Yahoo DFS Baseball: Wednesday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Wednesday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

Pitcher

Jacob deGrom, NYM vs. ATL ($43): I will stop short of saying we should spam pitchers against the Braves, but it's hard to pass up someone as talented as deGrom in this spot. The 28-year-old notched a 3.04 ERA in 148 innings last season, allowing just four runs in his three starts (19.2 innings) against Atlanta along the way. DeGrom has a good chance to keep the strong performances coming, as he steps on the mound against a team that finished 2016 with the fifth lowest wOBA against right-handed pitchers (.308).

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Alex Cobb, TB vs. NYY ($30): Cobb posted a hefty 8.59 ERA over 22 innings last season in his return from Tommy John surgery, but said he feels good ahead of what will be a favorable matchup. The Yankees struggled mightily on the road last season (.298 wOBA), and ended the year with the fourth lowest RAA (runs above average) in the league against the curveball, a pitch Cobb has thrown at a 21 percent clip in his career.

Catcher

Cameron Rupp, PHI at CIN ($11): Rupp absolutely torched lefties last year, slugging .632 against them in 68 at-bats. Brandon Finnegan used improved stuff to lower his ERA almost two full points in the second half (2.93), but still allowed 11 homers in 70.2 innings over that span. While his penchant for striking out isn't ideal against someone like Finnegan, Rupp could provide value at a reduced cap hit in order to build up at premium positions.

First Base

Paul Goldschmidt, ARI vs. SF ($20): Matt Moore showed some improvement last year, but was still hammered on the road to the tune of a 5.02 ERA. Goldschmidt slugged .576 against lefties in 2016, while also compiling an 8.0 RAA against the curveball, a pitch Moore threw 22 percent of the time.

Second Base

Daniel Murphy, WAS vs. MIA ($22): Dan Straily outran his peripherals by a wide margin in 2016. This is particularly evident against lefties, as Straily posted a 3.87 ERA with a 5.39 xFIP. Few hitters have the ability to hasten regression like Murphy, who slashed .354/.396/.614 against his opposite hand last year.

Third Base

Nolan Arenado, COL at MIL ($22): One would think that a guy with a big fastball who keeps the ball on the ground like Wily Peralta would have a bit more success, but his struggles over the past few years have branded him a perennial stack target in the world of DFS. Not only did Arenado destroy righties last season (.289 ISO), he also has a juicy profile matchup ahead of him. The 25-year-old hit the ball in the air 47 percent of the time in 2016, and notched an 8.0 RAA against the slider, a pitch Peralta threw at a 31 percent clip.

Shortstop

Corey Seager, LAD vs. SD ($19): Trevor Cahill made just one start last year while pitching for the Cubs, with all 50 of his other appearances coming out of the bullpen. Seager posted a .223 ISO against righties during his impressive rookie season, and should be able to take advantage of Cahill's inflated walk rate (12.2 percent) and his 36 percent hard contact rate against lefties.

Outfield

Corey Dickerson, TB vs. NYY ($14): Michael Pineda should get his share of strikeouts against the Rays, but there is an excellent chance he will give up at least one homer. Dickerson notched a 45 percent flyball rate last year, which should play well against the Yankee's heavy groundball tendencies. It is also worth noting that Pineda allowed a 36 percent hard contact rate to left-handed hitters.

Mike Trout, LAA at OAK ($24): Jharel Cotton had an impressive cup of coffee in the majors in 2016, but allowed three homers in his 15.2 innings against righties and maintained a below average strikeout rate, resulting in an xFIP of 4.32. Trout tallied a 7.3 RAA against the changeup, a pitch Cotton threw more than 28 percent of the time in 2016.

Adam Duvall, CIN vs. PHI ($15): Duvall showed immense power from both sides of the plate in 2016, resulting in a .257 ISO. Jerad Eickhoff found success with his curveball, but it may not serve him well in this matchup, as Duvall posted a 7.3 RAA against the pitch last season.

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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