This article is part of our FantasyDraft MLB series.
PITCHER
Carlos Martinez, STL vs. CIN ($19,200): Sometimes you have to dive deep into the numbers to find value and sometimes, it smacks you right in the face. Martinez, fresh off shutting down the Cubs, gets the punchless Reds and he's not even the highest-priced pitcher on the board. Martinez posted 10 strikeouts in his first start, a reasonable goal for this game, with a win of course.
Jake Arrieta, CHC at MIL ($18,400): Early last season, Arrieta looked like the living reincarnation of Cy Young himself. His performance regressed as the season wore on, but one thing was clear: when Arrieta is locked in, he's as good as anyone in baseball. While it's impossible to say that Arrieta is locked in after just one start, but he looked pretty darn good in his first start. Milwaukee is not exactly going to test our Arrieta theory because the Brewers are actually very pedestrian against right-handers, at least they were last season, posting the fourth-worst K% against righties last season.
INFIELD
Jose Altuve, HOU vs. KC ($9,300): Altuve is off to a slow start this season, but as Kris Bryan proved Saturday night, the best hitters stay cold for only so long. Altuve has a great matchup to break out of his slump against Nathan Karns, who posted a 5.94 ERA on the road last season while allowing a .375 wOBA against righties. Altuve hit righties better last season, finishing with a .395 wOBA, good for 15th in the majors.
Carlos Correa, HOU vs. KC ($9,200): You'll have to pay up for the top-tier Astros, but there's good reason for it. Though Correa didn't hit righties at quite the level that Altuve did last season, he still finished with a very respectable .360 wOBA. He hit 15 of his 20 home runs against righties last year and his average was nearly 50 points higher. Correa is also off to a slow start this season, but like Altuve, he has a great opportunity to bust out.
Chase Headley, NYY at BAL ($6,900): On the hill for the Orioles on Sunday will be Wade Miley, who was awful against right-handed batters last season. Unfortunately, the Yankees' best right-handed hitter, Gary Sanchez, just went on the DL, which moves us to the switch-hitting Headley, who hit righties and lefties equally last season. Given the matchup with Miley, access to the Yankees' lineup is a must.
OUTFIELD
Jay Bruce, NYM vs. MIA ($6,600): Bruce is off to a bit of a slow start, but he's always hit righties well and opposing pitcher Edison Volquez posted a monstrous ERA on the road last season. Bruce posted an impressive .361 wOBA against righties last season, a number that was nearly .080 points higher than against lefties. He has always been a hit or miss guy, so you have to pull the trigger when the matchup appears to be in his favor.
Brandon Guyer, CLE at AZ ($6,000): Guyer is not a regular in the lineup, but he usually starts against left-handed pitching. The reason, of course, is that he mashes lefties, hitting .333 and posting a .437 wOBA against them (ninth-best in baseball) last year. This is a nice matchup not only because of Guyer's prowess versus lefties, but because Corbin is awful against righties. Corbin's xFIP against lefties last season was 1.65 points higher than it was against righties.
Jose Ramirez, CLE at AZ ($7,200): As mentioned, Patrick Corbin really struggles against righties, and while there are plenty of good options in the Indians' lineup, Ramirez is a nice mid-tier option price-wise. He is a switch hitter and his wOBA is about the same from both sides of the plate, but he's a better hitter from the right-side. You could take just about any right-handed hitter in the Cleveland lineup, with price the only real factor to consider.
UTLIITY
Anthony Rizzo, CHC at MIL ($10,000): In what was one of the best lineups in baseball last season, no one hit right-handed pitching better than Rizzo, who posted a .404 wOBA against righties, 10th-best in the league. Opposing Rizzo is Zach Davies, who posted a 4.35 xFIP against lefties last season. That's not horrible, but it's obviously worrisome when you are facing an opponent as strong against righties as Rizzo.
Ryon Healy, OAK at TEX ($7,200):Martin Perez takes the mound for the Rangers, whenever you see Perez on the slate, the first thing you need to do is look for good right-handed bats in the opposing lineup. Unfortunately, the A's don't really have many bats from either side that jump out, but Healy is a guy who should be able to take advantage after posting a .374 wOBA against lefties last season.
