This article is part of our FantasyDraft MLB series.
PITCHER
Jose Quintana, CHW vs. SD ($19,800): Quintana doesn't have the highest upside, and he's not the most consistent pitcher in the league, but he's pretty reliable and when presented with the right matchup, he can put up some good numbers. He is averaging 15.15 fantasy points per game, which is certainly respectable, but on the occasions when he's faced the Royals, he's averaged 31.75 per game in two starts. Against better lineups, like the Indians and Orioles, he's struggled, but he's not facing a good lineup Sunday, he's facing the Padres. San Diego is a bottom-5 team in wOBA against lefties, and they have a 22% K% against them as well.
Drew Pomeranz, BOS vs. TB ($15,900): If we can agree that Pomeranz is a good pitcher, then we can agree that he's a good pick against the Rays. He was decimated by the Brewers on Tuesday, but not many teams can match their potency. The Rays have a couple hitters in their lineup who are dangerous, but on the whole they aren't that good, and they strike out more against lefties than any other team in the league.
INFIELD
Jose Abreu, CHW vs. SD ($8,700): Abreu was one of the hottest hitters in baseball, but he failed to carry that momentum into the past handful of games. However he'll now face Jered Weaver, who has allowed at least five runs in his past three starts. Abreu started the season slowly, but he's picked up his game over the past few weeks and now has a respectable .398 wOBA.
Freddie Freeman, ATL at MIA ($9,900): Freeman has scored double-digit fantasy points in three of his past four games, and he'll now face lefty Justin Nicolino. While I generally don't like the lefty vs. lefty matchup, Freeman has a .492 wOBA against lefties this season, so a matchup against a subpar lefty should be no problem.
Nolan Arenado, COL vs. LAD ($10,800): The equation for selecting Arenado is simple: if he's at home, against a non-elite lefty, then he's a go. Arenado is third in the league with a wOBA of .593, and he'll now face Julio Urias, who has the potential to be elite, but he's not there yet. Urias will need to figure out how to pitch better on the road, as his numbers are much better at home through his first two seasons. That might be something that gets better down the road, because not many pitchers improve their road numbers with a trip to Coors Field.
OUTFIELD
Seth Smith, BAL at KC ($7,200):Chris Young takes the hill for the Royals in another spot start, but if he pitches like he did in his first one, his spot starting days will soon be over. Meanwhile, Smith has fared well against righties this season, as his .397 wOBA shows, and it also helps Smith production that he's placed atop the order when facing righties.
Jay Bruce, NYM at MIL ($9,300): If we started Bruce every time he faced a righty, he'd be in our lineup several times per week, and while he's generally a good option, we don't want to get carried away. With that said, when he has a favorable matchup, there's little reason not to use him. Wily Peralta gets the start for the Brewers, and though it looked early on that he had put the troubles of 2016 behind him, he's regressed quite a bit in his past few starts. Meanwhile, Bruce comes in with a .459 wOBA against right-handed pitching this season.
Matt Kemp, ATL at MIA ($8,000): With two Braves on this list, it's obvious that Atlanta is one of the better stacks of the day. Opposing pitcher Justin Nicolino hasn't pitched at the major league level yet this season, and if he were having success in the minors, like Jose Berrios, then I wouldn't stack against him. However, Nicolino has struggled at Triple-A this year, and it's not going to get any easier against a decent lineup in the Braves. Kemp is the second-best bat in the lineup sand he's a righty, so there's little doubt that Kemp will get some against Nicolino. Kemp has scored fantasy points in 17 consecutive games, so he not only has high upside, but a high floor as well.
UTLIITY
Aaron Altherr, PHI at WAS ($7,200): Since the beginning of May, Altherr has 13 hits, including five home runs, in just eight starts. The bulk of his production has come against lefties, which works out well for Sunday's matchup against Gio Gonzalez, who is pitching well this season, but he was lit up in his most recent start. Perhaps some cracks are starting to show. If not, we can always fall back on Altherr's .514 wOBA against lefties this year.
Jose Bautista, TOR vs. SEA ($7,800): Bautista has really struggled to start the season, but his correction seems to have started, as he has hit three home runs in his past four games. He gets a great matchup Sunday against Ariel Miranda, who has been very erratic this season. He has pitched well a few times, so I wouldn't advise a Toronto stack, but Bautista has the green light.
