DraftKings MLB: Saturday Picks

DraftKings MLB: Saturday Picks

This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.

PITCHER

Robbie Ray, ARI vs. LAD ($8,600): We could go even bigger in this spot with Carlos Carrasco, but Ray is cruising and just struck out 10 Dodgers his last time on the mound. The Dodgers have faced more lefties than any team this season and sport a mediocre .282 wOBA against them. Ray has looked great in his first three starts, striking out 24 while only allowing 10 hits.

Chase Anderson, MIL vs. STL ($5,700): A.J. Griffin (who just hit the DL) was my original play, but Anderson will suffice in a plus matchup. Anderson hasn't had a truly bad outing yet with only three earned runs, 13 hits allowed and 16 strikeouts in his first three starts. Making him a better play is the Cardinals .291 wOBA against righties this season and a rather high 22.7 percent K rate.

CATCHER

Buster Posey, SF at COL ($4,500): If you saved a few extra bucks, Posey in Coors Field is a good place to spend a little more. While it's a right-righty matchup, Posey still has a solid .423 wOBA against them this season and is striking out half as much against righties as against lefties. Antonio Senzatela has been solid in three starts, but is still striking out righties less with a 4.02 xFIP against them (2.88 against lefties).

FIRST BASE

Freddie Freeman, ATL at PHI ($4,600): Freeman is slated to continue his hot week, which now features four homers and nine hits in the last five games. His early .536 wOBA and .419 ISO can't be touched by many and Saturday could produce more. Jerad Eickhoff has three quality starts, but has given up 16 hits and allowed a .340 wOBA and 5.05 xFIP to lefties.

SECOND BASE

Cesar Hernandez, PHI vs. ATL ($3,300): Hernandez isn't going to blow many away, but the switch-hitter is consistent against lefties with a .435 wOBA to show for it early. He has a high K rate, but that's not Jaime Garcia's game with just eight strikeouts in his first three starts. In addition, Garcia has allowed a .408 wOBA against righties after a .342 mark all of last season.

THIRD BASE

Nolan Arenado, COL vs. SF ($5,100): If you save up at pitcher, Arenado is the kind of guy you can afford on your team. He's been dominant against lefties (.571 wOBA in 21 at-bats) and has carried the Rockies offense this week with a few homers. Going back to last year, he had a .429 wOBA in home games against lefties. Matt Moore hasn't been terrible, but he lost control last time out against Colorado, giving up 10 hits and five earned runs.

SHORTSTOP

Francisco Lindor, CLE at CWS ($4,100): With James Shields out, Mike Pelfrey will step on the mound Saturday, which could be problematic for the home team. Lindor has owned righties this season with an early .466 wOBA and .395 ISO. While those numbers probably won't continue, he still had a .351 wOBA last season. There's not much good to say about Pelfrey, who came up from Triple-A on Friday. He allowed a .394 wOBA to lefties last season to go with a 5.11 xFIP.

OUTFIELD

Robbie Grossman, MIN vs. DET ($3,800): The switch-hitter has provided solid fantasy value at a nice price for the Twins early in the season. His .419 wOBA against lefties this season matches up with last year's .423 wOBA, and while he has a high K rate early on (26.1 percent) that shouldn't be a factor against Matt Boyd, who only has 11 Ks in his first three starts. To go with that, Boyd's early xFIP is at 5.03 against righties.

Mitch Haniger, SEA at OAK ($3,600): Most of Haniger's damage has come against righties and it was the same in his rookie season, so there's no reason to believe it's a fluke. In 56 at-bats this year against righties, Haniger has a .431 wOBA and surprising .250 ISO. At the same time, Jharel Cotton has been worse against righties throughout his short career, with a .309 wOBA allowed so far in 2017.

Michael Brantley, CLE at CWS ($4,400): It's not a terrible idea to go all-in against Pelfrey after he was just called up. Pelfrey has a career .352 wOBA against lefties, but even worse for him is that Brantley is smoking. He has 11 hits in his last seven games and a strong .388 wOBA against righties in 35 at-bats this 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. Adam Zdroik plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: zdroik, DraftKings: rotozdroik, Yahoo: StreakMaster.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam Zdroik
Adam, a 2019, 2018 and 2017 Finalist for FSWA's Soccer Writer of the Year, is RotoWire's soccer editor. He also runs RotoWire's Bracketology, as well as writes on other various college basketball content. He has previously worked at ESPN and Sporting Kansas City, and he is a former Streak for the Cash winner and Michigan State graduate.
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