MLB DRAFT DFS Picks July 9th from Chris Aliperto and FantasyCPR

CLEVELAND, OH – MAY 29: Starter Mike Clevinger #52 of the Cleveland Indians pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Progressive Field on May 29, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images) /

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 DRAFT DFS 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.

MLB DRAFT DFS Picks – Slate Overview:

Well we certainly have a weird slate today on DRAFT, due to the fact there are a two sets of double-headers on tap. I actually had to double-check the rules to make sure I got this correct. Lock time for the first slate today will be 4:05 ET, as the Yankees and Orioles will play their first of two games. Also starting early are the Phillies and the Mets, as they too will play two. So by the rules it says to check games on the slate in this case, and this today means that the FIRST two games of these double-headers are on the slate, while the 2nd games are NOT.

Make sure you are paying attention to this. There is already a nine-game slate posted for evening, which means that the 2nd games of those double-headers will not be on that slate. That would give us one 11 game slate, which we will focus on here, and a that evening nine gamer. So if you are drafting before that first lock time and you are wondering why you can’t find a projection on say Aaron Nola, this is why. Got it? Great!

In my opinion, we have a great group of pitchers to choose from. Therefore, today I will be waiting a bit, likely pouncing the third round or so. As far as the hitters go, there are also some particularly vulnerable pitchers to attack. There are three team stacks I like a whole bunch, and the way my drafts have been going, I am basically building my teams almost completely with these teams. Changes are coming today to the hitter targets section of this article which should lay all of this out for you, so let’s move on and talk about my pitching targets first, and start breaking this down.

SAN JUAN, PR – APRIL 18: Jose Berrios #17 of the Minnesota Twins pitches during the game against the Cleveland Indians at Hiram Bithorn Stadium on Wednesday, April 18, 2018 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Ricardo Arduengo/Getty Images) /

MLB DRAFT DFS Picks – Today’s Top Pitching Targets:

Instead of giving you some basic vanilla strategy, like repeating the fact that the Infield position is usually deep throughout, and the Outfield position drops off pretty dramatically usually in terms of “lock” type plays, I will opt to point out the guys I am actually targeting and drafting. I think this will be more helpful in terms of understanding why I have certain players ranked where they are. Similar to the rankings, followed by each target will be their overall ranking of 30 in parenthesis.

Jose Berrios – Minnesota Twins – (9)

Today we have two pitchers with high projections getting drafted in the first round or early second at the latest. I personally want no part of either of them. Clayton Kershaw will be making his fifth start since his return from the DL, and he still does not look like Clayton Kershaw out there. His most recent start was his best as he finally lasted six innings, but he only struck out two, and posted just 10 DP. He does have a great match-up against the Padres at PetCo Park, but I’ll pass today and look to Berrios.

We also have Gerrit Cole in action against Oakland, but he is showing the regression we all expected him to as of late. Cole’s DRAFT points (DP) have been trending the wrong way going from 16, to 10, to eight in his last three games. I’ll pass here too and opt for a hitter.

That leads us to Berrios. Surprisingly, he will go in the first round once in a while today, but I have gotten him as late as the fourth round. It is very unpredictable out there today, so if you have your specific targets I would grab them as you see fit. Berrios was on a stretch of fantastic outings until the Twins hit a rut, leading to some struggles. He has been a better pitcher at home, and his Twins will be at Target Field hosting the struggling Royals. In his last home start, Berrios shut down the Rangers over seven innings, striking out 12 and going for 23 DP.

Unless there is a hitter I don’t think will be there when I pick in the fourth round, I am grabbing Berrios in the third round. I have a feeling he will be on his “A” game, after just being announced as the lone Twins All-Star representative yesterday.

Mike Clevinger – Cleveland Indians – (15)

Clevinger is sort of my back-up plan today. He isn’t an ace by any means, but is certainly having himself a breakout season, compiling a 7-3 record, with 99 K’s and a 3.11 ERA. Tonight the Indians will host the Reds in interleague play, and even though this is a left-handed heavy team, I think Clevinger can succeed in this match-up. While he has been fairly dominant against right-handed hitters, lefties aren’t really hitting him much either. The only knock on him I can see here is that he has been better on the road this year. Even though he is my 15th ranked player over-all, I wouldn’t be drafting him until the last round. With that said, I like this next guy almost just as much.

Zach Eflin – Philadelphia Phillies – (27)

Eflin will take the mound for that first game of the double-header against the Mets, and this could be the steal of the day. He has just an 8.6 projection at this point, and there are 12 pitchers ranked ahead of him projection wise. This is just baffling to me. Eflin has been fantastic and quite consistent in his 11 starts this year. He has amassed a 7-2 record with a 2.97 ERA, and was especially brilliant in his last two starts. In those starts, he beat the Yankees and the Orioles, giving up just two earned runs in 14 innings, while picking up two wins. He should have an easier time with the Mets, and like I said, could end up as the last round steal of the day.

WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 02: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals celebrates after hitting a home run in the eighth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Nationals Park on July 2, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) /

MLB DRAFT DFS Picks – Today’s Top Hitter Targets:

Well this MLB DRAFT DFS Picks article continues to evolve and change as I see fit. Instead of giving you just four individual bats to target, today I am looking at specific teams to target, along with a couple of other random bats. I often find myself struggling to narrow this part four guys, simply because there are so many good plays. So let’s mix it up and get even a little more specific today.

