This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Welcome to my Daily Plays article for Tuesday July 21, 2015. The second half of the season is underway, and there are a few potentially high scoring games on the slate, so let's get on to the picks.
Pitcher
Chris Heston, $7,300 - Heston has arguably the best matchup of any pitcher available, and his price tag is very affordable. With an incredible amount of subpar pitchers taking the mound on Tuesday, it is a wise strategy to spend on big hitters. None of the expensive pitchers have great matchups either, as the six most expensive pitchers on FanDuel are all pitching on the road. Heston is also on the road, but he is facing the offensively-challenged Padres in Petco Park. Heston has a 1.80 ERA in three July starts, and has been very effective against right-handed hitters (.233 batting average against), which the Padres lineup primarily consists of. Run support shouldn't be a problem either, as the Giants should score some runs off of Odrisamer Despaigne. Heston is a solid and safe play at a very attractive price.
Joe Ross, $5,000 - Ross, the younger brother of Padre Tyson Ross, is getting recalled from the minors to pitch at home against the Mets. Ross is not only near-minimum priced, but he is facing the worst road offense in baseball. In his last start for the Nationals, Ross struck out 11 Pirates in seven innings, and only allowed one run. He struck out eight Brewers in eight innings on the road prior to that start, so he has already showed that he can dominate any lineup. With double-digit strikeout potential, at a near-minimum price on FanDuel, Ross is the top value pitcher on the board and one of the top pitchers overall regardless of salary.
Catcher
Kyle Schwarber, $2,500 - Schwarber can flat out hit, and the injury to Miguel Montero has opened up playing time for the young left-hander. Schwarber is batting .393 in his brief major league career, but has big time power and has been batting second in the Cubs lineup. He is very affordable on FanDuel, and has a juicy matchup against Raisel Iglesias. Iglesias is young, sports a 5.90 ERA, and has been prone to the long ball in 2015. Assuming Schwarber is in the lineup, he is the top value play at catcher.
First Base
Wilin Rosario, $3,500 - Rosario does one thing well. He crushes left-handed pitching at home in Coors Field. Rosario is only batting .288 versus left-handed pitching, but he is batting .348 at home with a .911 OPS. He is facing Matt Harrison, who just came back from injury, and got shelled in his first start of 2015. He is likely to get shelled again in Coors Field on Tuesday, and Rosario is the best value of the Rockies power hitters.
Second Base
Robinson Cano, $3,200 - Cano is on fire right now and is still very affordable compared to other second baseman. I like both second baseman in the Coors Field game as well, but Cano has an equally appealing matchup, as he faces the struggling Shane Greene in Detroit. Cano is batting over .320 in July, and hit his fifth home run of the month on Monday night. Look for Cano to keep it going against Greene, making him the top value play at second base.
Third Base
Pablo Sandoval, $2,200 - Sandoval is minimum-priced on FanDuel and makes an excellent "punt" play at third base. Nolan Arenado is the clear top option at the position, but he is priced at $5,000, while Sandoval costs less than half of that. Sandoval has struggled in 2015, but he is still batting .301 versus right-handed pitching, with an .811 OPS. Those are solid numbers for a minimum-priced batter, and has a strong matchup against the right-handed Vincent Velasquez, who is getting recalled from the minors to make the start. Sandoval makes an excellent value play on Tuesday night at his price tag.
Shortstop
Troy Tulowitzki, $4,400 - I see no reason to consider anyone other than "Tulo" or Carlos Correa, $3,900, at shortstop. Both players have excellent matchups at home versus a left-handed pitcher. Both crush left-handed pitching. Tulowitzki gets the edge, however, since he is playing in Coors Field and his price tag is not that much more than Correa's. Tulo is batting .397 versus left-handers with a .618 slugging percentage. His matchup is ideal, as he is facing Matt Harrison, so make sure to get him in your lineup. He is one of the top overall plays of the day.
Outfield
Josh Hamilton, $2,900 - Hamilton is the only Rangers outfielder that did not have his price tag increase significantly on FanDuel due to his visit to Coors Field. While Mitch Moreland and Shin-Soo Choo are both priced near $4k, Hamilton is under $3k. Take advantage of the pricing and lock in Hamilton in the outfield. Not only is he facing Kyle Kendrick, one of the worst pitchers in baseball, but Hamilton is starting to heat up at the plate with three extra-base hits over the weekend. Fire up Hamilton, one of the top value plays at any position.
Chris Young, $2,900 - Young has played well for the Yankees in 2015, and he is absolutely crushing left-handed pitching this year. His statistics against southpaws are impressive, as he is batting .360, slugging .686, and has hit six home runs in just 86 at bats. He also has ten doubles in those 86 at bats. He has a solid matchup as well, facing Wei-Yin Chen at home, and is very affordable at under $3k. Young is a strong bet to hit a home run on Tuesday night, and makes an excellent value play.
David Murphy, $2,200 - Murphy makes an excellent value play at his minimum price tag, as he bats cleanup for the Indians when they face a right-handed pitcher. Murphy is batting .307 versus right-handers in 2015, with five home runs and eleven doubles in under 200 at-bats. He also gets a ballpark boost, as the Indians face the struggling Matt Garza in Miller Park. Garza has served up 17 home runs in just 99 innings, so the Indians have a juicy matchup. Assuming Murphy is in the lineup, he is the top "punt" play in the outfield at his minimum price tag.
