This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Yahoo DFS baseball returns Monday with a three-game slate, beginning at 1:05 p.m. EDT when the Yankees take on the Rays at Tropicana Field. Trying to pick a proper offense can seem a bit taxing when each team is trotting out their best hurler, but we can still find a bit of edge scattered throughout the schedule.
PITCHER
Masahiro Tanaka, NYY at TB ($50): Those targeting Tanaka will note the tremendous strikeout upside, as the Rays struck out more than 24 percent of the time against righties last season. Tampa has enough power to leave the yard against any pitcher, but Tanaka should be able to hold them at bay, having surrendered only 22 homers in 199.2 innings last year.
Zack Greinke, ARI vs. SF ($46): Greinke is bound to go overlooked in a slate stacked with ace pitchers, but those discounting him based on his 4.37 ERA last season may be overlooking the fact that he still kept an xFIP under 4.00, and the Giants were one of the worst teams in the league at hitting for power on the road.
CATCHER
Gary Sanchez, NYY at TB ($21): The catcher options are a bit underwhelming to kick off the season, but it's hard to go wrong with Sanchez, who boasted a whopping .351 ISO against righties last year. Sanchez also clocked in at three runs above average against the slider, a pitch Archer threw 40 percent of the time.
FIRST BASE
Paul Goldschmidt, ARI vs. SF ($23): It's tough to pick against Madison Bumgarner in any context, but it's worth noting that he struggled with home runs on the road last season, allowing 19 balls to leave the yard in 109 innings. Goldschmidt pounded left-handed starters in 2016, notching a .224 ISO over 125 at-bats.
SECOND BASE
Ben Zobrist, CHC at STL ($16): Zobrist's offensive contributions can sometimes be minimized due to the fact that he is not a big power threat, but the 29-year-old put forth another excellent season in 2016, tallying a .174 ISO and .360 wOBA over 147 games. While he may not have the ability to put the ball over the fence like Goldschmidt or Sanchez, Zobrist's ability to work counts, get on base and grab an occasional steal make him a solid play against most pitchers.
THIRD BASE
Kris Bryant CHC at STL ($23): Bryant can be used as a core player in lineups despite a tough matchup against Carlos Martinez, as he notched an ISO of .239 against righties last season. Batted ball splits make Bryant a particularly interesting play, as he will take his 46 percent fly-ball rate into the matchup against Martinez, who got grounders at a 56 percent clip in 2016.
SHORTSTOP
Brad Miller, TB vs. NYY ($13): Miller's power surge came out of nowhere in 2016, but the 30 home runs he belted solidified his spot as the cleanup man for Tampa to begin 2017, which could allow owners to see some more RBI, as he is hitting behind players like Evan Longoria. Miller notched a .239 ISO last year, and he could have ample opportunity to square up the offerings of Masahiro Tanaka, as the Japanese import allowed a hard contact rate of over 32 percent from both righties and lefties.
OUTFIELD
Dexter Fowler STL vs. CHC ($17): Fowler's .380 wOBA in 2016 would be enough to justify his selection against most pitchers on a short slate, but there could be an added bonus against a pitcher like Jon Lester, who has allowed 100 stolen bases in the last four years. Fowler may never be a huge stolen base threat, but was able to swipe 13 bags in 2016.
Hunter Pence, SF at ARI ($15): Pence has been something of a forgotten man after injuries limited him to just 158 games in the last two seasons, but he still has the ability to take the ball out of the yard, as evidenced by his 13 homers in 442 at-bats. Greinke kept a 4.36 xFIP against same-handed hitters last year, while allowing a hard contact rate of 30 percent.
A.J. Pollock, ARI vs. SF ($20): Pollock missed the bulk of last season with a groin issue, and while he struggled this spring, the 29-year-old still carries a .208 ISO against left-handed pitching in 418 career at-bats. He has also performed well against the slider, a pitch Bumgardner threw a third of the time last year.
