DraftKings MLB: Monday Picks

DraftKings MLB: Monday Picks

This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.

PITCHER

Kenta Maeda, LAD vs. LAA ($9,700): Maeda was regarded as more of a contact pitcher heading into his stateside debut, but his 12.1 percent swinging strike rate this season is good for 16th-best in the league. The Angels continue to struggle against right-handed pitching this season, and they are a bottom-10 team against the slider, a pitch that Maedea throws over 34 percent of the time.

Adam Conley, MIA at PHI ($8,200): The Phillies are a bottom-5 team against left-handed pitching this season, and strike out against southpaws almost 24 percent of the time. Conley has vacillated between mediocrity and brilliance this season, but he has not been scored upon in three of his seven starts, striking out a combined 22 batters in those outings.

CATCHER

Yasmani Grandal, LAD vs. LAA ($3,400): After allowing four runs in just four innings in his last start against the Cardinals, Matt Shoemaker sent out a tweet asking "whoever has a voodoo curse on me, please reverse it now." We can understand the sentiment, as Shoemaker has allowed a whopping 17 runs in his last three outings. He may not get much of a reprieve from Grandal, as he sports an extreme ground-ball rate to match up against Shoemaker's fly ball tendencies.

FIRST BASE

Edwin Encarnacion, TOR vs. TB ($3,700):Drew Smyly has tremendous strikeout stuff but is showing homer problems once again. Encarnacion has struggled a bit overall, but he has destroyed lefties, notching a .290 ISO and a .389 wOBA over 31 at-bats.

SECOND BASE

Starlin Castro, NYY at ARI ($3,300):Robbie Ray has shown no evidence that he can find the zone against right-handed hitters, walking 17 in just 25 innings. Castro has been consistent against both sides of the platoon this season, but he has been a bit better overall against his opposite hand, notching a .356 wOBA over 47 at-bats.

THIRD BASE

Adrian Beltre, TEX at OAK ($4,100):Sean Manaea may have what it takes to be a successful major league pitcher one day, but he needs to be considered as a stack option until he proves that he can pitch at the highest level. Beltre has done most of his damage against left-handed pitching this season, posing a .397 wOBA over 38 at-bats.

SHORTSTOP

Corey Seager, LAD vs. LAA ($4,400): We will look to attack Shoemaker wherever possible, as he currently sports a walk rate of nine percent and has allowed six home runs in just 24.2 innings. Seager carries a GB:FB rate of nearly 2:1 in his career, which should give him an excellent chance to have success against the beleaguered Angels starter.

OUTFIELD

Jackie Bradley Jr., BOS at KC ($4,000):Yordano Ventura has continued his plunge off the cliff, as he has walked more batters than he has struck out, while his xFIP against left-handed hitters is approaching 7.00. Bradley has been playing out of his mind of late, and now holds a .603 slugging percentage in 36 games this season.

Gregory Polanco, PIT vs. ATL ($4,500):Williams Perez threw a sharp eight innings against the Phillies in his first start since being recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett, but he still has a 10:8 K:BB ratio and a 6.10 xFIP against left-handed hitters in four major league outings. Polanco has notched a .202 ISO with an OBP of .408 against his opposite hand this year.

Ian Desmond, TEX at OAK ($4,000): Desmond's surge has occurred almost entirely at the expense of left-handed pitchers, as he now has a remarkable .324 ISO against them with a .415 OBP over 37 at-bats.

Other Options: Mookie Betts, BOS at KC ($4,700) Joc Pederson, LAD vs. LAA ($4,000) Steven Souza Jr., TB at TOR ($3,700)

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Christopher Olson plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: Sommerset, FanDuel: Christop, Yahoo: Martins.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christopher Olson
Christopher Olson writes DFS articles and blogs for a variety of sports including MLB, NFL and MMA. Follow him on Twitter @RealChrisOlson
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