Yahoo DFS Baseball: Monday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Monday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

PITCHER

Bartolo Colon, NYM at ARI ($36): The ageless Colon is coming off a start against this same D-backs squad in which he generated 27 fantasy points on the strength of a seven-inning, one-earned run, eight-strikeout effort. He's demonstrated a ceiling north of 30 fantasy points on multiple occasions this season and Arizona owns a poor .310 wOBA against right-handed pitching, along with a 23.2 percent strikeout rate.

Brandon Finnegan, CIN vs. MIA ($33): The Marlins have struck out at a 22.6 percent clip against southpaws this season, and are now down one of their most potent right-handed bats in Giancarlo Stanton. Finnegan has also been outstanding over his last three starts, with six scoreless innings in each of the first two and a six-inning quality start against the Cardinals in his most recent start. He's flashed a 28-fantasy point ceiling this season and could be primed for a solid outing given the Marlins' reduced supply of power and his recent performances.

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CATCHER

Sandy Leon, BOS at CLE ($15): There's zero reason to fade Leon given both his incredible tear and the fact that his price refuses to budge. He has double-digit fantasy points in four of his last five games and is hitting .390 in 136 plate appearances this season. He also draws a good matchup against Indians starter Josh Tomlin despite the latter's solid record, as Tomlin has given up a whopping 27 homers this season, 12 coming off lefty bats. Leon has a .398 wOBA and .220 ISO against right-handed pitching, along with a 55 percent hard-contact rate against that handedness on the road.

FIRST BASE

Wil Myers, SD at TB ($17): It's never a bad idea to deploy some right-handed power bats against Rays starter Drew Smyly, who's given up 23 homers this season, 17 to right-handed hitters. He's admittedly been much better at home, but has still surrendered 11 round-trippers to righty bats at Tropicana Field. Meanwhile, Myers' body of work against southpaws includes a .441 wOBA and .283 ISO, along with a 42.1 percent hard-contact rate when facing them on the road. There's also the matter of the Rays being one of Myers' former clubs, which might provide him with a bit more incentive.

SECOND BASE

Ian Kinsler, KC at DET ($18): Myers' teammate Ryan Schimpf ($18) is also an interesting option in this spot given that Smyly struggles with left-handed hitting at home, but I'm tabbing Kinsler against another long ball-prone hurler in the Royals' Ian Kennedy. Kinsler has a .367 wOBA at Comerica Park this season and a .344 wOBA and 15 homers against right-handed pitching. Kennedy has yielded a .327 wOBA and eight homers to right-handed hitters on the road this season, and a 43.8 percent hard-contact rate in his last two starts.

THIRD BASE

Danny Valencia, OAK at TEX ($11): Valencia represents a cost effective way to capitalize on Rangers starter Martin Perez's struggles against right-handed hitters. Perez has yielded a .342 wOBA and 12 of his 13 homers this season to righty bats, and a .343 wOBA and 32.4 percent hard-contact rate when facing them at Globe Life Park. Valencia boasts a .431 wOBA and .267 ISO against southpaws and a whopping .647 wOBA,.778 ISO and four homers over 23 road plate appearances against that handedness.

SHORTSTOP

Brad Miller, TB vs. SD ($22): Miller has been knocking the cover off the ball and draws a matchup that could elicit more of the same in Padres starter Luis Perdomo, who's yielded a .371 wOBA to lefty bats that rises to .416 when facing them away from Petco Park. Miller already has five homers in August, as well as a .370 wOBA , .331 ISO, 22.8 percent HR/FB rate and 35.7 percent hard-contact rate against right-handed pitching at home. Perdomo has also been going downhill in his first pair of August starts, generating a bloated 6.17 ERA and .420 wOBA over 11.2 innings.

OUTFIELD

Mookie Betts, BOS at CLE ($24): Betts put on a show Sunday against the D-backs, smashing three homers and driving in a eight runs. That's not the only reason for his inclusion in this spot, however, as Josh Tomlin has been even more vulnerable to right-handed hitters. The Indians' starter has given up a .403 wOBA to righty bats at home this season, along with a 36.2 percent hard-contact rate. Betts has decimated right-handed pitching to the tune of a .383 wOBA and .228 ISO, along with 17 of his 23 homers.

Michael Saunders, TOR at NYY ($13): Saunders represents a cheap source of power against Yankees starter Chad Green, who's surrendered a .469 wOBA and six homers to left-handed hitters over a 60-batter sample this season. Although Saunders has actually fared better against southpaws, he's been no slouch against right-handed pitching, generating a .352 wOBA, .210 ISO and 12 homers.

Nick Franklin, TB vs. SD ($10): Franklin is coming off a performance against the Yankees on Sunday when he totaled 26 fantasy points on the strength of a 3-for-5 performance that included a homer and three RBI. He's netted double-digit fantasy points in two of his last four starts and as a switch hitter, can potentially take advantage of the .416 wOBA that Padres starter Luis Perdomo surrenders to left-handed hitters on the road. Conversely, Franklin boasts a .386 wOBA against right-handed pitching at home with an impressive 40.5 percent hard-contact rate.

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. Juan Carlos Blanco plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: jcblanco22, FanDuel: jc_blanco22, DraftPot: jc_blanco22, FantasyDraft: jc_blanco22, OwnThePlay: jcblanco22.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juan Carlos Blanco
Winner of the FSWA 2016 Newcomer of the Year Award, Juan Carlos Blanco has been playing fantasy sports for over 20 years and covers NBA, MLB, NFL, CFL and Arena Football for Rotowire.com, including serving as the beat writer for teams in multiple sports. He has previously written for KFFL.com and remains an avid season-long and daily fantasy player in multiple sports as well.
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