There are a few fantasy baseball daily picks I’m willing to spend rather heavily on today.

I’m tired of missing out on Edwin Encarnacion’s power surge. I’ll be rostering him for $12,200 tonight at DraftDay.

It starts at the top with the arms. Catcher, however, is a mighty fine spot to bank some savings as two sub-$7,000 options should be rostered. Not even I can ignore the hottest hitter on the planet, but have no worry gamers, you won’t have to do currency exchange for the stud north of the border. The other side has a pair of cheap infielders who will help offset a heavy first base expenditure. All four of my middle infield choices face southpaws today, and the outfield is ripe with a pair of mashers.

Remember to enter a contest at DraftDay tonight so you can win big with these fantasy baseball daily picks. The $109 Field of Dreams boasts a $5,000 prize pool tonight-with $2,000 for first! I’ll be in the $15 Knuckleball and $3.30 Wiz Walkoff, which are two of my favorite games.

All salaries listed are for DraftDay.

Fantasy Baseball Daily Picks - Pitchers

My Pick: Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals, $16,200

When Strasburg can be had at a price less than forking over your first born, it’s almost impossible to pass him up. His strikeout rate of 27.9 percent is the fourth best among qualified starters, and he’s missing bats while walking only 6.2 percent of them. The only thing keeping Strasburg’s ERA and WHIP from being elite are a silly .357 BABIP. If you think hitters are going to continue having that much success on batted balls against him, you’re delusional. The Nationals are the biggest favorite according to all of the sports books listed on SBRForum, and that bodes well for Strasburg picking up a win and the extra 10 points that come with it.

Value Pick: Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco Giants, $15,950

Bumgarner has a tough matchup from an opposing pitcher standpoint (he’s facing Adam Wainwright), but the Cardinals hitters are another story. They have not hit southpaws well at all this year, swatting just .239/.315/.356 against them. Like Strasburg, Bumgarner is also in the top-10 in strikeout rate, putting away 26.3 percent of the batters he’s faced this year via strike three. The Giants southpaw also ranks in the top-30 in walk rate, having given free passes to just six percent of the batters he’s faced. Rounding out the parallels with Strasburg, Bumgarner has also had the misfortune of a very high number of the batted balls against him resulting in hits (.346 BABIP). I don’t often choose two pitchers priced in the top-10 to feature in my articles, but when I can have filet mignon for a bit more than the first drive-thru burger option I’d pick as a value arm, I’m going to eat like a king.

Fantasy Baseball Daily Picks - Catchers

My Pick: Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals, $6,750

I love Perez today. The primary reason for my infatuation is that he’s facing lefty J.A. Happ. The Royals backstop has hit .336/.379/.566 with a 155 wRC+ in 309 plate appearances against lefties in the majors. His average is just .229 this season against lefties, but the 111 wRC+ is still above league mean. Further playing in the catcher’s favor is the fact that Happ isn’t particularly good against right-handed batters. The southpaw has faced 2,353 right-handed batters in his big league career, and they own a .337 wOBA against him. The cherry on top of using Perez is that he’ll be playing at Rogers Centre today, where the right-handed batter home run park factor is 119.

Value Pick: Wilson Ramos, Washington Nationals, $5,400

As if Perez wasn’t a nice enough value, for just $400 more than the minimum salary Ramos is a hell of an alternative. The Nationals catcher is rounding into form after a slow start upon his activation from the disabled list in early May. He’s now recorded at least one hit in five straight games. He also reached the seats for the first time in a three hit effort during his last start on Wednesday. Manager Matt Williams has slotted Ramos either cleanup or fifth in the order in each of his starts, which is sweet for run production upside. There is so much value to be had using Ramos against the very hittable Colby Lewis.

Fantasy Baseball Daily Picks - First Basemen

My Pick: Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto Blue Jays, $12,200

I’m not one for chasing hot streaks in daily games because they are fleeting, and it’s anyone’s guess when it will end. That said, Encarnacion is locked in and he’s an elite hitter anyways, so I don’t feel so dirty being enamored with his run in the month of May. The slugger had a three game streak of hitting taters from May 25-27, but failed to give the outfield fans a souvenir on Wednesday. He made up for that on Thursday by hitting a pair, which was his fourth multi-homer game this month. Eleven of his 18 dongs this year have been hit at home, and since 2010 (his first full season with the Blue Jays after joining them in the middle of the 2009 season) he has hit .277/.375/.565 with a 152 wRC+ in 570 plate appearances against southpaws. Lefty Jason Vargas doesn’t stand a chance against Encarnacion.

Value Pick: Brandon Moss, Oakland Athletics, $8,500

I’ll concede that I don’t love the fact Moss is playing at home today since Oakland is tough on left-handed power, but that’s really the only ding against him. Among first basemen he ranks in the top-5 in homers and RBIs, and in the top-10 in runs scored. He’s carried over a reduced strikeout rate from the second-half of last season to this year, and that’s reflected in a career best batting average thus far. If you’re not going to use Encarnacion, you darn well better spend substantially less on an alternative. Moss fits the bill.

Fantasy Baseball Daily Picks - Second Basemen

My Pick: Brian Dozier, Minnesota Twins, $10,000

Dozier is playing a little above his skills, but he’s still a power/speed threat who is also an above average offensive player. This is especially apparent when compared to his peers at second base and shortstop. He’s also quickly establishing himself as a headache for left-handed pitchers. Since 2012 Dozier has 293 plate appearances against lefties, hitting .289/.353/.529 with a 142 wRC+ and 13 home runs. He’s facing a below average left-handed pitcher today, and he’s doing so in the bandbox that is Yankee Stadium (130 right-handed batter home run park factor). That five figure price tag doesn’t seem so steep after looking at the whole picture.

