This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Welcome to my Daily Plays article for Tuesday. Now that we have a week of baseball under our belts, we have some trends and recent production to help us in constructing our daily lineups.
Weather around the nation is still something to consider, so keep an eye out for potential rainouts. Tuesday has a full slate of games on the schedule, so let's get on to the picks.
Pitcher
Matt Harvey, $9,900 - Harvey is the top pitcher on the board, and he is worth paying for. Not only is he facing arguably the worst team in the National League in the Philadelphia Phillies, but he is pitching at home and facing David Buchanan and his 18.00 ERA. Harvey piled up nine strikeouts in his first start, and should dominate a very weak and strikeout prone Phillies lineup. Harvey is worth paying for Tuesday, especially in cash games.
Odrisamer Despaigne, $6,200 - Despaigne is the top value pitcher available, and gets the benefit of pitching in pitcher friendly Petco park. Despaigne threw 4.2 innings after replacing the injured Ian Kennedy last Thursday, and did not allow a hit or a walk. He showed flashes of brilliance last year at home, where he sported a 1.83 ERA, and should get some run support from an improved Padres lineup. If you want to save some cap and load up on hitters, then Despaigne is your guy.
Catcher
Brian McCann, $3,400 - McCann is the best value at catcher and has been hot lately. He had four hits and three RBI over the weekend, before getting Monday off. McCann hit .360 last year at Camden yards, and faces Miguel Gonzalez who gave up 25 home runs last year in just 26 starts. Batting in the middle of the Yankees lineup, McCann is the top value play at catcher.
First Base
Prince Fielder, $3,800 - Fielder has yet to hit a home run this year, but I think he gets on the board Tuesday. He has multiple hits in four of his last five games and faces the inexperienced Drew Rucinski at home in a potentially high-scoring game. Fielder missed most of 2014 due to injury, but he has been hot lately and his salary is at a nice price. Look for Fielder to continue his hot hitting Tuesday night.
Second Base
Stephen Drew, $2,500 - Drew has homered in back-to-back games and has another favorable matchup Tuesday night. He faces the home-run prone Gonzalez in Camden yards, whom he has homered off before, and will look to keep his power stroke going. Drew is cheap and is a great way to save some salary. Also in play is Dee Gordon, $4,000, who has been hot and faces the mediocre Trevor Cahill.
Third Base
Manny Machado, $2,800 - Machado started slowly, but he had a nice game Monday and faces the aging CC Sabathia at home Tuesday. Machado enjoys hitting at Camden yards, evidenced by his .299 average and nine home runs at home last year (compared to .259 and three home runs on the road). He has had success versus Sabathia and is the top value play at third base.
Shortstop
Erick Aybar, $3,000 - There are not many strong options at shortstop, but Aybar stands out as a good value. Aybar switch hits but is much better from the left side, as he hit .290 versus right-handed pitchers along with six of his seven home runs. Facing the right-handed Nick Martinez in a high-scoring game, Aybar is the top value play at shortstop.
Outfield
Kole Calhoun, $3,500 - Calhoun did not start Monday, but he pinch hit and drove in a run and is expected to start Tuesday. Calhoun started hitting over the weekend, producing two doubles and a home run in his last two starts. Like Aybar, he faces Nick Martinez in a high-scoring game and likely will bat leadoff in front of Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. Calhoun also has had success versus Martinez, hitting .375 and slugging .875 off the righty. Calhoun is the best value in the outfield.
Dalton Pompey, $3,100 - Pompey is a rookie, but he is quickly gaining notice around the league. He has moved up in the Toronto lineup to the two spot and has a nice matchup Tuesday night versus right-handed Matt Andriese at home. Pompey switch hits, and though the sample size is small, all of his production has come from the left side. He has two doubles and a home run in his last four games. Look for Pompey keep it going.
Mitch Moreland, $2,400 - Moreland has been hitting fifth for the Rangers and is priced right in a high-scoring game at home. Similar to Prince Fielder, Moreland has big-time power and faces the right-handed Drew Rucinski. Moreland has three extra-base hits in his last five games and likes to face right-handed pitching. Likely to bat fifth, Moreland is the top cheap play in the outfield.
For those who like to "stack" their GPP lineups, the Angels-Rangers game is a great one to target. Yankees-Orioles could turn into a slugfest as well, so feel free to load up on hitters from those teams. Good luck.
