Counterattack - Rangers 3B Could Belt(re) One Out of the Park

Here are the top contrarian options for Saturday, April 23:

3B Adrian Beltre, Rangers (at White Sox)

Facing flashy sophomore Carlos Rodon in Chicago seems like a matchup to stay away from, especially for a player like Beltre, who ranks as one of the more expensive options at third base.

Even at Beltre's salary, he is worth every penny when facing a lefty. From 2013 to 2015, Beltre hit .309 with an .850 OPS; against lefties, those numbers jump to .326 and .951, respectively. A disproportionate amount of homers came when facing left-handed pitching, as Beltre hit a home run roughly once every 21 at-bats against LHPs and once every 29 at-bats against RHPs.

Furthermore, Rodon's best pitch, his slider, has been one of his weaker offerings this year per PITCHf/x; it just so happens that Beltre has consistently done major damage against sliders in his career. If Rodon's wipeout pitch isn't breaking, Beltre will make him pay.

SS Marcus Semien, Athletics (at Blue Jays)

On some sites, Semien is one of the cheapest options at SS. Just because his DFS salary is low doesn't mean expectations should be as well, even in spite of his .208/.295/.434 slash line to start the season.

Through parts of four seasons in the majors, we know a couple of things about Semien. His raw talent is immense. His defense is suspect. He can't hit righties. He crushes southpaws.

With lefty J.A. Happ toeing rubber for the Jays, Semien, with a lifetime .306/.345/.493 line against left-handed pitching, could be a major difference-maker as a tournament flier. He'll hit well enough to take advantage of runners in scoring position, and with three homers and a steal in his last 10 games, the power-speed combination could yield a big return as well.

SP Felix Hernandez, Mariners (at Angels)

Hernandez was supposed to draw the start on Friday but illness had the date moved back to Saturday. No matter; everything that could've been said yesterday remains relevant. This is what we wrote yesterday prior to Hernandez getting scratched:

King Felix has a career 2.90 ERA and 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings at Angel Stadium and the Angels are slashing a pathetic .199/.261/.265 against right-handed pitchers so far this year.

And after last night's outing, that team slash line now stands at .197/.255/.274.

The only thing left to worry about is the health of the Seattle ace. Many will pass on him for that uncertainty alone, but if he feels well enough to take the mound, Hernandez should continue to dominate his division rivals.