MLB Top DRAFT Picks (DRAFT.com): Friday, June 8th

Why do you need another DFS site? Because DRAFT combines the excitement of a season-long draft into one set of games!

Welcome to today’s edition of MLB Top DRAFT Picks from FantasyCPR. The DRAFT app can be downloaded to your mobile device through your app store, or you can access their desktop site here.

I play quite a bit on DRAFT, and have always been a big fan of the snake draft format. On DRAFT, you roster one starting pitcher, two infielders, and two outfielders. They offer head-to-head, 3-man, 6-man and 10-man drafts that start upon filling. Also, they have a tournament format, where one contest will span a few days. The further you advance, the more you win. I play mostly the six-man contests for cash games, which payout to the top two spots.

My goal here will be to give you my strategy for drafting today on DRAFT, followed by my top 30 overall rankings. Strategy of course changes day by day, depending on what type of slate we are working with. I always start with my pitcher, as everything else revolves around that. After having completed my rankings for today and done a few six-man drafts, here is how I am attacking this slate.

DRAFT – DFS Strategy

Today we are working with a very solid 14-game slate beginning at 7:05 ET. No bad weather to deal with again, and fine amount of ace arms in action. There is a full 15 game slate available at 2:20 ET which includes the afternoon clip at Wrigley Field, where the Cubs will host the Pirates. This strategy and rankings article can technically be used for that slate as well, as this game looks like a full fade for me. On the flip side of all the top arms in action, there are some pitchers starting today that I want to attack as well. So without further ado, lets dig in to today’s strategy.

HOUSTON, TX – APRIL 25: Justin Verlander #35 of the Houston Astros pitches in the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Minute Maid Park on April 25, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

DRAFT Pitcher Strategy:

Justin Verlander is one of the best there is and is virtually match-up proof. He will have to deal with the heat and humidity in Texas, but he is one of if not the best pitcher in baseball. JV has dominated the active Rangers hitters over his career. Perhaps my favorite stat I have seen in a long time while checking BvP is this match-up between Verlander and Shin-Soo Choo. Choo is just 13-for-74 in his career off of Verlander, with a whopping 33 strikeouts! Verlander enters this game with a 7-2 record with an amazing 1.24 ERA, striking out 104 in 87.1 innings of work on the season. Last time I checked, he is still married to Kate Upton as well… Ok enough about Verlander, he isn’t even my top pitcher today.

Slightly ahead of Verlander in pretty much a toss-up for me is Red Sox ace Chris Sale. Sale hasn’t been quite as dominant as he has been in years past, but is still among the games best. He struggled in his last two starts, but those were against tough teams in Atlanta and Houston. Now he faces the weak Chicago White Sox lineup at home, as they stroll into Boston.

The two top arms I am not going out of my way to get are Stephen Strasburg and Jacob deGrom. Strasburg should be fine, as he faces the Giants at home. The match-up certainly favors him, but the Giants bats have been decent over the last week or so. deGrom will face the Yankees in the first game of a weekend subway series. The Yankees are not a team I want my pitcher to be facing on DRAFT. There are better options.

These first four aces will go quick. Did someone snipe you? No biggie. Trevor Bauer is in a fantastic spot and can be had quite a bit later. Cleveland travels to Detroit to face Michael Fulmer and Tigers, and are heavy favorites. Bauer has the strikeout upside and match-up to easily match the top arms.

It gets a little murky after that. That is why I will present you with a couple options, and have a tie for our last pitcher spots. Vincent Velasquez is risky, but is in play at home hosting the Brewers. Walker Buehler has a tougher go against the Braves, will also be debated if I am stuck drafting the last pitcher. After a quick look at our pitchers, let’s continue with the bats!

