This article is part of our FantasyDraft MLB series.
PITCHERS:
Brandon McCarthy, LAD at SD ($17,700):- McCarthy is expected to be ready to go Monday night after a disabled list stint with a shoulder issue, and he'll take on a Giants squad that's struggled overall and likely to be without Hunter Pence (hamstring). San Francisco checks in last in the majors against righties with a .277 wOBA and they also sport a majors-low .271 wOBA in their home park. Before a no-decision against the Phillies in his most recent start, McCarthy had also been very consistent, scoring between 18.45 and 24.15 fantasy points in his first four trips to the mound.
Sean Manaea, OAK at SEA ($16,200):- With a relatively short slate, finding trustworthy pitchers is particularly challenging, but Manaea is about as close as it gets despite also making his first start off a DL stay. The lefty draws a Mariners team that's struggled against southpaws, ranking in the bottom five in the majors with a .293 wOBA. Manaea had been effective in four of his first five starts before his injury and had scored between 17.65 and 22.70 fantasy points in three of them.
INFIELD
Paul Goldschmidt, ARI vs. NYM ($10,200):- Goldschmidt owns a .410 average, .523 wOBA and 56.3 percent hard contact rate against right-handers at home and has three homers over the last two games. Mets starter Zach Wheeler has yielded a .324 wOBA to righty bats on the road over a modest sample, but the story here could be the vulnerable Mets bullpen. New York pitching was hit hard over the weekend by the Brewers, a series in which relievers threw the equivalent of a full game. That's likely to make a unit that already ranks second-worst against right-handed hitting with a .362 wOBA — and that's tied with the Phillies bullpen with 14 homers given up to righty bats — even more fatigued than usual Monday.
Eric Thames, MIL at SD ($9,300):- Thames draws a plum matchup against both Padres starter Luis Perdomo and the San Diego bullpen, both of which have been steamrolled by lefty bats. Perdomo surrenders a .456 wOBA to left-handed hitters, while San Diego relievers have a majors-worst 7.99 ERA versus that handedness, along with the second-highest wOBA (.362) and second-highest homer total (10). Thames has compiled a .427 wOBA and 45.7 percent hard contact rate against right-handed pitching, and he boasts a .348 average, .486 wOBA and 43.8 percent hard contact rate overall during the last week (seven games).
Brandon Drury, ARI vs. NYM ($6,800):- Drury owns a .367 average and .426 wOBA (including .549 at home) against right-handed pitching, along with a 43.6 percent hard contact rate at Chase Field. That includes a .400 average, .498 wOBA and 52.4 percent hard contact rate in 26 plate appearances across nine May games versus that handedness, while Mets starter Zach Wheeler and the Mets relievers' dubious track record against righty bats was detailed earlier.
OUTFIELD
Wil Myers, SD vs. MIL ($8,800):-Brewers starter Chase Anderson has started to show some cracks his last couple of times out, exiting before five full innings on both occasions and giving up a total of six earned runs on 16 hits over 9.1 innings. Myers owns a .571 average against Anderson over seven career encounters and has battered righties for a .316 average (including .333 at home), nine homers and .407 wOBA. He could be due for a bit of a breakout after posting a 52.4 percent hard contact rate in his last seven games that's helped net three homers but also generated an unsustainable .167 BABIP that hints at some misfortune. Notably, Milwaukee relievers have also given up a .360 wOBA and 11 homers to righty bats, another point in Myers' favor Monday.
Marcell Ozuna, MIA vs. HOU ($7,600):- Astros starter Joe Musgrove has given up a .381 wOBA(including .395 on the road) to right-handed hitters, along with five homers and a 33.3 percent hard contact rate on the road. Ozuna is especially lethal at Marlins Park, where he's generated a .373 average overall. He's also posted a .507 wOBA and 53.0 percent hard contact rate versus righties there, and boasts a .485 wOBA and 52.6 percent hard contact rate overall in 13 May games.
Kevin Pillar, TOR vs. ATL ($6,800):- Braves starter Bartolo Colon may finally be nearing the end of the line if early 2017 returns are any indication. He's given up 19 earned runs over 14.2 innings in his last three starts, as well as a .379 wOBA and 38.7 percent hard contact rate to right-handed hitters on the season. Pillar is enjoying his best season yet, boasting a .351 average, .417 wOBA, .230 ISO and 37.1 percent hard contact rate at Rogers Centre while blasting four of his five homers against right-handed pitching. The Braves bullpen can potentially be just as generous as Colon, as they've yielded a majors-worst .364 wOBA to right-handed hitters, along with a 5.43 ERA and 11 homers.
UTILITY:
Jose Abreu, CWS at LAA ($9,300):- Abreu has a .342 wOBA and .264 ISO versus righties on the road, along with a 34.2 percent hard contact rate. Chavez has been lit up by righty bats for a .358 wOBA (including .393 at home), five homers and a 42.0 percent hard contact rate, and has already surrendered a homer to Abreu in seven career encounters. Additionally, while the White Sox slugger has been mired in a 2-for-20 slump over his previous six games, he's been making solid contact, as evidenced by a 25.0 percent line drive rate and 31.3 percent hard contact rate over that span that has nevertheless netted an unsustainable .125 BABIP. The Angels bullpen has also notably struggled with the long ball against right-handed hitters, as they've surrendered 12 homers to that handedness.
Yonder Alonso, OAK at SEA ($8,100):- Alonso owns a .357 average, a double, a homer and five RBI over 28 career encounters with Mariners starter Yovani Gallardo, who's given up a .376 wOBA , 5.15 xFIP and 29.6 percent line drive rate to lefty bats at Safeco Field. Alonso's long-ball barrage has been one of the stories of the early part of the season and he's boasting a .315 average, nine homers, .441 wOBA, .348 ISO and a 37.3 percent hard contact rate (including 40.6 percent on the road) versus right-handed pitching. It's worth noting that Mariners relievers have been accommodating to lefty bats as well, giving up a 4.85 ERA, 11 homers, and a .358 wOBA to that handedness.