Value Pick: Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee Brewers, $7,000

Weeks disappointed me earlier in the week when I touted him against a lefty, but I’m not afraid to give him another endorsement. The 31-year old second baseman is a career .262/.386/.441 hitter with a 126 wRC+ in 1,166 plate appearances against lefties. Southpaw Travis Wood is passable against right-handed batters, but not so good that he’ll dissuade me from sneaking a cheap Weeks onto some rosters. He also receives the benefit of  playing at homer friendly Miller Park, where right-handed batters have a home run park factor of 124.

Fantasy Baseball Daily Picks - Third Basemen

My Pick: Neil Walker, Pittsburgh Pirates, $8,350

The uptick in batting average I promised for Walker in a previous article is coming to fruition. On May 1st, Walker was hitting a putrid .231. As I write this (in the late innings of the Dodgers/Pirates game on Thursday night), his average is up to .282 with a two hit performance. Almost everything else in Walker’s statistical goody bag was already sweet, and the batting average just adds to the fun. He’s swatted 10 homers, a mark that would rank tied for the third most among third basemen if that was his primary position. He’s also chipped in 26 runs and 27 RBIs, marks that would both crack the top-10 at the position. The switch-hitting second baseman will get a huge power boost as a left-hander playing at Dodger Stadium, where the home run park factor is 121. Walker is a rock solid option at either third base or second base today.

Value Pick: Trevor Plouffe, Minnesota Twins, $7,700

Dozier isn’t the only Twins player that has been good against southpaws the last few years. Since 2012, Plouffe has 326 plate appearances against lefties and has hit .260/.340/.481 with a 126 wRC+ and 14 homers. He’s hitting third in the Twins lineup, and it’s hard to argue with being directly behind on-base machine Joe Mauer. As I noted above in Dozier’s write-up, Yankees starter Vidal Nuno isn’t very good. Yankee Stadium is also a homer haven. Plouffe isn’t a star, but he’s a well above average offensive player against southpaws, and the other factors drive his value up today.

Fantasy Baseball Daily Picks - Shortstops

My Pick: Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox, $9,000

Bogaerts is a burgeoning superstar, as he already ranks third in wRC+ at shortstop with a 129 mark. His season slash line sits at .296/.388/.425, and his plate discipline belies his youth. Bogaerts has recorded multiple hits in eight of his last 15 games, and he’s gone hitless in only three of those. He’s ascended to second in the order, and while I don’t love a showdown with Rays starter David Price, there are enough factors working in his favor that he’s worth a $9,000 investment at a terrible offensive position.

Value Pick: J.J. Hardy, Baltimore Orioles, $7,500

Hardy is hitting .296 this year, but his power has been notably absent and he’s slugging only .361. That’s odd for a shortstop with above average power, and more likely an aberration than a startling development. He’s hit more than 20 homers in three straight seasons, and the 77 he’s hit from 2011-2013 are the most at the position. The right-handed hitting shortstop has long hit southpaws better than his same-handed counterparts, and in 1,253 plate appearances against lefties he’s slashed .267/.338/.464 with a 111 wRC+. Drop him in Minute Maid Park, where the right-handed home run park factor is 108, and I’m drinking the Kool-Aid.

Fantasy Baseball Daily Picks - Outfielders

My Pick: Carlos Quentin, San Diego Padres, $10,100

Quentin is a designated hitter trapped on a National League team. The Padres are facing an American League team on the road, and it would be criminal for them to not take advantage of Quentin as their DH. The former Stanford Cardinal is a beast with the lumber. From 2012-2013 the oft injured outfielder only totaled 660 plate appearances, but did serious damage in his limited time on the diamond hitting .268/.368/.498 with a 144 wRC+. He’ll return to his old stomping grounds, U.S. Cellular Field, to face his employer from 2008-2011. In 246 games played at U.S. Cellular Field, Quentin has totaled 857 at-bats and hit .257/.361/.515 with 59 homers. Quentin has almost an identical platoon split against right-handed and left-handed pitchers, but White Sox starting pitcher John Danks has developed one over the last few years. The southpaw pitcher was tough on right-handed batters from 2008-2010, but he’s struggled since. From 2011 through this year Danks has faced 1,286 right-handed batters, and they’ve hit .265/.325/.456 with a .339 wOBA and 45 homers. Find room for Quentin in your rosters.

Value Pick: Jay Bruce, Cincinnati Reds, $8,150

Bruce is in the midst of a forgettable season, hitting an ugly .192/.311/.320 with a 73 wRC+. His strikeout rate is up for the fifth straight year, and it’s not coming with his trademark power. That said, 148 plate appearances is way too small a sample size to give up on Bruce and turn a blind eye to his three straight years of eclipsing 30 homers. As much as I like Bruce’s thump, it’s a matchup with Bronson Arroyo that has me really stoked. Arroyo is worthless against left-handed batters. It’s remarkable to think about the fact he’s been a dependable and useful starter when factoring in how horrific he is against lefties. The right-handed pitcher has faced 4,555 left-handed batters, and they’ve annihilated him hitting .283/.339/.486 with a .355 wOBA. I’ll give you a second to wrap your mind around that. Now that you’ve had a second, get him into your lineups.

* Batted ball data and splits information comes from that which is provided at FanGraphs unless otherwise stated, and ballpark factors are those found at StatCorner and are for a three-year rolling average.