DRAFT Hitter Strategy:

We are loaded for hitting selections today as well, as we welcome Coors Field back into the picture. The Rockies will host Zack Greinke and the Diamondbacks, and not much of a shock that I would start here with my strategy. However, don’t overlook the Rockies in this spot. Carlos Gonzalez is hitting the ball again, and has five career homers off of Greinke. Trevor Story has had success as well, taking him deep four times. Infield is so deep again today however, that Story doesn’t even crack the top 12 in my rankings, and you will have to scroll to find him.

So other than the obvious, we have some hitters facing some weaker pitching. I’ll start with the Red Sox who will face White Sox right-hander Dylan Covey. JD Martinez remains a top pick, as does Andrew Benintendi again as he homered again yesterday off of lefty Matt Boyd. Moving along we have Cleveland facing Michael Fulmer. Fulmer has been decent, but the BvP numbers are grabbing my eye a bit here, albeit a smaller sample size. Jose Ramirez is 4-for-10 with a double and two home runs, and Francisco Lindor is 5-for-14, and has also taken him deep. I will likely continue to grab these two along with Michael Brantley to complete the stack.

The last pitcher to attack with hitters will be in Texas where the Rangers will roll out veteran Doug Fister to face the Astros. Alex Bregman homered last night, and Jose Altuve is still a great draft pick considering where you can get him. The outfield is thin again compared to the infield overall, so throw George Springer in that stack as well, and hope for the best.

ANAHEIM, CA – MAY 02: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels celebrates his solo homerun with Justin Upton #8 for a 1-1 tie with the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Angel Stadium on May 2, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

DRAFT – Today’s Rankings

My rankings are pretty easy to follow. I have ranked the top 30 overall. We will go six deep at pitcher, and twelve deep at IF and OF. Rankings are broken down into positions, and following each players name will be their overall ranking in parenthesis.

Pitchers:

1. Chris Sale – Boston Red Sox – (1)

2. Justin Verlander – Houston Astros – (4)

3. Stephen Strasburg – Washington Nationals – (10)

4. Jacob deGrom – New York Mets – (13)

5. Trevor Bauer – Cleveland Indians – (19)

6. Vincent Velasquez – Philadelphia Phillies (30) (tie)

6. Walker Buehler – Los Angeles Dodgers (30) (tie)

Infielders:

1. JD Martinez – Boston Red Sox – (3)

2. Jose Ramirez – Cleveland Indians – (7)

3. Paul Goldschmidt – Arizona Diamondbacks – (8)

4. Francisco Lindor – Cleveland Indians – (9)

5. Jake Lamb – Arizona Diamondbacks – (11)

6. Manny Machado – Baltimore Orioles – (12)

7. Trea Turner – Washington Nationals – (17)

8. Jose Altuve – Houston Astros – (18)

9. Alex Bregman – Houston Astros – (20)

10. Mitch Moreland – Boston Red Sox – (21)

11. Nolan Arenado – Colorado Rockies – (27)

12. Xander Bogaerts – Boston Red Sox – (28)

Outfielders:

1. Mike Trout – Los Angeles Angels – (2)

2. Charlie Blackmon – Colorado Rockies – (5)

3. Andrew Benintendi – Boston Red Sox – (6)

4. Bryce Harper – Washington Nationals – (14)

5. David Peralta – Arizona Diamondbacks – (15)

6. Michael Brantley – Cleveland Indians – (16)

7. George Springer – Houston Astros – (22)

8. Cody Bellinger – Los Angeles Dodgers – (23)

9. Joc Pederson – Los Angeles Dodgers – (24)

10. Justin Upton – Los Angeles Angels – (25)

11. Carlos Gonzalez – Colorado Rockies – (26)

12. Eddie Rosario – Minnesota Twins – (29)

Next: Weekly Waiver Wire Adds for Fantasy MLB!

That is all for today’s MLB Top DRAFT picks on FantasyCPR. If you have any questions regarding any of my rankings, reach out to me on Twitter at @JuanBondDFS. You can also leave a question right here in the comments, and I will do my best to respond. Good luck tonight and happy drafting on DRAFT!