Many of you will be reading this too late to enter Early contests at DraftKings, which close at 12:10 Eastern. For my fellow early birds, two of Wednesday’s best pitchers are available in the five matinee ballgames.
Chris Sale $12600 seems to record double-digit strikeouts every start, though the Twins have fared well against him in 2015. Cole Hamels $10300 missed a start with hamstring tightness but is ready to go against the Yankees.
Look to the Indians for hitting vs. rookie Buck Farmer $4000, and the formerly punchless Phillies have scored 31 runs in their last three wins. They have a chance to sweep the Yankees in the Bronx today as Ivan Nova $7000 makes his first start after elbow surgery.
We’re more focused on the evening schedule of ten games, where there are several very good SP to choose from, topped by Gerrit Cole $10500. The hard-throwing righty has won six straight, usually lasts 7 IP or more and puts up good K totals.
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Shelby Miller $8400 and Jordan Zimmermann $7800 might stage a duel in DC, and it’s not easy to pick a winner. I like the consistent if slightly boring Jaime Garcia $8800 to beat the Marlins, and am considering a couple of low-cost options. Kendall Graveman $5600 has been much better in May and June than he was in April, and after missing five weeks, Danny Duffy $5900 (shoulder) was very sharp in his rehab assignment.
Don’t overpay for a C, as Salvador Perez $3500, Welington Castillo $3400 and Josh Phegley $3400 are all playable. Assuming Matt Wieters $4100 continues to rest every other day, Caleb Joseph $3000 will start.
With Paul Goldschmidt $6600 so expensive, my compromises at 1B are still Chris Davis $4500 and Adrian Gonzalez $4600 but I like the Cubs at home against Mike Bolsinger $7000. Lefty swingers like Anthony Rizzo $5300 deserve extra consideration.
We also want to use some Rockies tonight. D.J. LeMahieu $4000 is great value at 2B, Anthony Rendon $3900 just went 4-for-4 and the price is right on Derek Dietrich $3300.
A pair of young two-way stars top the 3B list. Manny Machado $5200 is one of the AL’s best and Nolan Arenado $4700 might win a dozen Gold Gloves and a few Silver Slugger awards before he’s through. Rendon also qualifies at third.
What an excellent price on Troy Tulowitzki $4600 at Coors. 3B/SS Marcus Semien $3900 had a big Tuesday night (3-for-4 with a double) and after a slow start, J.J. Hardy $3300 has hit .348 over ten games — he’s due for a power surge.
Giancarlo Stanton $5200 crushes mistakes into orbit, Charlie Blackmon $4900 is ridiculously hot and we told you yesterday that Andrew McCutchen $4600 was a bargain — he homered and doubled. A.J. Pollock $5300 is also worth the money in a hitters’ haven. For the budget-conscious, I’m squarely on the Travis Snider $3800 bandwagon. Curtis Granderson $3800 and Jason Heyward $3700 both went deep on Tuesday; keep an eye on Gregor Blanco $2800, a capable regular OF for the next couple of weeks because of injuries.
| Pos | Premium | Bargain |
| SP1 | Gerrit Cole $10500 | Kendall Graveman $5600 |
| SP2 | Jaime Garcia $8800 | Danny Duffy $5900 |
| C | Salvador Perez $3500 | Josh Phegley $3400 |
| 1B | Anthony Rizzo $5300 | Adrian Gonzalez $4600 |
| 2B | D.J. LeMahieu $4000 | Derek Dietrich $3300 |
| 3B | Nolan Arenado $4700 | Anthony Rendon $3900 |
| SS | Troy Tulowitzki $4600 | J.J. Hardy $3300 |
| OF1 | Charlie Blackmon $4900 | Jason Heyward $3700 |
| OF2 | A.J. Pollock $5300 | Travis Snider $3800 |
| OF3 | Andrew McCutchen $4200 | Gregor Blanco $2800 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season and we’re turning out attention to baseball for the summer. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.