Yahoo DFS Baseball: Wednesday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Wednesday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

Wednesday's MLB slate beginning at 1:05 PM Eastern time features all 30 teams. There's great pitching value to be found both near the top and bottom of the price spectrum, allowing for plenty of balance and flexibility at other positions.

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PITCHER

Wade Miley, MIL at CIN ($25): Miley's finally ready to make his season debut at the highest level after rehabbing a groin injury, and any questions about his health were likely answered in his final minor-league start, which featured 11 strikeouts in six innings. The veteran lefty draws a favorable matchup in his return, facing a Reds offense that ranks just 20th at just 4.03 runs per game. At the minimum pitcher price of $25, Miley's a low-risk, high-reward choice here.

Aaron Nola, PHI at MIA ($50): As great as Nola's been this season, there's plenty of reason to believe he's still due for improvement. The 24-year-old ace has a career strikeout rate of 24.4 percent and posted a 26.6 percent mark last season, so his current 19.1 percent output is almost certain to rise. Expect that ascent to begin against a Marlins team that strikes out the ninth-most (9.25 whiffs per game) and scores the second-fewest runs per game (3.43).

CATCHER

Buster Posey, SF vs. SD ($17): Posey has long been one of the league's best hitters against left-handed pitching, as evidenced by last season's .415 wOBA in that split. He's not far off that mark in the early going this year, and this juicy matchup with Clayton Richard should help Posey close the gap. Head-to-head results aren't the most reliable indicator, but it's tough to ignore Posey's .375/.432/.625 line in 32 career at-bats against Richard.

FIRST BASE

Paul Goldschmidt, ARI vs. LAD ($20): Goldschmidt has produced a wOBA over .400 against left-handed pitching in every season since 2012, and is once again well above that mark so far. The well-established slugger is currently a couple dollars cheaper than he usually goes for, making this matchup with Dodgers lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu a buy-low opportunity of sorts.

SECOND BASE

Whit Merrifield, KC at BOS ($16): Merrifield offers a great combination of speed and power -- especially at the light-hitting second base position -- as evidenced by his 19 home runs and 34 steals last season. He's off to a slow start in righty-on-righty matchups, but Merrifield's .501 wOBA against lefties actually blows last season's .337 mark out of the water. He faces a vulnerable opponent in southpaw Drew Pomeranz, whose effectiveness has been sapped by a forearm injury, leading to a .469 wOBA allowed to right-handed hitters. Not only is Merrifield primed for a big day at the dish, but he also has a good chance of adding value with his legs once he gets on base.

THIRD BASE

Yangervis Solarte, TOR at MIN ($18): The switch-hitting Solarte has been notably better from the left side in his career, and that discrepancy was especially noticeable last season, when he produced a .355 wOBA against right-handed pitching and just a .251 mark facing lefties. Luckily for him, Minnesota will be sending a righty to the mound -- specifically Fernando Romero, who will be making his major-league debut. All Blue Jays hitters are high-risk, high-reward options given the situation, but Solarte stands out given his splits and recent performance (five combined hits Sunday and Monday).

SHORTSTOP

Marcus Semien, OAK at SEA ($17): Semien hasn't been a major factor at the plate in years past, but the 27-year-old shortstop appears to have taken a leap, at least against left-handed pitching. He's scorching southpaws to the tune of a .385 wOBA through 51 plate appearances, and things should be no different against James Paxton, who has a 5.12 ERA through 31.2 innings this season. Semien also benefits from batting either first or second in the order.

OUTFIELD

Jose Pirela, SD at SF ($13): Pirela's a nice matchup pick against left-handed pitching given his .390 wOBA in that split over 82 at-bats last season and similar start to this campaign. The 492 right-handed batters to face Giants southpaw Derek Holland last season produced a .408 wOBA, so you'll be hard-pressed to find a better time to deploy Pirela.

Max Kepler, MIN vs. TOR ($17): Kepler managed a solid .350 wOBA against righties last season and is exceeding that mark so far this year. The left-handed slugger's productive start has him hitting in the heart of Minnesota's batting order, and his price could well climb as the campaign unfolds since we could be witnessing a breakout season for the 25-year-old. Kepler gets s great chance to keep the good times rolling against Toronto's Marcus Stroman, who has been one of the worst pitchers in baseball this year with an 8.88 ERA and 5.33 BB/9 through five starts, allowing at least four earned runs in each outing.

Joc Pederson, LAD at ARI ($16): Pederson has a .358 career wOBA against righties, and he's off to an even better start in that split this season. Don't expect him to slow down against righty Zack Godley at the hitter-friendly Chase Field, which had the league's third-highest park factor (1.20) last 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. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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