MLB

3 Daily Fantasy Baseball Hitters to Avoid on 9/12/16

Jordan Sharp  —  @TehSharp Sep 12th, 2016
Michael Saunders has been slumping as of late, making his matchup against Jake Odorizzi one to avoid.

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 Monday.

Michael Saunders, OF, Toronto Blue Jays

FanDuel Price: $3,200

Michael Saunders has fallen into a September slump for the Toronto Blue Jays. After cracking two homers in a row to close out the month of August, Saunders is only 4-for-24 so far this month, and he splits against righties have tailed off. These things make him a landmine candidate against the right-handed Jake Odorizzi, who has been very good at getting lefties out this season.

Left-handers own a .264 wOBA and a 27.1 percent strikeout rate against Odorizzi this season across 292 plate appearances. On the road, Odorizzi gets even better with lefties owning a .254 wOBA against him.

Saunders owns a .344 wOBA against righties, but his strikeout rate against them is also 27.7 percent.

Tim Anderson, SS, Chicago White Sox

FanDuel Price: $2,900

Tim Anderson did not get a hit on Sunday, breaking an eight-game hitting streak, but he has been heating up at the plate over the last month. He has hit safely in 21 of his last 25 games heading into tonight, but it may be 21 of 26 after tonight as the Chicago White Sox and Anderson have to face off against Carlos Carrasco.

Anderson already has a homer off Carrasco, so while he may not be a great cash game option, Anderson is definitely still a tournament play. Even though Anderson is 3-for-7 in his career against the Cleveland Indians’ righty, he has also shown some disturbing splits against righties overall in his first complete Major League season. Anderson has just a .288 wOBA and a 27.2 percent strikeout rate against fellow right-handers this season.

Righties have a .278 wOBA and 25.8 percent strikeout rate against Carrasco this season, and on the road against righties, it gets even better for Carrasco with them posting a .254 wOBA and a 27.2 percent strikeout rate.

Kolten Wong, 2B, St. Louis Cardinals

FanDuel Price: $2,800

Even if the St. Louis Cardinals don’t make the playoffs or get knocked out in the wild card game, what they have done with some of their young players making mid-season stops in Triple-A has been impressive. Kolten Wong is one of the players who struggled in the big leagues, was sent down, and has come back mashing after a brief stint in the minors.

With all of their injuries, the Cardinals could use more production like that. However, now starting a critical series with the Chicago Cubs, it might be hard for Wong to have another big night against Kyle Hendricks.

Lefties own a .272 wOBA and a 23.4 percent hard-hit rate against Hendricks this season.

Wong has a .307 wOBA against righty pitching this season. His walk rate is great at 10.6 percent against them, but his hard-hit rate against them is only 25.1 percent. With Hendricks so locked in lately, it’s hard to see Wong as a safe bet for production.