3 Daily Fantasy Baseball Hitters to Avoid on 4/7/16
As is the case in most daily fantasy sports, finding information on players you might want to roster is a lot easier than finding players to avoid.
While you can get away with a zero from a hitter in daily fantasy, you certainly don't want to target guys whose matchups aren't enticing.
Here are three hitters you may want to lessen your exposure to or even fade altogether on Thursday.
Jose Altuve, 2B, Houston Astros
FanDuel Price: $3,800
Not only is Jose Altuve a really good hitter, but he also led the American League in stolen bases, hits and at-bats in 2015. However, heading into Thursday afternoon’s game against the Yankees, there are a few factors making him a landmine waiting to blow up this afternoon.
The first is his matchup against Nathan Eovaldi. The Yankees’ right-hander’s best two pitches are his breaking ball and slider, which are the two pitches that Altuve had the most trouble with last season. Eovaldi’s slider was -0.63 runs above average per 100 pitches last season, and Altuve was -1.04 runs above average per 100 pitches against the slider and is -0.67 for his career.
Eovaldi has also been very good against right-handed hitters. Right-handers had a wOBA of just .290 against him in 2015, and for some reason, Altuve has really struggled at Yankee Stadium over the past two seasons. He is hitting just .200 in his last two seasons at Yankee Stadium, and for a guy who relies on a high average and getting on base, it’s not a good spot for him.
However, the main reason Altuve could be a landmine is the weather in New York. The forecast is calling for rain and wind in New York City this afternoon, but it could let up around game time. Just keep that in mind as well when building rosters.
Justin Turner, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers
FanDuel Price: $2,900
Justin Turner's price is rather fair as the Dodgers travel into AT&T Park today to play the Giants. However, his matchup and history playing in San Francisco is working against him, so while some people may be leaning towards him as a value play, it may be better to lessen your exposure to him in San Francisco.
Over his last two seasons, Turner has hit just .151 in AT&T Park, and it could get a little more difficult this afternoon with the wind blowing in from the southwest. Turner showed a lot of improved power last season with 16 home runs, but 13 of the came to left or center field. That’s going to be tougher this afternoon with the wind blowing in from left field.
San Francisco will counter the Dodgers with Jake Peavy in their home opener. Last season, Peavy was a completely different pitcher when he started at home. Obviously, AT&T Park is pretty pitcher friendly, especially with the wind blowing in on hitters like today, but Peavy owned an ERA of 3.02 at home in 2015, and hitters had a wOBA of .288 off him compared to .305 when he pitched on the road.
Kole Calhoun, OF, Los Angeles Angels
FanDuel Price: $3,000
Kole Calhoun made an appearance on the landmines two nights ago and did not disappoint (or he did depending on if you rostered him or not). He was up against a tough left-handed matchup two nights ago and went 0-for-3, and now he is once again against a lefty in Derek Holland tonight.
In 2015, Calhoun hit just .220 off left-handed pitching, and his strikeout rate was close to 26 percent against lefties. His wOBA was also only .293 against left-handed pitching, compared to .329 against righties last season.
Holland, on the other hand, has struggled to stay healthy over the last few seasons. He has pitched in only 75.2 innings over the last two years, but he looked good this spring. His ability to be solid against left-handed hitting has stayed pretty constant, regardless.
Lefties own a wOBA of only .294 against Holland throughout his career, and they are hitting just .248 off him. Plus, even though he was limited by injury last season, Holland had a strikeout rate of close to 28 percent against lefties.