Team Stacks:

Cleveland Indians – (Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor, Michael Brantley)

Today the Tribe will welcome the Reds into Progressive Field, and the are coming off a rough day against Oakland. The Indians lost 6-0, and only mustered up five hits off of Brett Anderson and company. I was hoping this would push the average draft position of Lindor and JRam down a little bit, but that is not the case. Both are still going around the end of the first round, and have another great match-up on paper. They will face Reds right hander Anthony DeSclafani, who has struggled to an ERA of 5.08 over six starts. I like grabbing both of these guys at the wraparound if I pick sixth, and completing the stack with Brantley in the last two rounds.

Washington Nationals – (Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, Juan Soto)

The Nats hitter are usually boom or bust. All three of these hitters have had their share of huge games, but can flop from time to time. Washington heads in to Pittsburgh for a series with Pirates, and today will face veteran right-hander Ivan Nova. Turner seems to have shifted back in to a top half of the order role, and his combination of speed and power make him a great play nearly everyday. We all know Harper has had his struggles, but is still elite, and can be had in the second round today often. This is a great stack for rounds 2-4, after grabbing a top infielder like JD Ramirez, Lindor or Ramirez in the first round.

Boston Red Sox – (Mookie Betts, JD Martinez, Andrew Benintendi, Xander Bogaerts)

The first two picks today in nearly every draft I have done have been Betts and Aaron Judge, so this stack will likely only be presented available if you get one of those picks. In that instance, I am considering drafting all four Sox listed here. Boston is back home hosting the Rangers, who will have veteran lefty Mike Minor on the hill. They have the highest projected team total on the slate at 5.9 runs, and I expect them to smash that tonight. Of course it is tough to get Martinez with Betts, as he usually garners a first round pick, but he is slipping a bit today due to his DTD tag. You can always swap if he doesn’t start again, so don’t pass on him if you have the opportunity to stack these two today.

Individual Targets:

IF – Manny Machado – Baltimore Orioles – (25)

Infield is super deep today, and Machado hasn’t been exactly tearing the cover off of the ball lately. However, this is a BvP dream today for those BvP truthers out there such as myself. When it comes to BvP, I need a 30 at-bat minimum sample size to put anything into it. Once a certain hitter has faced a certain pitcher over 50 times in his career, we really have something to work with. Today in the first game of the double-header, the Yankees will have veteran lefty CC Sabathia on the mound, and Machado has incredible career numbers off of him. In 57 plate appearances, Machado is 20-for-53 for a .377 average, with six doubles and five home-runs. I have been picking late in the first round thus far and grabbing infielders early, but you can bet by the time I am done drafting I will have a share or two of Machado.

OF – Christian Yelich – Milwaukee Brewers – (17)

The Brewers road trip will continue from Atlanta down to Miami where the Brew Crew will play a series with the Fish. Outfield gets kind of thin today, and for the most part, Yelich is going a little higher than I want to draft him. I do however, have some interest in the right situation. Miami will have Jose Urena on the mound, and while he has been good against righties, the few Milwaukee lefties look to be in a good spot. Seven of the nine home runs he has allowed have been to lefties, and he is also posting a .322 wOBA with a .431 SLG against them as well. Yelich doesn’t hit for a ton of power, but he is a five-tool player that can also steal bases and get you points that way. I almost forgot the most important part… Narrative street. Yelich will return to Miami to face his old team, where he played the first 7 seasons of his professional career. (minors included)

FanDuel MLB: ARLINGTON, TX – APRIL 01: Gerrit Cole #45 of the Houston Astros throws in the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington on April 1, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Rick Yeatts/GettyImages) /

MLB DRAFT DFS – 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. Gerrit Cole – Houston Astros – (5)

2. Clayton Kershaw – Los Angeles Dodgers – (8)

3. Jose Berrios – Minnesota Twins – (9)

4. Mike Clevinger – Cleveland Indians – (15)

5. Chris Archer – Tampa Bay Rays – (16)

6. Zach Eflin – Philadelphia Phillies – (27)

Infielders:

1. Jose Ramirez – Cleveland Indians – (3)

2. Francisco Lindor – Cleveland Indians – (4)

3. JD Martinez – Boston Red Sox – (6)

4. Giancarlo Stanton – New York Yankees – (7)

5. Trea Turner – Washington Nationals – (14)

6. Jesus Aguilar – Milwaukee Brewers – (19)

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

8. Max Muncy – Los Angeles Dodgers – (24)

9. Manny Machado – Baltimore Orioles – (25)

10. Xander Bogaerts – Boston Red Sox – (26)

11. Javier Baez – Chicago Cubs – (28)

12. Justin Turner – Los Angeles Dodgers – (29)

Outfielders:

1. Mookie Betts – Boston Red Sox – (1)

2. Aaron Judge – New York Yankees – (2)

3. Andrew Benintendi – Boston Red Sox – (10)

4. Bryce Harper – Washington Nationals – (11)

5. Michael Brantley – Cleveland Indians – (12)

6. Juan Soto – Washington Nationals – (13)

7. Christian Yelich – Milwaukee Brewers – (17)

8. Eric Thames – Milwaukee Brewers – (18)

9. Rhys Hoskins – Philadelphia Phillies – (20)

10. Joc Pederson – Los Angeles Dodgers – (21)

11. Lorenzo Cain – Milwaukee Brewers – (22)

12. Albert Almora – Chicago Cubs – (30)

Next: Don't Miss MLB Early Slate DraftKings Picks!

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!

MLB DRAFT DFS Picks (DRAFT.com): Monday, July 9th

By Chris Aliperto | Jul 9, 2018