Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

PITCHER

Chris Sale, BOS vs. TB ($57): Sale comes with the highest price on this slate but there's good reason. He is generally a good matchup against just about any team, but he's a great matchup against the Rays, who posted a .318 wOBA against lefties last season (18th in the league). Additionally, the Rays had the worst K% against lefties last year and Sale is one of the best strikeout pitchers in the game. There are a lot of high priced pitchers on the docket, but none hold as much value as Sale.

Ervin Santana, MN vs. CHW ($41): Santana is off to a great start this season, as he's 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA through two starts. One of those starts was just last week against the White Sox, and it could happen again, as Chicago ranks 24th in wOBA against right-handed pitching and have the second-worst K%.

CATCHER

Travis d'Arnaud, NYM at MIA ($9): The Mets are one of the worst teams against right-handed pitching, but they are very strong against lefties, and d'Arnaud is a big reason for that. Entering this weekend, d'Arnaud has the best wOBA against lefties this season. His prowess against lefties is something that began this season, so he's likely to regress at some point, but as long as the team continues to batter lefties, d'Arnaud is going to get plenty of chances to knock in runs, and at this price the risk is relatively low.

FIRST BASE

Joey Votto, CIN vs. MIL ($21): Votto gets a crack at Zach Davies and if Davies' first two starts are any indication of how this one will go, Votto's in for a big day. Through two games this season, Davies has surrendered 11 runs in just over nine innings. Most of his struggles can be attributed to his inability to get lefties out, while Votto posted a .429 wOBA against righties last season, good for third in the majors

SECOND BASE

Ben Zobrist, CHC vs. PIT ($16): Zobrist isn't the first name that comes to mind when thinking about the powerful Cubs lineup, but he's an integral part of it. He's off to a slow start this season, but he has a great chance to snap out of it Saturday against Tyler Glasnow, who didn't even make it through two innings in his last start. Zobrist has batted cleanup for most of the season and if he remains there, he's going to have a lot of great opportunities to drive in runs.

THIRD BASE

Wilmer Flores, NYM at MIA ($8): Flores is a guy you want to target anytime there is a lefty on the mound. He posted the second-highest wOBA against lefties last season, and he paid off Thursday with a three-run homer against one. Feel free to target Flores against just about any lefty in the league.

SHORTSTOP

Xander Bogaerts, BOS vs. TB ($17): The right versus righty matchup is generally one to avoid, but Bogaerts has an advantage Saturday. Jake Odorizzi is the rare righty that fares better against lefties than he does righties. Last season, righties posted a .343 wOBA against Odorizzi, a number that was .089 points higher than lefties. Bogaerts hits lefties and righties at about the same rate, but he's had Odorizzi's number over the 33 plate appearances, posting a .468 wOBA in 24 at-bats.

OUTFIELD

Yoenis Cespedes, NYM at MIA ($21): Cespedes is the most likely Met to produce against Adam Conley, which is saying a lot because Flores and D'Arnaud should both have good games as well. While Flores was a monster against lefties last season and D'Arnaud has crushed them this season, Cespedes has handled the southpaws with ease both this year and last, ranking seventh in wOBA against lefties last season and he's currently second this season.

Billy Hamilton, CIN vs. MIL ($18): Zack Davies' struggles were discussed earlier, and while the Reds are a right-handed heavy lineup, they do have a couple lefties who should thrive against Davies. Hamilton is a much better hitter against righties, but more importantly, he's a much better runner against righties, as 46 of his 58 stolen bases came with a right-handed pitcher on the mound.

Leonys Martin, SEA vs. TEX ($8): Martin is your low priced platoon special. Andrew Cashner takes the hill for the Rangers and throughout his entire career he's been awful on the road. Last season, lefties at home posted a .465 wOBA against Cashner. Martin's wOBA against lefties and righties last season was nearly identical, so there's no advantage there, but Cashner's trouble against lefties, especially on the road, provides an advantage for any lefty in the lineup for Seattle.

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. Greg Vara plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: lennykarl1, DraftKings: lennykarl1.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Greg Vara
Vara is the lead golf writer at RotoWire. He was named the FSWA Golf Writer of the Year in 2005 and 2013. He also picks college football games against the spread in his "College Capper" article.
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