This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Since only one MLB game starts before 7:05 PM ET on Friday, the Cubs/Brewers contest has been excised from the Yahoo slate. Additionally, it seems like a lock there is going to be rain in the Northeast, which could potentially lead to more postponements. Here are some recommendations…
STARTING PITCHER
Dallas Keuchel, HOU vs. OAK ($47): Keuchel is off to a solid start with a 3.10 ERA after having a 2.90 ERA last season. He's also consistently pitched better at home over the last few seasons. The Athletics are off to a strong start offensively, but it's still quite easy. They had a mediocre offense last season, including a .246 batting average.
Reynaldo Lopez, CWS at KAN ($40): One look at Lopez's 4.24 FIP, as compared to his 1.50 ERA, lets you know he's been lucky. However, the 24-year-old has a big fastball and only has 18 starts in his career. The Royals finished 24th in runs scored last season, but they lost quite a bit this offseason. That makes it unsurprising that they currently rank last in runs scored this year.
CATCHER
James McCann, DET at BAL ($13): McCann has a little pop in his bat, as last season he had 13 homers and 14 doubles in 106 games. Though he's hit lefties better than righties, few righties have been as bad as Chris Tillman in recent memory. We're talking about a pitcher who has a 9.87 ERA and 2.37 WHIP this season after posting a 7.84 ERA and 1.89 WHIP last year. There aren't a lot of offensive stalwarts at catcher, so why not go with a decent bat against a terrible pitcher?
FIRST BASE
Cody Bellinger, LAD at SFG ($18): Bellinger hasn't hit with the same pop as last season, but it's early, and the fact remains he hit 39 homers in 132 games in 2017. Plus, though he is a lefty, he hasn't shown any issues handling southpaws in the batter's box. The Giants' Derek Holland, a lefty, has a 5.47 ERA over the last three seasons, and this year hasn't gone much better. Through four starts his ERA is 4.98.
SECOND BASE
Scooter Gennett, CIN at MIN ($14): Gennett has a .283 batting average to start the season, which is directly in line with his career numbers. Last season, though, he had a .295 batting average to go with 27 homers. Phil Hughes has a 5.40 ERA, but that's actually better than his 7.70 FIP. He also has a 4.91 FIP over the last three seasons, and he's been worse at home the last two years.
THIRD BASE
Todd Frazier, NYM at SDP ($18): Batting average isn't Frazier's thing, but he knows how to hit for power. He's averaged 34 home runs per season over the last three years, and he's hit for more power against lefties than righties. Clayton Richard is a lefty, and he has a problem keeping hitters off base. He has a 1.44 career WHIP, and over the last three seasons he's averaged a WHIP of 1.50. Even the friendly confines of Petco Park haven't helped too much, as he had a 4.30 ERA at home last year.
SHORTSTOP
Francisco Lindor, CLE vs. SEA ($16): Lindor is off to a slow start, but having faith in him will pay off eventually. We're talking about a shortstop with a career slash line of .289/.346/.469 and who hit 33 homers last year. Erasmo Ramirez really struggled in his first start of the season, and the pitcher has been considerably worse on the road the last few years.
OUTFIELD
Charlie Blackmon, COL at MIA ($25): Blackmon is off to a great start with a .300/.385/.638 slash line with eight homers in 21 games. He's averaged a .314/.376/.529 slash line the last three years, so this isn't out of character for the 31-year-old. Jose Urena has a career FIP of 4.79 and has allowed 1.19 home runs per nine innings.
Giancarlo Stanton, NYY at LAA ($21): Don't worry about Stanton's power, since hitting has never been an issue for the 28-year-old. Only staying healthy has been a problem. The hits, and home runs, will come. In fact, they may come against Andrew Heaney on Friday. The Angels' starter has allowed 1.67 home runs per nine innings in his career.
Gregory Polanco, PIT vs. STL ($16): Polanco hits righties better than lefties, and he's hit better at home than on the road. Miles Mikolas has only made four starts since returning from Japan, but lefties have hit him better thus far. Perhaps this combination will pay off for Polanco, who has five homers to start the year.
