MLB DRAFT DFS Picks (DRAFT.com): Monday, August 6th

DENVER, CO – JULY 2: An exterior view of the stadium during the fireworks display following the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 2, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/Getty Images) MLB DRAFT DFS Picks /

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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.

If you are finding this article for the first time, my goal here will be to give you my targets 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. Before we get to the targets and rankings, lets take a quick look at today’s slate.

MLB DRAFT DFS Picks – Slate Overview:

Today we are working with a 10-game slate, with no afternoon games on the schedule. Therefore, all 10 games will be included in today’s write-up. The first pitch tonight will be at the standard 7:10 ET, so we have all day to get our drafts in. With a shorter slate and some injuries to watch, there really isn’t a whole lot of great options, so I am focusing on grabbing a good pitcher in a good spot, and the best available hitters at my pick, as opposed to stacking. Cleveland bats look good once again against Minnesota, and the Yankees also look to be in a prime spot against Dylan Covey and the White Sox. There really isn’t a terrible pitcher to attack today, but there are plenty of one-off’s in good spots. Almost forgot, Coors Field is back in action for a few days now, and on a shorter slate like this, it is looking like one of the best options today.

Pitching is pretty deep today, and while Noah Syndergaard and Trevor Bauer look like the clear cut one and two, I actually like Charlie Morton a little better than both. We also have Cole Hamels, who I think will thrive with his new club, in action in Kansas City. On top of these four, there are actually at least three or four more viable options, but I am focused in on Jake Arrieta for the time being. Let’s find out my reasoning for my targets in the next slide!

HOUSTON, TX – APRIL 14: Charlie Morton #50 of the Houston Astros pitches in the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Minute Maid Park on April 14, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

MLB DRAFT DFS Picks – Top Pitching Targets

For my targets, instead of giving you some basic strategy, 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.

Charlie Morton – Houston Astros – (6)

I almost want to take a pitcher in the first round today. I probably will not, so my hope is to land Morton in the second round. Thor and Bauer have higher projections today, and I think it safe to lump all three together today. Syndergaard has not been dominant as of late, and Bauer just faced tonight’s opponent Minnesota, and had just a decent 11.33 DP. Bauer has been dominant all season, and a match-up against the Twins on paper is certainly favorable, but I like Morton just a hair better.

If Morton has any disadvantage tomorrow, he does have to hit, being the Astros will continue interleague play as they head to San Francisco to face the Giants. Morton is 12-2 on the season, sporting a 2.90 ERA with 159 K’s in 124.1 innings pitched. This match-up against the Giants is as good as Bauer’s, and Morton will likely be drafted after him 9 out of 10 times today.

Cole Hamels – Chicago Cubs – (17)

If I miss on today’s top three arms, I will be quickly turning my attention and my priority to landing Hamels. There is not a whole lot I trust after him, even though there are certainly some good options. Hamels had his struggles in Texas, but going from a hitters park into the friendly confines of Wrigley Field and the National League could have been exactly what Hamels needed to rejuvenate his career.

In his first start as a Cub, he picked up 18 DP with a win and 9 K’s against the Pirates in Pittsburgh. This start will come in Kansas City, as the Cubs are heavy favorites against the 34-77 Royals. I have a good feeling Hamels will end the season on a high note, and he will be pitching in big games at the end of the season.

Jake Arrieta – Philadelphia Phillies – (29)

When I was weighing my options for my last pitcher of the day to target, it really just came down to consistency. Arrieta has had a few bad starts, but really has looked solid over his last two. He was able to pick up wins, and average over 15 DP per game in tough match-up’s. First he beat the Dodgers at home, striking out six over six frames, then he beat the Red Sox in Boston which is no easy task. He was even better in that game, striking out seven over seven frames.

Arrieta is way down the pitching list today on DRAFT, as he is the 10th projected pitcher with just a 9.1 projection. His Phillies will be on the road against Zack Godley and the Diamondbacks, and with the way he has he pitched lately, this looks like a great spot. He should be there with your last pick if you decide to wait on pitching and grab your stud bats.

MLB DRAFT DFS Picks – Today’s Hitting Targets:

IF – Nelson Cruz – Seattle Mariners – (3)

Cruz has a higher projection today to reflect the fact that he is getting a park boost in Texas, and facing terrible Rangers lefty Martin Perez. Normally I would say load up against Perez, but he has actually been OK his last two starts, allowing just two earned runs total. On top of that, Seattle really does not have many good players to target on DRAFT, other than maybe Mitch Haniger, who has cooled off quite a bit since his early hot streak.

