The MLB Yahoo Cup Hot Corner: Round 26
Welcome to the MLB Yahoo Cup Hot Corner! This free-to-enter, single-entry fantasy baseball contest consists of 27 rounds where the top 1,075 overall entries and the top 70 entries per round share $10,000, with $1,000 to first and $50 to first per round. Scoring will be cumulative across all rounds, with your seven lowest scores dropped at the end. You may join this multi-round MLB DFS contest at any point, but enter today to give yourself the best chance to take home the title. Click here to begin the chase!
We will focus on three players — one pitcher, one infielder and one outfielder — to be MLB DFS picks for tonight’s MLB Yahoo Cup contest.
MLB Yahoo Cup Fantasy Baseball Picks | Round 26
MLB DFS Pitcher: Luis Patino — $36
With just two weeks left in the MLB Yahoo Cup, being overly aggressive is the new name of the game. If not currently in the top 10 of the standings, targeting the most upside possible is a requirement to have any chance at a high finish. And the easiest way to do that is by paying down at pitching in order to jam in the top bats on the slate, hoping for an offensive explosion that can catapult an entry into contention going into next week’s finale.
Fortunately, there is one pitcher on this slate in Luis Patino that gives lineups the desired savings while simultaneously providing decent upside at the position. The prized piece of the Blake Snell trade, Patino has struggled to get his footing in the majors, evidenced by his 4.62 ERA and 1.37 WHIP through 13 starts and 15 total big-league appearances. He is also giving up too many walks to batters, as his 9.6% walk rate is far from ideal and leads to some abbreviated starts.
But with a decent 23% strikeout rate and excellent 37.4% hard-hit rate in his short Tampa Bay tenure, there is definitely some hope for Patino’s prospects going forward. Plus, against a Tigers team striking out at a robust 25.9% clip against right-handed pitching on the season, the matchup and ballpark could hardly get much better. And to top it all off, the Awesemo Top Pitchers Tool gives Patino the fifth-best chance to finish as a top-two pitcher on tonight’s slate (13%), a vote of confidence considering there are 30 total starting pitchers to choose from. So not only does Patino provide some much-needed savings at $36 to target upside bats, but he could be a difference maker himself for MLB Yahoo Cup lineups if he can keep the walks to a minimum.
MLB DFS Infielder: Trea Turner — $20
If trying to make way for an underrepresented offense that could put up a massive offensive output, look no further than the Dodgers. Awesemo’s Top Stacks Tool gives the Dodgers a 5.7% chance of finishing as the top scorers of the evening yet look to be getting shorted by the field, with only 3.8% of Yahoo lineups looking to roster them. And while it is understandable that the public does not want to pick on Reds starter Luis Castillo, a solid arm limiting hard contact to the tune of a 37.1% hard-hit rate and .343 xSLG, the upside is still there for a stacked Dodgers lineup receiving a massive ballpark upgrade.
And if looking to go their way, midseason acquisition Trae Turner is a pivotal piece to incorporate into the stack. He is having a season worthy of MVP consideration, hitting .317 with 22 homers and National League-leading 29 stolen bases. The power/speed combination he possesses makes him a fantasy All-Star capable of accumulating points in a variety of ways and neutralizes any matchup concerns one might have with him facing Castillo. There is no question the salaries in this stack are exorbitant against a solid starting pitcher, but if trying to make up serious ground in the MLB Yahoo Cup, the Dodgers have the firepower to make it worth it.
MLB DFS Outfielder: Hunter Renfroe — $25
Because of Yahoo’s sharp pricing, there are certain expensive hitters that are unattainable if jamming in the likes of Walker Buehler, Zack Wheeler or other expensive pitchers. That leaves the top end of outfield virtually un-rostered, as punting into the mid-range of the position will be the optimal route for most. But if playing to win, the upside the likes of the $20-plus range provides makes it worth pivoting off the top-tier arms.
And among the bats at the top end of the board, Hunter Renfroe makes for one of the better one-off options of the evening. In a matchup against any southpaw, Renfroe becomes instantly viable with his .283/.378/.541 slash line against lefties. But Orioles starter Keegan Akin is especially terrible with his 6.83 ERA and 1.58 WHIP, not to mention even worse underlying stats of a .462 xSLG and .346 xwOBA. Expect big things out of the big bats from Boston but specifically Renfroe, a potential round-winner for the MLB Yahoo Cup tonight.
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