This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Pitcher
Madison Bumgarner, SF at KC ($55): How bad have the Royals been in 2017? They've averaged 3.00 offensive runs per game, the lowest mark in baseball. It gets even worse when we talk about lefties, as Kansas City is slugging just .233 over their first 105 plate appearances. Bumgarner has struck out 24 batters over 21 innings (three starts) while logging a 3.43 ERA.
Dallas Keuchel, HOU vs. LAA ($48): The Angels haven't been quite as bad as the Royals overall, but share similar problems against lefties, as they have notched a .281 slugging percentage over 108 plate appearances. Keuchel has allowed just two runs in his first 21 innings this year.
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Catcher
Brian McCann, HOU vs. LAA ($16): JC Ramirez's first start of the season had a predictable outcome, as he surrendered five runs (including a home run) over five innings. It's logical to expect that a mediocre reliever will have even worse results as a starter, and last week's outing against the Royals lends credibility to that hypothesis. An Astros stack will probably be quite popular on the main slate, but it may be too juicy to pass up given the man on the mound.
First Base
Joey Votto, CIN vs. BAL ($21): Votto has shown power and patience against righties, tallying a 12 percent walk rate and .220 ISO over 41 at-bats. Ubaldo Jimenez is a candidate to get hit hard by his opposite hand every time he steps on the mound. He finished 2016 having allowed a .506 slugging percentage against lefties, and has surrendered three runs in 4.1 innings this year.
Second Base
Dustin Pedroia, BOS at TOR ($13): Francisco Liriano's high strikeout and walk rates make him a boom-or-bust starter that can get blown out in one-third of an inning against the Rays, or notch a 10-strikeout, two-run performance over 6.2 frames against the Orioles. Pedroia could have the skillset to force the former, as he tallied a RAA of 4.8 against the slider in 2016, a pitch Liriano throws more than 30 percent of the time.
Third Base
Jake Lamb, ARI at SD ($18): Jhoulys Chacin's ugly peripherals against lefties in 2016 are translating to uglier surface stats this season, as he has allowed a .656 slugging percentage over 7.2 innings. Lamb showed the potential to destroy right-handed pitching even while slumping, and finished the year with a hard contact rate of over 42 percent.
Shortstop
Asdrubal Cabrera, NYM vs. PHI ($18): Vince Velasquez begun his shift towards the three true outcomes in 2016, and has continued his quest this year, notching a 17:7 K:BB and allowing three homers over nine innings. Cabrera has kept a strikeout rate under 18 percent for his career, while tallying a 31 percent hard contact rate against righties.
Outfield
Matt Holliday, NYY vs. CWS ($14): Dylan Covey survived his major league debut despite finishing his 5.1 innings with a 1:3 K:BB. Covey posted a 4.20 ERA in his minor league career, and seems to be a likely candidate for a blowup, particularly when pitching in small ballparks.
Mark Trumbo, BAL at CIN ($13): Amir Garrett has thrown the ball well in his first two major league outings, but there are reasons to be concerned about future performance when it comes to righties. Garrett has kept a hard contact rate of 35 percent against his opposite hand, while striking out just seven of 39 batters faced. Trumbo is off to a slow start this season, but tallied a .212 ISO against lefties last year.
Bryce Harper, WAS at ATL ($22): Julio Teheran typically struggles with his command against lefties, and 2017 has been no exception, as he has walked eight batters over 9.1 innings. Harper has always had excellent power against right-handed pitching, as evidenced by his career .243 ISO.
