MLB Strategy: Top Lefty Catchers vs. Lefty Pitchers Options

Posted on April 28, 2016

With daily fantasy baseball season inching closer, DFS players wanting to use FanDuel and DraftKings MLB lineup optimizer everyday need quality information to get an edge. Knowing which players perform well against a lefty pitcher, or on a home stand, or in a pitcher’s park, is critical to making quality daily fantasy decisions.

Here at the RotoQL blog we have made it our mission to prepare our users with a DFS MLB lineup advice for the start of the season and beyond.  

Consider These Top Lefty Catchers vs. Left Handed Pitching Options

With MLB’s Opening Day just around the corner, it’s time to start preparing your lineups for Daily Fantasy Baseball. Today we’re going to explore a few of the top left handed hitting catchers vs. left handed pitching options.

Brian McCann

Compared to right handed hitting catchers, there are very few options of left handed hitting catchers to choose from. McCann tops the list of those available. McCann’s batting average against lefties ended up nine points higher than his overall average (he hit .241 against lefties in 2015). In addition, the Yankees catcher led all lefty catchers with 26 HRs and 94 RBIs (including 6 HRs and 26 RBIs in 116 ABs against lefty pitchers). The Yankees have some serious power on their roster, and McCann’s numbers should improve with both Chase Headley and Starlin Castro projected to bat behind him in the lineup.

A.J. Pierzynski

Pierzynski had a comeback year in 2015, batting .300 overall with 9 HRs and 49 RBIs. His numbers against lefties weren’t as strong, but his .265 batting average was the highest among lefty hitting catchers against left handed pitching in 2015 (Pierzynski had only 83 ABs against lefties last year). Pierzynski’s competition at catcher in Atlanta is Tyler Flowers, a career .223 hitter. As long as he can separate himself from Flowers towards the beginning of the season, Pierzynski should be in for majority of the workload for Atlanta this season. If he can continue his success from last season, Pierzynski could find himself as one of the top hitting catchers in 2016.

Stephen Vogt

Vogt appeared in 136 games last season for Oakland, beating his previous career high of 84 games in 2014. The increase in playing time worked out for Oakland as Vogt delivered in every offensive category, finishing with a .261 average, 18 HRs and 71 RBIs. His numbers against left handed pitching weren’t as good, as he hit .239 (3rd highest for lefty catchers against lefty pitching) with only 1 HR and 18 RBIs. But a large reason for that was a lack of ABs against lefties (only 109). Vogt has seen a steep increase in ABs every year since he broke into the league in 2012. If this trend continues and Vogt plays in 130+ games again in 2016, it’s fair to expect an increase in his offensive production.

 

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