What’s up everyone! Like normal, below I’ve got a discussion on the starting pitchers from tonight’s slate, as well as the best teams to stack from and an individual set of player rankings.

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Pitching Perspective

Friday night is a fun night, and the pitching options tonight make it even better. On my fingers and toes I counted at least six starters worthy of “ace” billing, and of the six, just about all of them have plausible matchups.

Below is the list of guys (no particular order) that take the bump tonight that should catch your eye.

1. Chris Sale
2. Felix Hernandez
3. David Price
4. Johnny Cueto
5. Masahiro Tanaka
6. Madison Bumgarner

That’s a pretty solid list of starting pitching options to choose from, and as I mentioned above, most of these guys have a solid matchup tonight.

Coincidentally, the top two guys I listed up there square off tonight at Safeco Field in what should be an awesome pitcher’s duel. Chris Sale is my favorite of the two, but he’s also the pricier option. He’s checking in at an astronomical $13,200, which will be tough to pay for (especially given all the options), but he’ll make for a solid tournament option. Sale is striking out almost 12 hitters per nine innings…and no, that is not a typo. The other side of this pits King Felix against an up and down Chicago White Sox team sporting an implied runs total of three runs (equal to that of the Mariners). We’ve seen some not so hot games against King Felix this year, but I wouldn’t be too concerned tonight. His price is very accessible, and he’s still doing “Felix-like” things. He’s getting a ton of groundballs, and striking out a reasonable amount of hitters per nine innings, while not issuing many free passes. He’ll be a popular option for both cash games an tournaments tonight.

Vegas will tell you next to look towards Madison Bumgarner who will be making an important start at PNC Park against the Pirates tonight. I spoke at length about Bumgarner the last time he pitched, and the same holds true for tonight. He’s striking out close to ten hitters per game, he’s not walking anyone, and he’s not giving up the long ball. PNC Park isn’t quite as cozy as his home park, but it’s a great place to throw the ball around. His price leads him into the oblivion of tournament options, especially given a quality opponent, but he should be considered.

That leaves David Price, Johnny Cueto and Masahiro Tanaka as the lone aces left to discuss. Of the three, Cueto and Tanaka jump off the page a little more thanks to their accessible price tags. Much like the rest of the top guys, Price has a salary over $12,000 and will be tough to pair with another top arm, unless you’re nixing any exposure to Coors Field tonight.

With that being said, a look at Cueto and Tanaka and their matchups against the Red Sox and Indians yields similar results. Both of these guys have pretty similar peripherals, and while I think Cueto is the safer overall play, Tanaka is the one with the better matchup according to our friends in Vegas. I’m opposing their viewpoint here, giving the nod to Cueto as the safer cash game option, while leaning towards Tanaka in tournaments.

If you’re looking for an even cheaper option tonight, look towards Andrew Cashner at Petco Park. Cashner is so cheap, that I’m even in favor of using him in cash games against a banged up Cardinals offense. He’s an underdog, but with his strikeout potential, and a low implied runs total for the Red Birds, I’m game.

1. Coors Field – This is easy, and obligatory with Bartolo Colon and Jon Gray on the mound. The Mets will be receiving a huge park boost and boast some solid bats looking to try and squander a decent start for rookie right-hander Jon Gray. I’ll be trying to slot in Lucas Duda, Curtis Granderson and others tonight.
2. Comerica Park – I don’t typically pass these off just because of the ballpark, but another pair of bad right-handers goes off in Comerica. Justin Verlander and Colby Lewis shouldn’t scare any hitters right now, because this isn’t 2012. The Rangers bats will be a little more accessible in terms of price, but the Tigers pack a bigger punch. Anthony Gose will be a nice value atop their order and you can find decent prices through the middle with Victor Martinez hitting behind Miguel Cabrera.
3. Baltimore Orioles – I feel like I’m always putting the Orioles in this blurb, but with good reason. The O’s have a really solid offense, a great ball park, and their facing a really weak left-handed pitcher that suits their team overall. Adam Jones and Manny Machado are my two favorites, but don’t shy from Chris Davis just because of the left-hander, as Tommy Milone struggles to send people back to the dugout with their bats in their hands.

Player Rankings

Catcher

1. Buster Posey -$4,200 – San Francisco Giants
2. Matt Wieters -$3,400 – Baltimore Orioles
3. Salvador Perez- $3,500 – Kansas  City Royals

First Basemen

1. Lucas Duda -$5,000 – New York Mets
2. Ben Paulsen -$3,200 – Colorado Rockies
3. Prince Fielder -$4,300 – Texas Rangers

Second Basemen

1. Daniel Murphy -$4,400 – New York Mets
2. Jose Altuve -$4,400 – Houston Astros
3. Brian Dozier -$4,700 – Minnesota Twins

Shortstops

1. Jose Reyes -$4,700 – Colorado Rockies
2. Carlos Correa -$4,900 – Houston Astros
3. JJ HArdy -$2,600 – Baltimore Orioles (cheap option)

Third Basemen

1. Nolan Arenado -$5,100 -Colorado Rockies
2. Josh Donaldson -$5,500 – Toronto Blue Jays
3. Manny Machado -$4,500 – Baltimore Orioles

Outfield

1. Adam Jones -$5,200 – Baltimore Orioles
2. Carlos Gonzalez -$5,400 – Colorado Rockies
3. Michael Conforto /Curtis Granderson -$4,100/$4,800- New York Mets
4. Anthony Gose -$3,500 – Detroit Tigers (if he leads off)

Starting Pitchers

1. Chris Sale -$13,200 – Chicago White Sox
2. Felix Hernandez -$9,900 – Seattle Mariners
3. Andrew Cashner -$6,000 – San Diego Padres
4. Madison Bumgarner -$11,200 – San Francisco Giants
5. Johnny Cueto -$10,200 – Kansas City Royals
6. Any other option listed above.