MLB Picks and Pivots – FanDuel Baseball Picks May 19

May 15, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; The Boston Red Sox take batting practice prior to a game against the Houston Astros at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /

MLB Picks and Pivots – FanDuel Baseball Picks May 19

Welcome to the Thursday edition of Picks & Pivots, a daily fantasy column focused on providing analysis for the upcoming MLB FanDuel slate. The purpose of this column is to first identify key building blocks that can be used for any roster construction and then identify pivot points to help differentiate your lineup in hopes of a big pay day!

FanSided and Fantasy CPR have you covered – For additional FanDuel MLB analysis, take a look at Matt Rogers FanDuel Economics column or Mike Marteny who provides Draft Kings MLB Picks analysis giving you the most in depth DFS coverage for tonight’s baseball slate.

Follow us on Twitter @FantasyCPR and on Facebook!

Thursday’s slate kicks off at 12:35PM EST and gives us a 2 game “early only” slate in addition to the “main slate” which starts at 7:05PM EST with 9 games on tap.

I will continue to track winning Tournament lineups and compare trends over 5 day periods to help us understand what it takes to remain profitable. I HIGHLY recommend each of you do this each morning to look back on the previous night and understand how the winning lineups are constructed in the games you participate in.

The view below tracks GPP entries over various time periods, breaking out key metrics to understand the trends and compositions of GPP winning rosters:

Time Period	Score	Pitcher Salary	Pitcher %	Hitter %	Hitter $/Player	Value
Season	250.5	$ 8,445	24%	76%	$ 3,319	7.16
5 Day	270.4	$ 8,067	23%	77%	$ 3,367	7.73
Prev Day	302.4	$ 10,700	31%	69%	$ 3,038	8.64

Now on to the picks…For more DFS Strategy insights, check out my latest article to help take your game to the next level! I highly recommend gamers track their game performance across the various types of games they play – GPP’s, Cash, Multipliers etc – as this simple exercise will help teach you more about profitable roster construction than you can imagine.

Next: Top Starting Pitchers

May 13, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; (Editors Note: Multiple exposures) San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija (29) pitches during the eighth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The Giants won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

Starting Pitchers

Jeff Samardzija ($9,900) against San Diego – Over his last three starts, the Giants right-hander has been on a tear, averaging 48.7 points per game which is second only to Chris Sale during that time period. Samardzija has gone at least 7 2/3 IP in each of his last three starts which allows him to rack up more opportunities for points and stay in play for the win, which he is favored to get in this matchup. Samardzija has put up 5.1x value over his last 3 starts, which makes him a solid cash game play and he does have tournament upside as he has struck out at least 7 in 3 of his last 4 and faces a team ranked 28th out of 30 MLB teams in strikeouts per game.

Jon Gray ($6,900) against St. Louis – Over the last 15 days, Gray is second highest of all Thursday’s starters in points per dollar, as he has hit 6.3x value while averaging 43.5 points per game. Gray has been on a terrific run over his last 3 starts striking out 24 over 20 innings pitched while only walking 4 batters. Gray is a slight underdog which makes him more of a tournament flier, but he is returning elite level value and is racking up more than a strikeout per inning which makes him a great bargain play.

Next: Top Hitters/Stacks

Aug 26, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (left) and second baseman Jason Kipnis (22) celebrate a 6-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

Top Hitters/Stacks

Cleveland versus Tim Adleman @ Cin – The Indians are the highest projected scoring team on the main slate and get a great park boost with a game in Great American Ball Park. The rookie Adleman in a small sample size this season has been worn out by left handed hitters to the tune of a .346 average with 2 home runs and 5 RBI’s against only 29 batters. All three key left handed bats are in play and have been putting up great numbers over the last 15 days:

Jason Kipnis ($3,600) – Averaging 11.4 points per game in last 15 days (3.2x value)
Francisco Lindor ($3,500) – Averaging 12 points per game in last 15 days (3.4x value)
Carlos Santana ($3,000) – Averaging 9.1 points per game in last 15 days (3.0x value)

Yan Gomes ($2,700) has also been on a tear, averaging 10.7 points per game (4.0x value) and makes for an interesting complete stack option even without the platoon advantage.

Yankees versus Kendall Graveman – The Yankees have one of the higher team totals on the night and get to face a pitcher who has given up 14 runs in his last 14 innings. Graveman actually has exhibited reverse splits so far this season, giving up a .329 average to right handed hitters and 6 home runs against only 77 right handed batters (conversely he has given up 4 home runs to 88 left handed batters). The Yankees are loaded with switch hitters and considering the Yanks are likely to get into the Oakland bullpen early, they make for an interesting stack that can attack either handed hurler. Carlos Beltran ($2,900), Brian McCann ($3,000) and Jacoby Ellsbury ($3,100) are all averaging over 10 points per game over the last 15 days and make solid cash game plays as well as an interesting mid-level stack.

In the same game, do not sleep on Josh Reddick ($3,100) who has been overshadowed the last few days by his hot hitting teammate Khris Davis, but Reddick gets the splits back in his favor and is 4 for 11 in his career against Ivan Nova with 1 home run.

Next: DFS Strategy - Take Your Game to the Next Level

Best of luck tonight gamers! Make sure to review the lineups as they are announced before locking in your lineups!