This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Pitcher
Miguel Gonzalez, CWS vs. KC ($7,500) - I am sure that this horse will buck me off at some point, but until then I will be looking for every opportunity to exploit the Royals, who have tallied a paltry .273 wOBA against right-handed pitching over 477 plate appearances. Gonzalez has kept a hard contact rate of just 22 percent over three starts, and should be able to effectively use his slider, as Kansas City hitters have notched the third lowest RAA against the pitch this year.
Francisco Liriano, TOR at LAA ($9,700) - A matchup against the Angels should play to Liriano's strengths, as they are a bottom-10 team against left-handed pitching according to wOBA, and have hit the ball on the ground at a 50 percent clip this season.
Catcher
Buster Posey, SF vs. LAD ($3,900) - Hyun-Jin Ryu's 3.02 xFIP indicates that better times are ahead, but that number may not tell the whole story, as he has allowed a 41 percent hard contact rate over 10 innings against right-handed batters. Posey is slugging .600 in 15 at-bats against lefties this season, and owns a .552 career mark over 940 at-bats.
First Base
Ryan Zimmerman, WAS at COL ($4,900) - Zimmerman seems to have turned back the clock in 2017, as he is slugging .774 in his first 62 at-bats. Tyler Anderson is a promising young arm, but has really been hammered by righties in the early going, as evidenced by his 41 percent hard contact rate and .586 slugging percentage allowed over 14.2 innings.
Second Base
Brian Dozier, MIN at TEX ($5,300) - Martin Perez hasn't been able to outrun his peripherals thus far in 2017, as he has allowed a .361 wOBA to right-handed hitters over 17.1 innings. Perez has kept a ground ball rate over 50 percent in each of the last three seasons, while Dozier has been among the top-10 hitters in fly ball percentage for the last two years.
Third Base
Joey Gallo, TEX vs. MIN ($4,000) - Phil Hughes struck out less than 10 percent of the batters he faced on the road in 2016, contributing to a 5.48 xFIP. The whopping 61 percent hard contact rate he has surrendered against lefties over 29 at-bats this season can only mean good news for Gallo, who has notched a .349 ISO against his opposite hand.
Shortstop
Corey Seager, LAD at SF ($4,200) - Matt Cain has registered a 3.31 ERA over his first three starts despite a 12:8 strikeout-to-walk ratio and three home runs allowed over 16.1 innings. Cain throws his slider upwards of 20 percent of the time, which should benefit Seager, who has notched a 2.6 RAA against the pitch for the young season.
Outfield
Ryan Braun, MIL vs. CIN ($5,400) - This is a pick with a bit of an ulterior motive, as it gives me a chance to talk about Cincinnati starter Amir Garrett. Garrett has been absolutely phenomenal in three starts this season (1.83 ERA) and will run you just $6,700. Why am I not recommending him? I am still a bit worried about that hard contact rate against righties, which stands at 36 percent. Moreover, Braun has already notched a 3.0 RAA against the changeup, a pitch Garrett throws 20 percent of the time. I could never tell anyone to strictly avoid Garrett for the low price, but there is every chance that he will be wildly popular in a matchup that doesn't look very good for him on paper, which could present an opportunity for contrarian stackers.
David Peralta, ARI vs. SD ($4,000) - Jhoulys Chacin's gem against the Diamondbacks at Petco Park last week may have been a function of Arizona's awful play on the road more than anything else, as they have tallied a .262 wOBA away from Chase Field this season. Despite the excellent performance, Chacin is still a pitcher we should target against lefties, as he has surrendered a .537 slugging percentage over 10.1 innings.
Corey Dickerson, TB at BAL ($4,100) - Ubaldo Jimenez's ERA sits at 5.51 despite firing 7.2 innings of shutout ball against the Reds last week, which should give players some idea of how bad he was in his previous two starts. The 33-year-old has struck out just nine batters in 16.1 innings this season while allowing a 36 percent hard contact rate, which is not a recipe for success against Dickerson, who carries a .208 ISO against righties.
