He is 22 for 70(.314) with four walks, four doubles, three homers, and 17 RBI off of him.

My Pick: Butler. I’m a little nervous about Napoli getting into the lineup.

Third Base:

Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays ($5,400): Donaldson has two singles, a walk, and a RBI in four at bats against Gray.

Adrian Beltre, Rangers ($3,300): Beltre might be the best play of the day. He is 13 for 57 (.228) against Santana, but he has five homers and 15 RBI. When he hits Ervin, he hits him hard! This stat line makes him a better play in DraftKings than FanDuel.

Brett Lawrie, Athletics ($2,600): 3 for 7 with a double against Buehrle, but no counting stats.

Jason Rogers, Brewers ($2,200): He has one double in three at bats against Lester.

My Pick: Beltre

Second Base:

Adam Rosales is the only one that has any history against this afternoon’s starters, and it isn’t good. He is just 1 for 6 against Ervin Santana with no counting stats.

My Pick: Addison Russell. Russell has 18 FanDuel points in his last eight games, and should be a bargain at $2,300. I would also strongly consider Wilmer Flores against Eddie Butler.

Shortstop:

Elvis Andrus, Rangers ($3,200): 12 for 43 (.279) with five walks and two RBI off Santana. All 12 hits are singles.

Marcus Semien, Athletics ($2,800): One single in three at bats vs. Buehrle.

My Pick: Andrus

Next: Next: The Outfield

Aug 12, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista (19) hits a ground rule double against Oakland Athletics in the sixth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Jose Bautista, Blue Jays ($5,200): He is an impressive 5 for 10 with a homer and two RBI off of Gray with no strikeouts. Bautista is a strong play in all formats today.

Ryan Braun, Brewers ($3,800): Braun is 3 for 10 with a walk and a double off of Lester.

Khris Davis, Brewers ($3,100): 2 for 6 with a single and double off of Lester.

Shin-Soo Choo, Rangers ($3,300): 5 for 14 with three walks, two doubles, and three RBI off Santana.

Mitch Moreland, Rangers ($3,200): 5 for 22 (.227) with four walks, a homer, and three RBI off Santana.

Josh Hamilton, Rangers ($2,800): Hamilton was scratched last night due to a sore left knee. If he plays, he is a solid bet. He is 10 for 40 with a walk, four doubles, two homers, and eight RBI off of Santana.

Billy Burns, Athletics ($2,800): He has two singles in four at bats against Buehrle.

Coco Crisp, Athletics ($2,200): Crisp is an impressive 17 for 59 (.288) with three walks, two doubles, three home runs, and seven RBI off Buehrle. He could be a great source of cheap points today!

Josh Reddick, Athletics ($2,400): He has a single and a two run homer off of Buehrle in eight career at bats.

My Picks: Choo, Crisp, and Yoenis Cespedes

Next: Running Backs To Avoid in 2015

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