Yahoo DFS Baseball: Sunday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Sunday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

Sunday's 15-game MLB slate begins at 1:10 PM ET. Value plays aren't necessarily the cheapest options, as is the case with many of the guys below. Regardless of their respective prices, all of these players should provide great bang for the buck…

PITCHER

Luis Castillo, CIN at ATL ($36): Castillo has posted a sparkling 2.48 ERA through six road starts despite facing five top-10 offenses, so the hard-throwing rookie should have a field day against Atlanta's 20th-ranked unit. The rookie's strikeout rate is a robust 24.4 percent and he's starting to figure out how to be consistently effective at the major league level. After posting just two quality starts in his first seven outings, Castillo has stepped up with four consecutive such starts heading into this one. He won't stay this affordable for long if he keeps pitching like this.

Gio Gonzalez, WAS at SD ($49): Gonzalez has been consistently dominant this season, holding opponents to two or fewer runs over at least six innings in 16 of 24 starts, including each of his past four. Another such effort should be expected against a Padres offense that strikes out 9.33 times per game in addition to scoring a league-low 3.82 runs per game. Gonzalez is also likely to nab a win here with Washington's second-ranked offense backing him.

[Sign up for a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Baseball contest today]

[Free entry into MLB Yahoo Cup: $25K in prizes]

CATCHER

Brett Nicholas, TEX vs. CWS ($10): Nicholas is well worth a flier at this price. He has gone deep in two consecutive games played while totaling six RBI in that span and owns a .447 wOBA in limited action against right-handed pitching. While Chicago righty Miguel Gonzalez has fared surprisingly well in his last two starts, his 4.67 ERA and 1.48 WHIP suggest that trend won't last. Just make sure Nicholas is in the lineup before locking him in, as he holds the platoon advantage here but is still behind Robinson Chirinos on the depth chart.

FIRST BASE

Jesus Aguilar, MIL at COL ($10): Aguilar's platoon role keeps his price down and you won't find a better situation to use the affordable slugger. His .375 wOBA against lefties should get Aguilar in the lineup against starter Kyle Freeland and Coors Field's league-leading 1.32 park factor puts him in position to succeed.

SECOND BASE

Brian Dozier, MIN vs. ARI ($22): Minnesota's right-handed bats will be licking their chops at the thought of facing southpaw T.J. McFarland, who's making his first start of the season. It likely won't take long for the Twins to break through against him, especially with the powerful Dozier leading off. The second baseman owns a .426 wOBA against left-handed pitching thanks in part to a robust 15 extra-base hits in 99 at-bats and has launched 24 home runs overall. Target Field's fifth-ranked 1.13 park factor also works in Dozier's favor here.

THIRD BASE

Nicky Delmonico, CWS at TEX ($16): The hitter-friendly Globe Life Park in Arlington has not been kind to Texas starter A.J. Griffin, who has a 6.08 ERA at home. His struggles are likely to continue here against Delmonico, who sports a .478 wOBA against right-handed pitching through 16 major league games. The left-handed hitting third baseman's inexperience continues to depress his price, but Delmonico has easily outperformed his $16 valuation thus far and shows no signs of slowing down with four home runs in his past four games.

SHORTSTOP

Zack Cozart, CIN at ATL ($22): Cozart got hit by a pitch on the ankle Friday, but he's expected to suit up after taking Saturday off. Should he play, the All-Star shortstop makes a strong choice against wild southpaw Sean Newcomb. Cozart owns a tremendous .477 wOBA against lefties while Newcomb has had serious command problems of late with 27 walks in 37 innings over his past seven starts.

OUTFIELD

Mike Trout, LAA at BAL ($26): Baltimore righty Chris Tillman is 1-7 with an 8.10 ERA in 15 appearances as a starter and has allowed a wOBA over .400 to batters from both sides, making him a prime candidate to pick against. A healthy Trout is the best hitter in baseball, as illustrated by his .481 wOBA in righty-on-righty matchups and three homers in the last two games. You're always going to have to pay top dollar for Trout, but this is the kind of opponent he's most likely to pay off against.

Josh Reddick, HOU vs. OAK ($13): You'll be hard-pressed to find another hitter as productive as Reddick for such a low price, especially given his fantastic matchup. The veteran slugger has a respectable .348 wOBA against righties, but gains value thanks to his spot in the heart of the league's most productive lineup. He should have RBI and run-scoring opportunities aplenty against Oakland starter Jharel Cotton. The 25-year-old right-hander appears to be wearing down late in the year, having allowed 23 earned runs in 25.2 innings for an 8.06 ERA over his past five starts.

Nelson Cruz, SEA at TB ($23): The streaky Cruz has been on another home run binge of late, having hit one in each of his past two games and 11 in the last 18. His chances of finding success here are magnified with lefty Blake Snell on the mound for the Rays, as Cruz is in the midst of his fourth consecutive campaign with at least a .385 wOBA against southpaws while Snell has allowed all 12 of his home runs to right-handed hitters en route to a .350 wOBA in that split.

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.
RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only MLB Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire MLB fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
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.
MLB Barometer: Hot Starts for Young Hitters
MLB Barometer: Hot Starts for Young Hitters
Collette Calls: The State of Pitching
Collette Calls: The State of Pitching
Brewers-Cardinals & more MLB Bets and Expert Picks for Friday, April 19
Brewers-Cardinals & more MLB Bets and Expert Picks for Friday, April 19
New York Mets-Los Angeles Dodgers & More MLB Best Bets & Player Props for April 19
New York Mets-Los Angeles Dodgers & More MLB Best Bets & Player Props for April 19
MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for Friday, April 19
MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for Friday, April 19
College Baseball Picks Today: Friday, April 19
College Baseball Picks Today: Friday, April 19