This article is part of our FantasyDraft MLB series.
PITCHERS
John Lackey, CHC vs. MIL ($19,600): Lackey had over 20 fantasy points in his first two starts, racking up 17 strikeouts over his first 12 innings. The Brewers struggled mightily against right-handed pitching last season, posting a .309 wOBA and league-worst 25.8 percent strikeout rate. Not much has changed in the early going this year, as they're whiffing at the second-highest clip (26.7 percent) against that handedness and have shown just a modest improvement in wOBA (.321). Lackey was also particularly effective at Wrigley Field last season, posting a 2.62 ERA and .206 BAA over 16 home starts.
Robbie Ray, ARI at LAD ($18,800): Any time a left-hander is on the mound against the Dodgers, they're definitely worthy of fantasy consideration. When it's a pitcher with as much strikeout upside as Ray, the appeal is that much greater. The D-Backs' southpaw looked strong against the Giants in his first two trips to the mound this season, and he posted 29.60 fantasy points on the strength of eight Ks over 6.2 innings his last time out in a road start. Ray racked up 33 strikeouts against the Dodgers over 25 innings last season, while Los Angeles is tallying a .288 wOBA and 21.2 percent strikeout rate in 203 plate appearances against left-handed pitching this season.
INFIELDERS
Jose Altuve, HOU vs LAA ($9,900): Altuve's sluggish start to the season is quickly becoming a distant memory, as he's hit safely in four straight and six of his last eight. That's led to four consecutive double-digit fantasy point tallies, and Angels starter Jesse Chavez could well facilitate more of the same. He's surrendered a .405 wOBA and 37.5 percent hard contact rate to the first 24 right-handed hitters he's faced this season, a .324 wOBA and 41 homers to that handedness over his career, and a .350 average (7-for-20) with a pair of doubles to Altuve.
Jose Ramirez, CLE at MIN ($7,800): Speaking of hitters on a torrid pace, Ramirez followed up a 4-for-4, six-RBI explosion Saturday with a run-scoring double and walk Sunday, keeping his batting average at .349 and extending his AL co-leading RBI total to 13. The switch-hitting Ramirez has done the majority of his damage against right-handed pitching, posting a .423 batting average, .536 wOBA and hitting all three of his homers against that handedness. That follows a 2016 season when he posted a .312 average and .351 wOBA against righties, confirming the stellar small sample from this season. Meanwhile, Twins starter Kyle Gibson is already struggling against both sides of the plate this season, giving up a .368 wOBA, two homers and 37.5 percent hard contact rate to the first 21 lefty bats he's faced after allowing a .380 wOBA and 31.5 percent hard contact to that handedness last year.
Yonder Alonso, OAK vs. TEX ($6,000): Alonso has shown some impressive improvement at the plate in the early going and is posting a .333 average and .365 wOBA over his first 28 plate appearances against righties. Meanwhile, Rangers starter A.J. Griffin has yielded a .483 wOBA, 7.43 xFIP and 46.2 percent hard contact rate to the first 16 lefty hitters he's seen this season, and he allowed a .406 wOBA (which rose to .448 on the road), 18 homers and a 44.4 percent hard contact rate last year.
OUTFIELDERS
Wil Myers, SD at ATL ($8,400): Myers draws a matchup against Braves southpaw Jaime Garcia, who's opened 2017 by giving up a .433 wOBA and 38.7 percent hard contact rate to right-handed hitters. That small sample is hardly an outlier, as Garcia yielded a .342 wOBA, 1.45 HR/9, 22 homers and 32.6 percent hard contact rate to righty bats in 2016. Myers has only logged 13 plate appearances against left-handed pitching this season and posted a 55.6 percent hard contact rate in that very modest sample, but he tallied a .349 wOBA, .204 ISO and 38.8 percent hard contact rate against lefties last season.
Josh Reddick, HOU vs. LAA ($7,200): Angels starter Jesse Chavez has been effective against lefties in a small 17-batter sample this season, but a look at both his 2016 and career numbers paint a different picture. Chavez yielded a .364 wOBA and 1.50 HR/9 to the 113 lefty bats he faced in 2016, and a .330 wOBA and 45 homers to that handedness over his nine-plus major-league campaigns. Meanwhile, Reddick punished righties in 2016, posting a .322 average, all 10 of his homers, a .371 wOBA and 32.8 percent hard contact rate.
Manuel Margot, SD at ATL ($6,400):Matt Joyce ($5,100) also makes for a viable punt play for those who need a lot more savings, but Margot is worthy of consideration based on both his early-season numbers and brief but strong track record against lefties. The Padres' leadoff hitter already has a seven-game hitting streak on his ledger this season, along with three homers and seven extra-base hits. He's also posted a .322 wOBA and 42.9 percent hard contact rate in 27 career plate appearances against southpaws, while Braves starter Jaime Garcia's issues against right-handed hitters were detailed earlier.
UTILITY
Freddie Freeman, ATL vs. SD ($8,800): On the other side of what could be a high-scoring Padres-Braves matchup is Freeman, who'll get a crack at Jered Weaver, who has already been hit hard by lefties in a very small sample this season (.343 wOBA yielded to first 27 left-handed hitters), but his issues run much deeper. He allowed a .365 wOBA and 1.78 HR/9 to lefty bats in 2016, and 131 career round-trippers to that handedness. With a fastball that's in the low 80s, he makes for a huge target for Freeman, who's already posting a .333 average, .440 wOBA and 47.8 percent hard contact rate against right-handed pitching in 2017, along with a .462 wOBA at SunTrust Park.
Francisco Lindor, CLE at MIN ($8,000): Twins starter Kyle Gibson's issues with left-handed hitters were detailed earlier, and Lindor is another potent switch-hitting bat in the Indians' lineup who could exploit him Monday. He's already hitting .370 with three homers, a .508 wOBA and 42.3 percent hard contact rate over his first 34 plate appearances against righties, which is simply a small-sample extension of last year's success, when Lindor posted a .306 average, 10 homers and a .351 wOBA against right-handed pitching.
