Innaugural MLB PIcks Friday

C1- Mike Napoli TEX- Napoli is facing the lefty in Danks which we like because Danks isn't a normal dominant opening day starter. This should give for a good matchup with Napoli.

C2- Joe Mauer MIN- Mauer is a pure hitter and in a game versus a right handed pitcher like Arrieta we really like him. Arrieta isn't overpowering by any means and a great hitter for average like Mauer should have no problem getting at least 1 hit.

1B 1- Albert Pujols LAA- If you have the extra money then definitely splurge on Pujols here. Facing Bruce Chen should be an easy task for Pujols. One of the greatest hitters in the game versus a softer throwing lefty.. Hmm...

1B 2- Michael Young TEX- Young will be a solid play all season young with his high batting average and with the lineup that he is in. He has hit well as of late in spring training and we like the matchup against the lefty Danks.

2B 1- Jose Altuve HOU- Altuve is a young hitter that catapulted himself from High A last season all the way to the big leagues and played well. He is free swinging, so we won't necessarily like him all season long, but against the Rockies and Jeremy Guthrie is tempting. Altuve gives you an option for second base that isn't going to make you want to rob a bank.

2B 2- Dustin Ackley SEA- We give you a cheaper option here at second base. Ackley should continue to hit well as he is just a great young hitter. He is facing a guy he has already seen this season. He hit a home run off of McCarthy last week.

3B 1- Aramis Ramirez MIL- Ramirez is going to make his debut with his new team. Facing a lefty at home (a hitter's ballpark) is a matchup we like to exploit.

3B 2- Josh Donaldson OAK- This is a hunch pick here. Oakland has said that Donaldson is their guy at third base, so we know he'll start. He is just 4K which means you can give yourself extra money to spend on guys like Pujols and Young. He is 1 for 3 on the year, so why not?

SS 1- Troy Tulowitzki COL- The shortstop selections are tough today and we think that you should just go with Tulo. He is facing a lefty in Wandy Rodriguez that isn't going to overpower him.

SS 2- Dee Gordon LAD- Gordon is a rookie with some solid potential. He isn't going to hit for any power, but it won't matter. A single will mean more stolen base opportunities. Luebke is a less experienced pitcher than most that you'll see pitch this weekend and it seems to be a good matchup for Gordon.

OF 1- Matt Kemp LAD- Kemp at this price is still a bargain. He hit a bomb last night, and we like him to use that great speed and power to get us some good points.

OF 2- Yoenis Cespedes OAK- Cespedes is 2-6 on the year with a home run and a double. That's some good pop for a guy in his rookie season. He has already seen Vargas this season and has massive power potential.

OF 3- Justin Upton ARI- Upton is a great talent that is only 23 years old. We don't necessarily love the matchup of Upton vs Lincecum, but we love how great of a hitter he is. He is only 8.3K and if you saved some money at other positions then he is a nice play.

OF 4- Adam Jones BAL- Jones is facing Pavano who gives up plenty of hits when he pitches. He isn't overpowering at all, and Jones had a great spring training and we like him to continue it today.

OF 5- Nick Markakis BAL- Markakis is ranked pretty low among OF and is facing one of the worse pitchers that will be throwing today. It's not that Pavano isn't great, but it's more about how he gives up plenty of hits. He does get a good amount of double plays though. We like Markakis to be one of the guys on the Orioles to get a hit or two.

SP 1- Ian Kennedy ARI- Pitching at home against the Giants should be a solid matchup for Kennedy. The Giants offense already isn't that great and should be behind considering at this point of year pitchers are always ahead of hitters.

SP 2- Jered Weaver LAA- You could argue that he is the top pitcher tomorrow facing a team like the Royals. The Angels should have no trouble winning this game considering they are facing Bruce Chen. The only reason why we have him ranked behind Kennedy is because the Royals lineup should be pretty decent this season.

SP 3- Yovani Gallardo MIL- As everyone saw Wednesday night, the Cardinals offense is a different then last year's lineup. With no Pujols, Holliday has less protection. Berkman and Beltran had decent games so that is something to look at throughout the year. Gallardo has great stuff and this should be a game that the likes of Weeks and Braun should take advantage of the lefty Garcia.

SP 4- Brandon McCarthy OAK- McCarthy has already faced Seattle this season and pitched very well. In 7 innings, he only gave up one run. The Mariners just aren't that good and this should be a game that at the very least McCarthy gets thru 6-7 innings with 2 or less runs given up.

RP 1- Joe Nathan TEX- We really like Texas in tomorrow's matchup versus the White Sox. Nathan is coming off a season in which he was the setup guy for the Twins, but should be fine going back to the closer position.

RP 2- John Axford MIL- Axford had a very strong season last year, and this year against a weaker National League we like him even more. We like the Brewers to win this game and it should be a low scoring affair.

RP 3- J.J. Putz ARI- Putz came back from a couple of bad seasons to become a dominant reliever again last season. We think this game should be low scoring between the Diamondbacks and the Giants with the Diamondbacks coming out on top.