This article is part of our FantasyDraft MLB series.
There is just one day game on Tuesday, with the remainder of the games at night, so for purposes of this article we'll focus on the night card.
PITCHER
Kenta Maeda, LAD vs.SD ($18,400): There's not a ton of fire power on the mound Tuesday, so matchups will be more important than normal. Enter Maeda, who will throw against what could end up being the worst lineup in the majors this season. Clayton Kershaw was unavoidable Monday because San Diego was awful against lefties last season, but guess what: the Padres were even worse against righties, posting a .291 wOBA, which was worst in the league
Johnny Cueto, SF at AZ, ($19,800): Finding a second pitcher with eight games is usually pretty easy, but deciding on Cueto was anything but. While Maeda and the Dodgers are heavy favorites, every other game is pretty much a toss up. San Francisco is a slight favorite, and while I generally like Cueto, I don't like using a pitcher in Arizona. With that said, Arizona's K-rate versus righties last season was the third-highest in the league, and Cueto is a strikeout pitcher. He may give up a few runs, but he should get his fair share of strikeouts and likely a win.
INFIELD
Evan Longoria TB vs. NYY ($7,600): Longoria is a little more expensive than I'd like to see him, but he's hard to overlook when considering his numbers against CC Sabathia. Normally, we don't put too much weight behind head-to-head numbers, but considering Longoria has faced Sabathia 86 times, we can make use of his numbers. Another factor when considering BvP data is the current performance level of each player. While Longoria is as strong as he's ever been, Sabathia has seen better days. The point here is that Longoria has a wOBA of .544 against Sabathia and a lot of that came when the latter was a much better pitcher than he is now.
Jose Altuve, HOU vs. SEA ($9,300): This is another case where a batter has a long history with an opposing pitcher. In this case, both Altuve and Iwakuma have basically played at the same level for the past few years, so it's okay to put some weight behind the numbers. Lifetime, Altuve has a .436 wOBA against Iwakuma over 43 plate appearances. It's not just Iwakuma that he takes advantage of though, as Altuve battered a number of righties last year. His wOBA was higher versus righties than lefties last season, along with every other statistical category.
Robinson Cano, SEA at HOU ($8,100): It's no secret that Seattle boasts one of the best left-handed lineups in baseball, and the heart of that lineup is Cano, who faces righty Lance McCullers. Cano posted the 13th-highest wOBA against righties this season, and unless he's facing an elite right-hander, Cano should always be considered in that situation.
OUTFIELD
Hunter Pence, SF at AZ ($7,600): If you are looking for a stack, look no further than the Giants, and specifically their right-handed hitters. Patrick Corbin is a lefty who is okay against left-handed batters, but it's a different story against righties, who hit Corbin for a .363 wOBA last season, and it was worse at home where he posted a 5.77 ERA. Pence's wOBA last year was nearly identical against both lefties and righties, but considering Corbin's deficiencies against righties, Pence should be able to take advantage.
Mike Trout, LAA at OAK ($9,300): With all that he brings to the table, Trout is a viable option just about every night. but he has a great matchup Tuesday against Sean Manaea, who really struggled to get right-handers out last season. Hitters posted a .091 higher wOBA from the right side versus the left last year, and his xFIP was 1.50 higher against righties too.
Abraham Almonte, CLE at TEX ($6,300)/Brandon Guyer, CLE at TEX ($6,000): These two are in a platoon until Lonnie Chisenhall returns, and both can hit from the right side, so whoever gets the start is a good option. Opposing starter Martin Perez allowed a wOBA .098 points higher against righties than lefties, and because the Indians don't have a ton of right-handed hitters, we have to take advantage with either Almonte or Guyer.
UTLIITY
Buster Posey, SF at AZ ($7,800): Everything mentioned for Pence holds true for Posey: he's a right-handed batter in the San Francisco lineup who should feast on Corbin. Unlike Pence, Posey was much better against lefties last season than righties, posting a .381 wOBA against last season, which was .057 points higher than against righties. The projected total of this game is the highest on the board, and both Pence and Posey should get in on the action.
Kyle Seager, SEA at HOU ($7,600): Seager trailed Cano by just .006 in wOBA last season against righties, which put him in the top 20 in that category in all of baseball. This game has among the highest projected run total and a majority of that should come from Seattle and its left-handed hitters.
