Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

PITCHER

Carlos Carrasco, CLE vs. KC ($53): Unfortunately, this is one of those slates where the pitchers with the highest salaries are also those with the most value. Carrasco is clearly the top pick, as he's pitching for the hottest team in the majors and he has recorded 34 strikeouts while allowing just two runs over those four starts. The Royals have had their runs this season, but they've been pretty punchless lately.

Zack Greinke, AZ at SF ($52): Normally I wouldn't pay this much for Greinke, but with the pitchers directly below him on the salary scale either too erratic or in bad matchups, he's the default pick. That's not to say that Greinke hasn't had value lately, he has, but he hasn't been lights out like he was early in the season. Greinke has recorded 22 strikeouts while allowing just six runs over his past four starts, and while the matchup against the Giants isn't great, it isn't terrible either.

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CATCHER

Welington Castillo, BAL at NYY ($19): Castillo has made a season out of short stretches of extreme production, and he's in the midst of one of those stretches right now. He also has a nice matchup against Jordan Montgomery, who has allowed 12 runs in his past 17 innings, pushing his ERA to 4.24. Meanwhile, Castillo enters with a .423 wOBA against lefties this season, which leads the Orioles and is top-25 in the majors.

FIRST BASE

Justin Smoak, TOR at MN ($10): It's rare to see a guy with 38 home runs at this point in the season with a salary this low, but with his recent struggles, that's exactly the case with Smoak. He is in play because he's facing lefty Adalberto Mejia (4.47 ERA after a stint in the minors) and has a .443 wOBA against southpaws this year.

SECOND BASE

Scooter Gennett, CIN vs. PIT ($17): Gennett has been out the past few games with a hand issue, but hopefully he'll be back for this juicy matchup against a struggling Ivan Nova, who has a 4.25 ERA after allowing 17 runs in his last 18.2 innings. Gennett is just one of a few good options on the Reds, with Joey Votto being another, as he enters with a .391 wOBA against righties this season, which is second on the team and top-20 in the majors.

THIRD BASE

Adrian Beltre, TEX at LAA ($19): Beltre returned from the DL a couple days ago, and while he's yet to get back on track, it shouldn't be long before he's producing at a high level again. He gets a nice matchup against Parker Bridwell, who has struggled over his past three starts, allowing 15 runs in just 12 innings. Meanwhile, Beltre comes in with team-high a .369 wOBA against righties this season.

SHORTSTOP

Asdrubal Cabrera, NYM at ATL ($16): Cabrera was one of the decent bats left behind in New York to finish the season and to his credit, he's managed to produce at a high level even though all of his protection is gone. R.A. Dickey takes the mound for the Braves and if his past two starts are any indication, his knuckleball isn't moving well right now. Cabrera should get to Dickey either way, as he's fared well against him in his career, coming in with a .480 wOBA in the matchup.

OUTFIELD

Charlie Blackmon, COL vs. SD ($26): It's a Jordan Lyles revenge game, as the former Rockies pitcher comes home to face his former team. Something tells me that Lyles' state of mind isn't going to matter much as his stuff isn't enough to get through the Rockies' lineup more than once. The Rockies are definitely in play for a stack, but if you can't afford all of them, I would recommend at least finding space for Blackmon because of his .425 wOBA against righties.

Avisail Garcia, CHW at DET ($20): Garcia gets another crack at a vulnerable righty as the White Sox face Myles Jaye, who enters with a 6.75 ERA after allowing seven runs in 3.2 innings in his last start. The White Sox are not great against righties as a whole, but Garcia certainly is capable, as well as Jose Abreu (though you'll pay more).

Eddie Rosario, MN vs. TOR ($19):Marco Estrada is coming off a solid start, but his ERA is still 4.95 and he's got a tough test in front of him as the Twins have feasted on right-handed pitching all season. One reason the Twins have been so good against righties is Rosario, who enters with a team-high .373 wOBA against them. The Twins present an interesting stack and Estrada has been pretty erratic 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. Greg Vara plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: lennykarl1, DraftKings: lennykarl1.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Greg Vara
Vara is the lead golf writer at RotoWire. He was named the FSWA Golf Writer of the Year in 2005 and 2013. He also picks college football games against the spread in his "College Capper" article.
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