Cruz is on another level right now again. He connected for his 29th home run yesterday, and brought his RBI total to a respectable 71. Cruz has some nice BvP versus Perez as well, as he is 8-for-25 in 30 plate appearances, with three home runs. Again, Texas has been a hitters haven as of late, and if Cruz falls to the second round he is worth grabbing. I personally will be grabbing him at the end of the first if I have that last pick.

IF – Javier Baez – Chicago Cubs – (12)

Speaking of on another level, Baez’ bat has really been smoking hot of late. The Cubbies lost today as Jon Lester got knocked around, but Baez provided a good chunk of their offense, going 2-for-5 with a double and a homer. It was his second homer in three games, and he now is up to 24 on the year with 86 RBI’s. The Cubs have one of the highest projected run totals on the slate at 5.4, as they will be facing struggling Royals starter Jakob Junis. I like a Baez, Anthony Rizzo mini infield stack in rounds two and three when possible.

OF – Starling Marte – Pittsburgh Pirates – (8)

Welcome back Coors Field, and today and for the next three days the Pirates will be in town. The Pirates are not much of a DFS target machine really, as usually the more popular choices are the under priced players on those DFS sites that use salaries. With a pretty thin outfield selection today with the shorter slate, Marte is grading out as a top target for me.

Rockies starter Kyle Freeland has surprisingly good this year, especially in Coors Field. The 25-year-old left-hander has an excellent 2.45 ERA in 55 innings at home. He is fantastic against lefties so use caution with Gregory Polanco, but Marte looks like a nice one-off to target. Freeland has given up 11 home runs to right-handed batters this season though only seven have come at home. If anyone has a good chance to connect with one here for the Pirates in the thin Denver air, Marte could be the guy.

OF – Carlos Gonzalez – Colorado Rockies – (21)

Well there is no place like home for the Rockies, and there is little doubt they are glad to be home. CarGo is primarily only good at Coors Field, but he had a decent road trip, and connected with a two-run homer on Friday in Milwaukee. His health has always been a concern, but is seemingly at 100% for the first time in a long time. He hits a fantastic .341 at home, and nine of his 14 home runs have also came at home.

The Rockies will face Joe Musgrove, who has only pitched 67 innings this year, and has been good at times. He has been better on the road, but I will throw out that stat considering the park factor. What he has not been good at is facing lefties. Left handed bats are slugging at a .438 clip and carry a .335 wOBA. Charlie Blackmon is a top target of mine today, and pairing him with CarGo in the later rounds seems like a winning formula. Gonzalez has kind of a low projection at a 9.6, and is the 11th ranked outfielder. He could be worth a third round pick, and is someone who you should grab in the fourth if he is still available.

SEATTLE, WA – AUGUST 05: Nelson Cruz #23 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates his two-run home run with Kyle Seager #15 in the seventh inning at Safeco Field on August 5, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images) /

MLB DRAFT DFS Picks – 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. Noah Syndergaard – New York Mets – (4)

2. Trevor Bauer – Cleveland Indians – (5)

3. Charlie Morton – Houston Astros – (6)

4. Cole Hamels – Chicago Cubs – (17)

5. Jake Arrieta – Philadelphia Phillies – (29)

6. Zack Godley – Arizona Diamondbacks – (30)

Infielders:

1. Jose Ramirez – Cleveland Indians – (1)

2. Nelson Cruz – Seattle Mariners – (3)

3. Francisco Lindor – Cleveland Indians – (7)

4. Paul Goldschmidt – Arizona Diamondbacks – (9)

5. Anthony Rizzo – Chicago Cubs – (11)

6. Javier Baez – Chicago Cubs – (12)

7. Nolan Arenado – Colorado Rockies – (14)

8. Trevor Story – Colorado Rockies – (15)

9. Giancarlo Stanton – New York Yankees – (18)

10. Didi Gregorius – New York Yankees – (19)

11. Matt Carpenter – St. Louis Cardinals – (22)

12. Jean Segura – Seattle Mariners – (25)

Outfielders:

1. Charlie Blackmon – Colorado Rockies – (2)

2. Starling Marte – Pittsburgh Pirates – (8)

3. Rhys Hoskins – Philadelphia Phillies – (10)

4. Mike Trout (Q) – Los Angeles Angels – (13)

5. Gregory Polanco – Pittsburgh Pirates – (16)

6. Mitch Haniger – Seattle Mariners – (20)

7. Carlos Gonzalez – Colorado Rockies – (21)

8. Michael Brantley – Cleveland Indians – (23)

9. Aaron Hicks – New York Yankees – (24)

10. Kyle Schwarber – Chicago Cubs – (26)

11. Brandon Nimmo – New York Mets – (27)

12. Gerardo Parra – Colorado Rockies – (28)

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That is all for today’s MLB DRAFT DFS 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!