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MLB baseball is back! While the KBO held us over for a few months, we have to be honest and say it isn’t as good as the real thing. Now that we can watch baseball during hours that we are normally awake, it’s a great time to get in on some DraftKings MLB action.
Set your DraftKings lineups here: MLB $400K Relay Throw [$100K to 1st]
PITCHER
Stud
Gerrit Cole, NYY vs. PHI, $11,000 - There is a debate over which pitcher to pay up for tonight. With Cole and Jacob deGrom ($11,600) both on the slate, it’s a tough decision. Since Cole is pitching at home and deGrom is on the road in Atlanta, I give a slight edge to Cole. Pitch count is also a bit of a concern for deGrom since he hasn’t pitched as deep into games as Cole. In his first two starts, the Mets limited their ace to 72 and 88 pitches. This is less of a concern for Cole who tossed 102 pitches last game and scored 23.4 DKFP.
Value
Frankie Montas, OAK at SEA, $7,200 - Montas is not nearly expensive enough for an easy matchup against the Mariners. While the DFS results for Montas to this point aren’t great, his stuff looks fantastic. His average fastball is sitting slightly over 97 mph, leading to eight strikeouts across his first nine innings. Seattle opened the season with a 4-6 record and figure to have one of the weakest offenses in baseball this season.
Curious about when major leagues and events will return? Check out our DraftKings Sports Calendar for the latest updates.
CATCHER
Stud
Mitch Garver, MIN vs. PIT, $4,400 - There is not enough discussion about how Garver is potentially the best hitting catcher in baseball. He likely won’t match last year’s 155 wRC+ although he should always mash lefties. For his career, he has a 137 wRC+ against southpaws and Derek Holland ($6,000) is a very hittable lefty. He finished last year with a 6.08 ERA.
Value
Jacob Stallings, PIT at MIN, $3,000 - Catcher is an odd position tonight since there aren’t nearly as many cheap options projected to start as is normal at the position. Stallings is the only expected starting catcher for today’s slate priced under $3,500. This looks like a bullpen game for the Twins, which could present an issue since Minnesota also went with a bullpen game yesterday. Fatigue could make this an easier matchup for the Pirates than it appears.
FIRST BASE
Stud
Brandon Belt, SF at COL, $4,800 - Belt is finally back. After missing the start of the season, he’s played in the past couple of games, averaging 7.0 DKFP. Now he gets to play at Coors Field, a place he historically has had success. This isn’t really a shock since every hitter plays well in Denver. Belt is a bit cheaper than he typically is when traveling to Coors and the matchup against Chi Chi Gonzalez ($6,200) is a good one since he posted a 5.29 ERA last year.
Value
José Abreu, CWS at MIL, $4,200 - Coming into today with multiple hits in back-to-back games, the power-hitting first baseman is playing well. For years, he’s been one of the better hitters in the American League although his counting stats haven’t always been great since Chicago hasn’t had the best offenses. Now with an injection of young talent, the White Sox could end up with one of the stronger offenses in baseball. This should do wonders for Abreu’s fantasy value.
SECOND BASE
Stud
Keston Hiura, MIL vs. CWS, $5,300 - For tonight, the Brewers have one of the highest implied run totals for any team outside of Coors Field. This makes Milwaukee a team to get exposure to. One of the top young hitters in baseball, Hiura is proving that last year was not a fluke. He’s opened the season with a 130 wRC+ and is averaging 9.8 DKFP. This includes him scoring at least a dozen DKFP in his past three games.
Value
DJ LeMahieu, NYY vs. PHI, $4,100 - Despite getting a late start to the season due to a positive COVID-19 test, LeMahieu’s timing looks just fine at the dish. He is averaging 9.6 DKFP and has a hit in six of his seven games. The Yankees got a steal when they signed LeMahieu for cheap prior to last season and he continues to pay dividends with a 173 wRC+ in the early going of the season.
THIRD BASE
Stud
Nolan Arenado, COL vs. SF, $5,500 - I get why people like Johnny Cueto ($5,100). At one point in time, he was an elite MLB pitcher and his pitching style is very quirky. The issue is that he’s too reliant on deception and doesn’t generate as many swings and misses at this point in his career. He only has a 6.7% swinging strike rate so far this season, which isn’t going to play well at Coors Field. I like Arenado to take advantage and he might go slightly overlooked by the field since he is facing a righty.
Value
Josh Donaldson, MIN vs. PIT, $3,900 - The issue here, and it’s a big one, is that Donaldson missed the past couple of games with a calf injury. To this point, it’s unclear how serious the injury is and whether Donaldson will play tonight. If active, he is way too cheap for a matchup against Holland. Even though he isn’t in his prime anymore, Donaldson is still too good of a hitter to have this cheap of a salary in a plus matchup.
SHORTSTOP
Stud
Trevor Story, COL vs. SF, $5,900 - Story is off to a torrid start. He’s already hit four homers and is averaging 13.8 DKFP. Once a guy who only hit left-handed pitching, this is no longer the case for the Rockies’ shortstop. Story hit 26 homers off of right-handed pitchers last year with a 119 wRC+. There is no reason to fade Story against righties and this is especially true against Cueto.
Value
Gleyber Torres, NYY vs. PHI, $4,300 - It’s a bit weird how many of the core Yankees hitters are priced down against Jake Arrieta ($6,200). He has yet to start this season although he looked potentially washed a year ago. He had a 4.64 ERA and his velocity was way down from his peak years with the Cubs. Torres has back-to-back hitless games, although this shouldn’t cause too much concern. Torres is still only 23 and after posting a 125 wRC+ last year, he is one of the top young infielders in baseball.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Torres is not in the lineup for tonight’s game vs. the Phillies.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Aaron Judge, NYY vs. PHI, $5,100 - Judge is arguably the hottest hitter in baseball. After New York pitching struggled last night, Judge carried the offense and hit two homers as the Yankees put nine runs on the board to get a win over the Red Sox. He has now homered in five consecutive games and is averaging 15.9 DKFP. To this point, Judge is the top producing position player in fantasy baseball.
Value
Luis Robert, CWS at MIL, $3,900 - Coming into the season, Robert got a ton of hype of a young prospect. In recent years, we have seen a lot of young guys bust into the big leagues and immediately establish themselves as elite hitters. It looks like Robert fits into this mold. He is averaging 10.2 DKFP with a 178 wRC+. It might not take long for Robert to be one of the higher-priced outfielders.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is gehrenberg) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.