Yahoo DFS Baseball: Wednesday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Wednesday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

Pitcher

Robbie Ray, ARI at LAD ($32): The Dodgers continue to languish near the bottom of the league against southpaws with a .283 wOBA, ranking only ahead of the Phillies in that category. Ray has been up and down all season but has shown some serious upside, having tallied 47 fantasy points against the Padres two starts ago and 31 fantasy points against this same Dodgers squad back on July 17. He's also scored between 22 and 47 fantasy points in his last four road starts, posted double-digit strikeouts in three of his last eight trips to the mound, and tallied nine whiffs in another start over that span. Considering the Blue Crew strikes out at a 21.6 percent clip against lefties, Ray shapes up as an intriguing tournament play.

Noah Syndergaard, NYM at CIN ($54): Syndergaard is in play for cash games or tournaments against a Reds squad that strikes out at a 21 percent clip against righties. He also brings a 10.44 K/9 into Wednesday's game and totaled 24 fantasy points against the Reds in his only other encounter with them this year back on April 25. With an upside north of 40 fantasy points, he should be one of the safer, albeit pricier, pitching options on the slate.


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Catcher

Stephen Vogt, OAK vs. LAA ($9): Vogt brings a near-minimum price and plenty of upside against Angels starter Alex Meyer, whose limited exposure to major league hitting to date has been anything but pleasant. Left-handed hitters have tagged Meyer over a very limited sample for a .597 wOBA and 7.41 xFIP, while Vogt has hit 10 of his 11 homers on the season off righties.

First Base

Albert Pujols, LAA at OAK ($19): Pujols draws a favorable matchup on the other side of the Angels-A's matchup against rookie Jharel Cotton who, despite some considerable strikeout upside, has also has given up 20 homers this season in the minors over 135 innings. He could certainly have some jitters in his first major league start and Pujols is the type of veteran slugger that could exploit them. He boasts a .326 wOBA and 20 homers against right-handed pitching along with a 37.5 percent hard contact rate when facing that handedness on the road. He's also been swinging a hot bat, with double-digit fantasy points in three of his last four games.

Second Base

Jason Kipnis, CLE vs. HOU ($20): Kipnis is in prime position to exploit the vulnerabilities of Astros starter Doug Fister against lefty bats, which are even more pronounced when facing them outside of Minute Maid Park. Fister has yielded a .401 wOBA, 12 homers, 2.44 HR/9 and a 37.3 percent hard contact rate to left-handed hitters on the road, while Kipnis counters with a .372 home wOBA, and a .394 wOBA, .241 ISO and 44.1 percent hard contact rate against righties at Progressive Field as well.

Third Base

Kyle Seager, SEA vs. TEX ($18): Rangers starter A.J. Griffin has a .409 wOBA, 2.77 HR/9, 20.5 percent HR/FB rate and 5.06 xFIP against left-handed hitters on the road, numbers that could certainly be a harbinger of trouble against Seager. The slugging third baseman has a robust .364 wOBA at home and a .413 wOBA, .218 ISO and 40.5 percent hard contact rate there against right-handed pitching. He's already off to a hot start in September as well, with a .357 average and .401 wOBA over his last four games.

Shortstop

Francisco Lindor, CLE vs. HOU ($17): The switch-hitting Lindor is another target to use against Fister, considering his significant struggles with left-handed hitters that were previously detailed. Lindor is a stronger hitter at home and from the left side, posting a .398 wOBA at Progressive Field and a massive .418 wOBA there against right-handed pitching. He's also riding a nice hot streak to date in September, with four multi-hit outings and a .536 wOBA over his first 16 at-bats on the month.

Outfield

Mike Trout, LAA at OAK ($27): Trout is another highly viable right-handed option against Cotton, who could serve as some wide-eyed prey for one of the hottest bats in baseball. The All-Star went into Tuesday's action with six straight double-digit fantasy point outings along with a .500 average, .662 wOBA and a pair of homers over his first four games in September. Trout also brings an absurd .437 wOBA, .271 ISO, 21.2 percent HR/FB rate and 42.7 percent hard contact rate against right-handed pitching, making him an excellent play in a matchup he should be able to exploit.

Jose Bautista, TOR at NYY ($17): Bautista takes aim at Yankees starter Bryan Mitchell, who'll be making his first start of 2016 and who gave up a .378 wOBA and 33.3 percent hard contact rate to right-handed hitters last season. Bautista boasts a .347 wOBA and 12 of his 17 homers on the season against righty arms, along with a 41.1 percent hard contact rate against that handedness outside of Rogers Centre.

Khris Davis, OAK vs. LAA ($18): Davis is a high-upside option from the other side of the plate against Meyer, who's had a difficult time with right-handed hitters as well. Davis always brings double-digit fantasy point upside and has smacked 27 of his 35 homers on the season against right-handed pitching. He's blasted 19 of those bombs at home, where he's also generated a .352 wOBA, .323 ISO and 40.9 percent hard contact rate against righty arms.

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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