Yahoo DFS Baseball: Thursday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Thursday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

Pitcher

Chris Sale, BOS at PHI ($59): At his current price, Sale is by no means a lock for value even with a good matchup, but on this slate, it's hard to avoid him. Sale isn't pitching as well as he was earlier in the season, but that just means that he's merely pitching at a very high level, not a ridiculous one. He gets a nice matchup here against the Phillies, who are just a middle of the pack team against lefties this year in both wOBA and K rate.

Jose Berrios, MN vs SEA ($44): Not a great matchup for Berrios, but again, there aren't a lot of great or even good options on this slate. Berrios came out of the gate very strong this season and although he hasn't been as sharp in his past few starts, he's still managing to rack up points. Berrios is averaging 24.7 points per start, which puts him on a tier just below the elite pitchers in the league right now. His matchup against Seattle isn't terrible, but it's not great either as Seattle is a top 10 team in wOBA against righties this season.

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CATCHER

Gary Sanchez, NYY at OAK ($22): Sanchez comes at a high price, especially for a catcher, but the way he's been hitting lately he's certainly worth it. Sanchez showed the baseball world what he was capable of when he was called up last season and while he cooled considerably towards the end of the season, he seems to be back to that level over the past couple weeks. Sanchez has five home runs and 12 RBI over his past six games and while the matchup against Sonny Gray isn't a great one, at this point, he's nearly matchup proof.

FIRST BASE

Jose Abreu, CHW vs BAL ($19): Chris Tillman was having a bad season heading into his most recent start -- and then he gave up nine runs to the Yankees. His ERA has ballooned to 8.02 and he has another tough matchup in front of him against the White Sox. Leading the way on the White Sox is Abreu, who is averaging 6.8 points per game this season, but 8.9 over his past six games.

SECOND BASE

DJ LeMahieu, COL vs SF ($17): Matt Moore takes the hill for the Giants and, considering this game is at Coors Field, the Rockies are in-play for a stack. The Rockies are generally tough to stack at home because of their high salaries, but LeMahieu comes in a decent price for his production. Even on this stacked team, LeMahieu holds the second best wOBA against lefties on the Rockies at .400.

THIRD BASE

Nolan Arenado, COL vs SF ($23): The Rockies are back in Colorado for the next four days, which means it's time to look for possible stacks at Coors Field. While the Giants are facing a decent pitcher, the Rockies get Moore, who will likely struggle. Moore brings a 5.27 ERA into this matchup, which at Coors, is probably the equivalent of a 7.00+ ERA. Arenado has been crushing lefties all season to the tune of a .528 wOBA, which is good for second in the majors.

SHORTSTOP

Eduardo Escobar, MN vs SEA ($7): Escobar has been on a tear lately with 15 hits in his past seven games. He gets what looks like a tough matchup on paper against Mariner starter Ariel Miranda, but when you consider he's been much better against lefties this season than righties, suddenly the matchup swings in favor of Escobar. Escobar's wOBA against lefties this season is a very impressive .400.

OUTFIELD

Eric Young Jr., LAA vs KC ($14): Young is due to slow down at some point, but he's showing no signs that the regression is imminent. Since taking over for the injured Mike Trout, Young has averaged 9.4 points per game, which is only 1.4 points off the torrid pace that Trout had posted prior to injury. Young has been equally as good versus lefties and righties this season, so a matchup with lefty Matt Strahm shouldn't worry us.

Avisail Garcia, CHW vs BAL ($19): Tillman's situation reminds me a bit of Gerrit Cole's, but the difference is that while Cole has been bad in stretches this season, Tillman has been bad the entire year. With that in mind, the White Sox are a great stacking option on this slate. Garcia has been the most productive White Sox hitter this season and he's been the best against righties as well. Garcia is averaging 7.6 points per game and his team-leading wOBA comes in at .369.

Jorge Bonifacio, KC at LAA ($13): Bonifacio continues to impress for a Royals team that has underperformed for most of the season. Bonifacio leads the Royals in wOBA against righties this season and he gets a matchup with righty Ricky Nolasco, who has been vulnerable for most of the season. Bonifacio and the Royals as a whole have been much better over the past couple weeks, which bodes well for Bonifacio as he's in a prime spot in the lineup.

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. Greg Vara plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: lennykarl1, DraftKings: lennykarl1.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Greg Vara
Vara is the lead golf writer at RotoWire. He was named the FSWA Golf Writer of the Year in 2005 and 2013. He also picks college football games against the spread in his "College Capper" article.
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