Baseball is so back, baby! After a great opening weekend, which I recapped on Sunday, baseball is back to work with a whole new set of series opening on Monday. After a few matinee contests, eight games make up the main featured MLB DFS slate on DraftKings, which starts at 7:05 p.m. ET.
We get our first look at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento as the Athletics have their home opener against the Cubs, which is one of the four games that start after 9:30 p.m. ET. There should be plenty of baseball all night long, and in this post, we’ll look at my top three MLB Value Picks for this slate.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $300K Bat Flip [$100K to 1st]
For up-to-the-minute news, analysis and lineups, download the DK Network app. You also can follow DK Network on Twitter @dknetwork.
SP Ben Brown, Chicago Cubs at Athletics, $7,500
Even with the unknown impact of playing in a new ballpark for the MLB and the improvement the Athletics are already showing at the plate this season, Ben Brown is my top bargain arm this Monday. Since we’re so deep in each of the team’s rotations, all the cheap options are extremely high-risk and come with major red flags. Brown stands out, though, since he has one thing that you always want on your MLB DFS roster–strikeout potential.
Brown already is 0-1 on the season after losing the first game of the Tokyo Series while working out of the bullpen. He did still give a glimpse of his upside, though, striking out five in just 2 2/3 innings. Last year, Brown went 1-3 in 15 games for the Cubs with a 3.58 ERA, 3.11 FIP and 10.4 K/9. He showed even more strikeout potential in the minors with a 12.6 K/9 in 26 games. The 25-year-old righty won the fifth starter role with a strong spring training, giving up eight runs but picking up 13 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings.
Even though he may give up a few runs, he’s one of the few cheap arms on the slate with enough strikeout potential to counteract any damage. That strikeout potential also gives the youngster a very nice ceiling, especially compared to the rest of the options.
OF Kameron Misner, Tampa Bay Rays vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, $2,400
Misner made a memorable splash on Opening Day, and he remains a solid option this Monday.
Kameron Misner makes history as the first rookie to hit a walk-off HR on Opening Day as a pinch hitter since 1974. pic.twitter.com/gKyYdAjhtw
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) March 28, 2025
Misner is getting plenty of playing time with Josh Lowe (oblique) on the injured list, and he is 3-for-7 (.429) with that big home run. He still has a lot of swing-and-miss in his game, as evidenced by his three strikeouts this season. He impressed in spring training, though, where he had just a 23.7% strikeout rate and hit .394 with a .491 wOBA. The big lefty should thrive at Steinbrenner Field, and as long as he gets playing time he’ll be a solid cheap option in the outfield, given his power potential.
On Monday, he’ll face Carmen Mlodzinski ($6,300) and the Pirates. Mlodzinski is converting to be a full-time starter this season but is still only a stretched-out opener at this point. The Pirates bullpen gave up three walk-off wins to the Marlins in their season-opening series, so Misner and the Rays are a good lineup to get exposure to on Monday. Jonathan Aranda ($2,900) is another good option as a bargain in this matchup.
1B Luken Baker, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Angels, $2,300
Baker didn’t play yet this season since the Cardinals have not yet faced a left-handed pitcher, but on Monday he’ll probably be in the lineup as they take on Tyler Anderson ($7,800). Anderson gave up five home runs and 14 runs in 17 innings this spring, and the Cardinals offense will look to build on their three-game sweep of the Twins.
Baker always brings a high ceiling with his power production. He posted over 30 homers in each of the last two years at Triple-A with a .482 wOBA in 2023 and a .376 wOBA last year. He struggled in the MLB, though, hitting only .175 with two long balls. This spring, he showed improved bat speed, though, clocking in at 79 mph, which is an increase of 5.1 mph from his 73.9 mph average last season. The 79 mph average would have ranked second in all of baseball last season, behind only Giancarlo Stanton (81.2 mph).
He hit four home runs with that extra bat speed this spring and hit .273 with a .402 wOBA. He’s still locked into the short side of the platoon for now, but for DFS, he makes a lot of sense if he’s in the starting lineup Monday night.
