As has been said before, this is a quick glance or skimming article designed to point you in the right direction in your research. I have been receiving some questions and hints that some of you need a little more direction rather than just player picks here and there. I hope to introduce a “process series” soon of quick little screencast videos so you can follow along as I go through my own research process. You will see where I look and what I specifically look at when researching players. I will also be teaming up with Keith Hall in podcast form to talk some player picks and strategy in downloadable format. You can follow along at any time in your schedule instead of having to catch a live show. Another way is to follow @dfsarmy (DFS Army website) or @Choppography (me) on Twitter or even inside our Premium Slack Channels for MLB and other sports. There are plenty of ways to stay in contact, ask your questions, and receive feedback to make yourself even more competitive when it comes to daily fantasy sports.

Here is our morning graphic….instructions for reading it (should you be new) are at the bottom of the page.

Another hefty slate of games. Yay baseball!! But, since they are all evening games, they shouldn’t take too long to process. You also have plenty of time to read through this and compile your own research.

Weather Notes: OAK/DET – 30-40% chance of showers all day long. BOS/ATL – looks the same on paper, but the rain chances significantly drop off after 9pm EDT. This game should get in for hitters, but a little caution should be exercised for pitchers. In other words, watch any timing of storms closer to lock or just fade the pitching completely. CLE/MIN – 60% at 5pm, 50% at 6pm, dropping off to 10% after 8pm. This suggests any showers/storms will come in early and taper off late. Again, any delays will be towards the beginning of the games and I see no reason the game won’t complete. Watch for timing, though, in case things slow down. Weather is always changing.

PITCHERS

Madison Bumgarner (11000) – This is your top pitcher on the slate despite seeing Syndergaard there with him. MadBum is a little cheaper but brings in the better matchup. His park sucks for hitters. He eats innings like Mike Tyson eats babies. He carries elite strikeout stuff (1.26 K/Inning so far), is a heavy Vegas favorite (-192), has a lot Vegas total and one we really, really like under 7, and faces the Padres….a top 5 strikeout team. More arrows couldn’t be pointing to this guy to have a solid as hell performance tonight.

Danny Salazar (9200) – Here is a slightly cheaper option in another very nice matchup. This one affords you a little in the way of bats should you have an issue finding some value in your construction. Right there with MadBum in his K/Inning numbers so far, he is also a decent Vegas favorite. He faces a team striking out slightly more than the Padres in the Twins but their park is a little more favorable if you get down to the real nitty gritty. I don’t think the pure matchup points to Salazar being the best pitcher, but dollar for dollar I’m leaning this way for some bats.

Noah Syndergaard (11400) – Top pitcher on the slate in terms of talent, but not in terms of matchup. Cincinnati is not striking out a ton today and tosses their own decent pitcher at the Mets. Run support might be hard to come buy for Thor. You can’t argue a 1.45 K/Inning number, but I’d rather take the fresh cheese that is the Padres or Twins. I’d also rather take the savings being that we have games in Coors Field tonight, too. But, I’m not faulting you if you want a piece of Syndergaard one bit.

If I’m on DraftKings, I’m looking at Salazar type pitchers in this price range and rostering two. Or, I’m looking Thor or MadBum and taking a cheaper one like even Kennedy (KCR) or Richards (LAA). But, I haven’t looked into DK, so take that for what you paid for it.

Also consider: Porcello (BOS), Garcia (STL), Walker (SEA)

CATCHER

Yan Gomes (2900) – .240 ISO and hitting 6th in the Indians order isn’t a bad place to start looking for a catcher under 3k in salary. We are going to need some savings if taking the pricey pitchers tonight. Tommy Milone is a pitcher I look to attack when it makes sense. With Gomes, it makes sense.

Jarrod Saltalamaccia (3200) – Salty has been hitting bombs lately. His OPS is well over 1.ooo. He hits a little lower in the order than I like, but he’s a catcher and most don’t hit too high in orders. I’m not afraid of either pitcher in the OAK/DET game. Salty has the pop to get a ball out of any park.

