RADIO
We have switched things up a little bit in our Daily League column. Instead of giving you an exact lineup, we'll be sharing top positional plays with quick analysis about why we like these guys. There is no set budget for these picks, so they may be star-studded... the idea here is to give you some of the best players that are playing at each position.
So now, without further ado, here are Real Talk Raph's Daily League Riches for June 6, 2013:
SP: Shelby Miller ($7,400) - I don't care about trying to be the cool guy in the tournament that picks Phil Hughes for pennies on the dollar only to get a marginal performance and have to pray that he doesn't get blown up. I prefer paying for premium, high end, reliable starting pitchers in daily formats that only start one guy. In these leagues, you better hit right on your pitcher, or else your night is almost surely over before it even starts. In the case of Shelby Miller tonight, what more can we say about him? He has been Mr. Reliable all season, pitching to a ridiculous stat line of 6-3 / 1.81 ERA / 0.980 WHIP and 72 K in 69.1 IP. These kinds of numbers usually warrant a price tag well over $8-9K, so at $7,400, we consider Shelby Miller a bargain today against the Diamondbacks.
C: Salvador Perez ($2,500) - You know I can never recommend going overpriced for a catcher unless the circumstances are overwhelming and the data is so favorable that you'd be a fool to ignore it. Well tonight, there is no catcher that fits that profile, so Sal Perez should be your cheapo pick with upside tonight after returning from his bereavement leave and racking up 5 points in the past 24 hours.
1B: Billy Butler ($3,100) - We are going to stay with the Royals for a minute and recommend Billy Butler for your starting 1B tonight. The thing is that he is so consistent-- if you're playing almost every night, he is one of the absolute best values across the board, because his price tag always seems to stay in the mid-to-low $3K range and all he does it produce. He has been heating up lately, and has produced against Mike Pelfrey in a limited sample. Get him in tonight and save some money for the expensive outfielders who have better upside for power.
2B: Robinson Cano ($4,000) - Unless there is a devastatingly tough (and elite) lefty on the hill, I am inserting Robinson Cano into my daily league lineup almost every night that the Yankees are playing. Most people save all of their big money for the CI or OF slots, but Cano has flat out been one of the best and most consistent hitters in the game on a day-in, day-out basis for the better part of his major league career. He is WELL worth the $4K price tag if you can finagle a way around it by saving in other places.
3B: Kyle Seager ($3,400) - You can always just go with Adrian Beltre and not overthink it, but you will end up suffering elsewhere, and today there are some decent plays at 3B if you want to save some shekels. Seager is going up against the HR-prone Phil Hughes at home and has been picking it up with the bat recently (nine-game hitting streak). If you are OK going with a second-tier option at 3B today, Seager is 100% your play for tonight.
SS: Troy Tulowitzki ($4,500) - Tulo is basically equal to Cano in the daily games in terms of reliability and consistency across the board. If he is at home in Colorado and in the Rockies lineup, then there is a VERY good chance that he will be in my lineup that night. He has done nothing to disappoint so far in 2013. Tulo is playing like an MVP candidate again, so get him in if at all possible and hope that he does some more yard work tonight at Coors Field against the unproven Andrew Cashner.
OF: Yoenis Cespedes ($4,000) - Cespedes is a very streaky hitter who also crushes left-handed pitching, and right now he is hitting pretty well. Tonight he gets a delicious matchup against Jose Quintana at the band box otherwise knows as US Cellular field. Get the Cuban Missile into your lineup and watch him cruise to a bundle of daily league points tonight.
OF: Jayson Heyward ($3,000) - Its not very often (these days) that we can recommend Jayson Heyward with confidence, but tonight we just have that feel good feeling for the young left handed Braves slugger. He is going up against a struggling Zack Grienke, and historically Heyward hits righties very well, so when you see a guy with huge upside available for a $3K price tag, you'd better jump all over it.
OF: Matt Holliday ($3,700) - Holliday has done very well against Ian Kennedy in his 16 AB sample (.364, 2 doubles and 4 RBI), and he's priced relatively cheaply for a borderline elite-caliber hitter. At a price tag below $4K, we strongly recommend you make room for him in tonight's budget.
As always, remember to check your daily lineups before they lock and make sure you are doing your own research, too, for optimal performance! The most successful daily leaguers are grinders who are constantly tweaking their lineups as the day goes on and fantasy news gets released. Good luck today, RotoBallers!
