Fantasy Spin May 31, 2015

You would think with 15 MLB games on Sunday that there might be more standout pitching. Making our selections more difficult is that four of the five highest-salaried SP are squaring off in two potential duels, and the other has a sore finger.

David Price $10800 vs. Matt Shoemaker $7800 is one excellent matchup, Madison Bumgarner $10300 vs. Julio Teheran $9100 the other. The 4 FPTS for a W are valuable, so I prefer to use “probable” winners when all else seems equal. MadBum figures to get the most run support of the quartet; Shoe is the best value.

Note that a rainout yesterday in Chicago means that Yordano Ventura $7600 and Tsuyoshi Wada $6600 will take the mound today instead of the previously-scheduled starters.

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Drew Hutchison $7500 is perhaps the best SP play of all, after a “Maddux” — complete-game shutout with fewer than 100 pitches — on Monday. That was 5 extra FPTS for a fabulous score of 42.9 for the promising 24-year-old. I’m also considering Tanner Roark $6000, who has replaced Doug Fister (forearm) in the Nationals’ rotation. He went only five innings last start on just 66 pitches, but should manage 85 or 90 today.

Stackable hitters include all Houston RHB vs. John Danks $5300, lefty batters from both teams as the Rockies and Phillies send out mediocre right-handers, and all the Diamondbacks (especially LHB) against Milwaukee’s raw rookie Tyler Wagner $4000, who has made just nine starts above A-ball and is not exactly dominating the Southern League.

Every week, we remind you that this is a scheduled day of rest for many regulars. Managers tend to give bench players their occasional starts in day games after night games. It’s always important to check lineups close to game time and make necessary adjustments, absolutely crucial on Sunday.

Evan Gattis $4300 is a DH who’s C-eligible and very likely to be in the lineup, Steven Vogt $4000 is also relatively fresh and unless you want to punt the position, I’d recommend one or the other.

At 1B, there’s scalding-hot Paul Goldschmidt $5500, Anthony Rizzo $5000, Lucas Duda $4900 and Brandon Belt $3800 — all worthy. Ben Paulsen $3300 remains on the Short List, as he keeps hitting.

Jose Altuve $4400 and Dustin Pedroia $4400 top the list at 2B; if you’re coughing up for expensive pitchers I still like Jake Elmore $2100 (also SS-eligible) to pay his way.

Although Josh Donaldson $5000 and Todd Frazier $4600 are the hottest 3B, there are other options. Since I’m using Roark, I don’t want to “bet against him” with Frazier. Nolan Arenado $4500, Mike Moustakas $3900 and Pedro Alvarez $3600 are all playable.

Choose between Troy Tulowitzki $4700 and Ian Desmond $4700 at SS, or save a few dollars with Jean Segura $3900, who healed quickly from a broken finger, with three hits in two games.

Superstar Bryce Harper $5400 (back) was a late scratch yesterday after being deliberately plunked on Friday and the Reds may continue to throw at him if he returns. Safer OF plays abound. Andrew McCutchen $4900, A.J. Pollock $4900, George Springer $4700 and Justin Upton $4600 have excellent matchups. More affordable are David Peralta $4000, Chris Colabello $3400, sparkplug Billy Burns $3200 and ultra-cheap Joey Butler $2300, who we touted yesterday (2-for-3 with a HR).

Pos	Premium	Bargain
SP1	Madison Bumgarner $10300	Drew Hutchison $7500
SP2	Matt Shoemaker $7800	Tanner Roark $6000
C	Evan Gattis $4300	Steven Vogt $4000
1B	Paul Goldschmidt $5500	Ben Paulsen $3300
2B	Jose Altuve $4400	Jake Elmore $2100
3B	Josh Donaldson $5000	Nolan Arenado $4500
SS	Troy Tulowitzki $4700	Ian Desmond $4700
OF1	Andrew McCutchen $4900	Joey Butler $2300
OF2	George Springer $4700	David Peralta $4000
OF3	Justin Upton $4600	Billy Burns $3200