Stephen Vogt (2900) – You can certainly look here for another quality catcher starting off the season right. Again, not afraid of the matchup at all. However, his .209 ISO isn’t quite up there with Gomes for the same price and I may not fear Jordan Zimmerman, but I don’t attack him like Milone when given the chance. For the same price, I’m leaning Gomes.

Also consider: Posey (SFG), Cerevelli (PIT), Wolters (COL), VMartinez (DET)

1st BASEMEN

David Ortiz (3800) – This is a power move based on pitching matchups. Papi has a .340 ISO on the season vs RHP and a boring ATL game might have others looking a different direction……like Coors. He hits cleanup for a nasty BOS lineup that can put up runs in bunches.

Adrian Gonzalez (3700) – Another guy that can hit and does so in the beef of his team’s order. AGon carries not only some power potential but a lot of doubles potential. He drives in a ton of runs and gets on base very often. Wei-Yen Chen doesn’t particularly bother me and AGon has one of the highest ISOs in a surprisingly weak slate for 1B tonight.

Brandon Belt (3200) – This is a combo of a guy flying a bit under the radar and just watching for guys appearing in good spots. SDP pitching isn’t scaring anyone. I don’t like the AT&T park matchup here at all, but for a low 3k cost in a night we need to save money Belt’s .222 ISO suggests he’s hitting lefties for power even if the sample is small. We need to save a little money tonight and no one will be on Belt.

Also consider: White (HOU), Jaso (PIT), Reynolds (COL), Lind (SEA)

2nd BASEMEN

Robinson Cano (3700) – This is my top option on the night. If I’m paying up for any position, I’m honestly looking here. Cano is mashing righties for a .486 ISO this year. That’s serious pop, baby! He may regress, but until this horse bucks, I’ll chase him while you chase Coors Field and their overpriced 2nd basemen. Doug Fister scares me about like the Easter Bunny.

Logan Forsythe (3500) – This guy has been heating up. Kevin Gausman isn’t a guy I shy away from in terms of opposing pitchers either. Logan hits leadoff for the Rays, a team you definitely want to stay in the top of the order with as they aren’t exactly the 1920s Bronx Bombers. But, they do have some sneak in them. I’d prefer Cano for the extra $200, but if you really need the savings….

Neil Walker (3400) – Another where I’d prefer to pay up for Cano. Advanced notice……..there are also a TON of options in the OF tonight, so paying up a bit for 2B is a nice place of scarcity to do so. Walker has been ripping the cover off the ball the past few weeks and you also might consider jumping on him before he regresses and goes ice cold.

Also consider: Jose Altuve (HOU), LeMehieu (COL), Kinsler (DET), Pedroia (BOS)

SHORTSTOP

Jordy Mercer (3600) – Colorado exposure here. Everyone will be on the cheaper guys, but Mercer actually has good splits vs lefties this season. .334 ISO suggests pop and 1.345 OPS suggests reaching base quite often. I expect another nice night here.

Francisco Lindor (3500) – Your best hitter in the Indians lineup makes a nice mini-stack with Gomes their catcher tonight. It’s also a nice way out of Coors should you be fading that game entirely. Lindor has his own OPS at 1.113 right now. Anything over 1.000 is really good.

Zack Cozart (3100) – Contrarian GPP play if you like. No one will be going up against Syndergaard with a game in Coors. Cozart has good numbers vs righties, as do a lot of the Reds…..especially the cheaper ones in their OF. Might be one interesting stack should Thor drop his hammer.

Also consider: Tulowitzki (TOR)…..I’m sure you can find others but I’m not too interested in their matchups. Maybe Alcides Escobar leading off for KCR for savings.

3rd BASEMEN

Nolan Arenado (5400) – I feel foolish for saying I like Cano over this beast, but this price just isn’t feasible imo when taking a pricey pitcher like even Salazar tonight. You can make it work, but I think you sacrifice too much across the rest of your lineup. No doubt this is the best hitting 3B in the world…..and he’s at home in paradise facing a pretty soft pitcher.

Josh Donaldson (5400) – I’m taking Arenado over him all day. However, if you are playing GPPs and can afford Arenado, you might pivot this way because both have double dong power and Arenado can hang an 0-fer while Josh goes ballistic just as easily as it goes the way of the chalk.

