Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

Pitcher

Jose Urena, MIA at PHI ($25): Urena is a hard-throwing righty who doesn't get many strikeouts. While pitchers from that mold can be a bit frustrating, it is worth noting that he has notched a 48 percent groundball rate over 73.2 innings. This should come in handy against the Phillies, as they hold the seventh-lowest flyball rate in the league. They are also the second-worst team in the league against right-handers according to wOBA.

Miguel Gonzalez, CWS at KC ($28): Gonzalez has thrown the ball well in two starts since returning from the disabled list, allowing just three runs over 13 innings. The Royals are a bottom-three team against right-handed pitching this season according to wOBA, and hold the fifth-lowest Runs Above Average score against the slider, a pitch Gonzalez throws 23 percent of the time.


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Catcher

Jett Bandy, LAA vs. TOR ($7): Bandy's effectiveness against lefties has dipped of late, but he still holds a hefty .231 ISO against his opposite hand over 52 at-bats. Francisco Liriano has had trouble against righties this season. He currently holds a 1.6 HR/9 rate and a 13 percent walk rate against right-handed hitters.

First Base

Brandon Belt, SF vs. STL ($12): Belt could be in a position to rack up the points against Mike Leake, as the right-hander will bring a 54 percent groundball rate against Belt's extreme flyball profile. Leake has had two starts since returning from a bout with the shingles. He has allowed seven runs (six earned) across 10.1 innings over that span.

Second Base

Rougned Odor, TEX vs. OAK ($20): Raul Alcantara hasn't fared well in his first two starts at the major league level, allowing seven runs over 8.2 innings. Alcantara has tallied below average strikeout rates throughout his career in the minors, which could make it tough for him to survive in a ballpark like Arlington. Odor has shown excellent power against righties this season, compiling a .252 ISO over 413 at-bats.

Third Base

Todd Frazier, CWS at KC ($13): This game should garner major interest as a stack target due to the fact that Jason Vargas will make his season debut after recovering from Tommy John surgery. Vargas tallied an ERA approaching 6.00 in six rehab starts and could be a sitting duck for someone like Frazier, who has notched a .286 ISO against left-handed pitchers in 2016.

Shortstop

Corey Seager, LAD at ARI ($22): Shelby Miller's disappointing first year as a member of the Diamondbacks manifests itself most clearly when we look at his numbers against lefties, as he has allowed a .416 wOBA and a 1.6 HR/9 rate against southpaws over 46 innings. Seager has logged a .405 wOBA and a .224 ISO in 128 games versus righties.

Outfield

Carlos Gonzalez, COL vs. SD ($15): Edwin Jackson has looked sharp over his last two outings but may struggle to continue that success at Coors Field, as he holds a 7.59 ERA in four road starts (21.1 innings). Gonzalez isn't having the dominant power year that we have grown accustomed to, but he still carries a .212 ISO and a .379 wOBA against righty pitchers.

Christian Yelich, MIA at PHI ($18): Advanced metrics tell us that Jeremy Hellickson should be getting hit harder by lefties, as evidenced by his 5.03 xFIP over 73 innings. Yelich may be just the man for the job due to his 3.4 Runs Above Average score against the changeup, a pitch Hellickson throws more than a quarter of the time.

Nelson Cruz, SEA vs. HOU ($19): Mike Fiers has had trouble pitching away from Minute Made Park in 2016, having logged a 5.43 ERA on the road. Cruz has notched a .235 ISO and a .368 wOBA against same-handed pitchers this season.

Other Options: Carlos Beltran, OAK at TEX ($13); Jose Bautista, TOR at LAA ($16); George Springer, HOU at SEA ($18)

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. Christopher Olson plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: Sommerset, FanDuel: Christop, Yahoo: Martins.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christopher Olson
Christopher Olson writes DFS articles and blogs for a variety of sports including MLB, NFL and MMA. Follow him on Twitter @RealChrisOlson
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