Counterattack - Exploit Early-Season Splits
Here are the top contrarian picks for Thursday, April 7:
3B/SS Jed Lowrie, Athletics (vs. White Sox)
As per usual, the Athletics lineup has little superficial appeal. But at the same time, Oakland has ranked in the top half of runs scored every year since 2012, including fourth-place finishes in 2013 and 2014.
On an individual note, while Lowrie has been an inconsistent batter throughout his career, he owns an impressive .305 career average in March and April. While an eight at-bat sample size is minuscule, Lowrie owns a .625 average against Chicago starter Mat Latos and has taken him deep on two of those occasions.
Another favorable stat are Latos' career numbers in March and April. The volatile pitcher has career highs in opponent batting average, OBP, SLG, and an awful HR/9 of 1.31 for those opening months.
OF Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins (at Nationals)
The combination of Stanton's sky-high price and poor splits against Washington starter Tanner Roark (.167/.286/.500) is concerning. Furthermore, Roark has limited fellow Miami hitters Marcell Ozuna and Adeiny Hechavarria to a combined 6-for-29. As a trio, the three Marlins are 8-for-41 against Roark. In summation: DFS players should be weary of a Miami stack.
However, there is another Stanton split worth analyzing. His career slash line of .319/.411/.729 along with 15 homers in 38 games in Nationals Park greatly contrasts his Roark-specific numbers.
Though his name will always entice DFS players, Stanton makes for an intriguing tournament due to his juxtaposing splits.
1B Albert Pujols, Angels (vs. Rangers)
With young powerful options like Paul Goldschmidt, Anthony Rizzo, and Jose Abreu available at first base on a 13-game slate, Pujols' ownership should drop. His 0-for-7 start could also scare some.
Despite these negatives, the veteran slugger owns some lofty splits against Rangers stater Derek Holland. In 23 career at-bats against Holland, Pujols has a .348 average with an impressive six extra-base hits and three homers.
In addition, these powerful numbers remain constant in Anaheim despite the pitcher friendly confines of Angel Stadium. Since 2012, Pujols has slugged 45 of his 82 homers while maintaining a minimum .269 batting average at home.