Derek Dietrich (2100) – We’ve been using this guy vs righties when he starts. I’m not about to get off him in a night I really need savings. This guy hits for a 1.103 OPS vs righties this year and hits 6th in their order. I can pick up savings in bunches by using him.

Also consider: Freese (PIT), Carpenter (STL – BvP play for GPPs vs Greinke), Shaw (BOS), Longoria (TBR – if stacking Rays like Forsythe)

OUTFIELDERS

So many ways to go here. For me, I was running out of cap space with all the good matchups being in the OF tonight. So, I’m leaning cheaper. If you want pricey here: Bautista (TOR), Polanco (PIT), Rasmus (HOU), Cespedes (NYM) are all in good spots.

Ezequiel Carrera (3100) – Cheaper leadoff exposure to TOR bats here. You get the run if he gets on and gets knocked around by Donaldson, Encarnacion, or Bautista. Not the worst spot and plenty of value. However, if Michael Saunders find his way back into this spot, he’s been even better and I’d gladly pay the difference in price.

Corey Dickerson (3200) – Pretty cheap for a cleanup hitter slapping a .425 OPS this year to go along with a 1.107 OPS. Again, if I’m stacking some Rays here, Dickerson and Forsythe are on my short list.

Matt Holliday (3200) – This is another BvP move vs a struggling Greinke. Personally, Greinke is a bit of a head case and that’s documented back to his KC and MIL days. He gets in his head and it takes him awhile to snap out of it. By now, he has to be in his head and Holliday has 2 homers off him in just 29 ABs. Holliday is also hitting for pop early in the year when he’s traditionally a slower starter. Nice GPP play.

Look to some really cheap GPP plays if you want to stack those Reds. Schebler and Duvall have nice ISO and OPS numbers vs righties and, again, no one in their right mind will be on them tonight. So, it’s a nice stack for a flyer lineup.

Also consider: Pagan (SFG), Tucker (HOU), Raburn (COL), Conforto (NYM), Markakis (ATL), Holt (BOS)

How to read the graphics above:

Home and away teams are pretty simple. Pitchers tend to pitch better at home.

Weather matters huge in MLB. Green is good, red is bad. Anything over a “5” should give you pause in rostering a pitcher. Hitters aren’t as affected, but warming up and shutting down and warming up and shutting down isn’t something managers like to do to their pitchers. Any delays will shorten the “lifespan” of your pitcher and affect the opportunity he has to score you points. A “0” indicates a dome team.

Favored team according to Vegas. Vegas P gives the moneyline and by how much the favored team is favored. The bigger the number, the better our pitchers has a shot at earning the win. I typically look for a number larger than 150. Vegas B shows how many combined runs Vegas is projecting the hitters to score. For hitters, the bigger the better. For pitchers, the smaller the better. The last thing you want is your pitcher on the mound in a slugfest.

Park Factor is a rating assembled by combining historical numbers of runs and home runs scored over the past few seasons. This rating is expressed in comparison to the “average” ballpark. Average is a score of 100. The greater the difference from average, the more the park favors hitters (greater than 100) or pitchers (less than 100). This number is not foolproof, though. For example, if we assembled a team of weak hitters and had them play half their games in a great ballpark, we would undoubtedly see a suppressed ballpark factor rating. But, it does give us a great idea on a given slate where we may/may not see runs scored. Use in conjunction with the Vegas B column. If you see a green number in both columns, you can consider rostering hitters from that game.

In researching pitchers, I want a heavy favorite in Vegas, a red number in Vegas B, and good weather. I also want to see a ballpark that’s bad for hitters, if possible. That’s really about it to narrowing down my list of choices for who I’ll start as a pitcher.

In researching hitters, I want a green Vegas B number, good weather (but it doesn’t have to be perfect), and a hitter’s park to play in, if possible. But, mostly I want terrible pitching on the mound. This is indicated by high run totals (green Vegas B) and even the Vegas P column because a team that is heavily favored “can be” facing terrible pitching. But, that’s getting a bit specific for this quick-hitting column. That simple graphic can really tell you a lot in 30 seconds.