DraftKings Sportsbook is excited to announce the launch of the “King of the Diamond” promotion, which kicks off today, May 2nd. If you’ve played the previous iterations of this promotion, which included King of the End Zone or King of the Court, you’ll be very familiar with King of the Diamond. Here is how the promotion will work:
- Opt into the promotion on DraftKings Sportsbook
- Choose between 2-5 players to place in any type of parlay (Same Game Parlay, SGPx) with a “To Hit a Home Run” bet. (Examples: Aaron Judge 1+ Home Run, Shohei Ohtani 2+ home runs, etc.)
- King of the Diamond is awarded to all MLB players who hit 1 or more home runs as part of the highest-scoring MLB team (from eligible games) of the day.
For a more in-depth breakdown of how the King of the Diamond promo works, check out our How to Play King of the Diamond article on DraftKings Network.
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DraftKings King of the Diamond Strategy
Essentially, we need two scenarios to happen to be eligible to win part of the King of the Diamond jackpot. We need a player(s) to hit a home run and be on the highest scoring team of the night. So, one way to help figure out who to pick is to look into which teams have the highest projected team totals of the night. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, these are the highest team totals as of 10 a.m. ET.
Highest MLB team totals for Friday, May 2nd
- Los Angeles Dodgers 5.5 team total +110
- New York Yankees 4.5 team total -140
- San Francisco Giants 4.5 team total -125
- Houston Astros 4.5 team total -125
- Philadelphia Phillies 4.5 team total -125
MLB Starting Pitchers: Most home runs allowed
Amongst the starting pitchers scheduled for today, here is a list of those who’ve allowed the most home runs thus far. In the perentheces, I broke down the splits of how many they’e allowed to right-handed batters and left-handed batters:
- Ryan Pepiot (TBR) vs. New York Yankees: 8 home runs allowed (4 vs. RHB, 4 vs. LHB)
- Antonio Senzatela (COL) vs. San Francisco Giants: 7 home runs allowed (6 vs. RHB, 1 vs. LHB)
- Dean Kremer (BAL) vs. Kansas City Royals: 7 home runs allowed (2 vs. RHB, 5 vs. LHB)
- Hunter Greene (CIN) vs. Washington Nationals: 6 home runs allowed (2 vs. RHB, 4 vs. LHB)
DraftKings King of the Diamond Home Run Picks for Friday, May 2
Aaron Judge to hit a home run +170 vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Yeah, it’s a predictable pick and likely one of the most popular tonight. However, you can’t deny the matchup Judge has. As noted above, Ryan Pepiot has allowed the most home runs among tonight’s starting pitchers. He’s surrendered eight, split evenly between both sides of the plate. Of those eight, most were hit off two pitches: his four-seam fastball (four) and slider (three). Judge has crushed fastballs this season, hitting eight home runs off them.
Bryce Harper to hit a home run +265 vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
The Phillies face Merrill Kelly, who is tied with multiple pitchers who have allowed five home runs this season. The Phillies, however, are among the teams with the highest team totals tonight. Kelly has a high fly-ball rate (42%), and the winds will be blowing out toward right field tonight. This creates a strong opportunity for Harper to hit his sixth home run of the season. Four of the five home runs Kelly has allowed have come off his four-seam fastball.
Wilmer Flores to hit a home run +850 vs. Colorado Rockies
Here’s a long shot to consider tonight. Despite hitting seven home runs already, Flores has long odds to hit another tonight. The matchup is ripe, as Flores faces Antonio Senzatela. As noted above, Senzatela has allowed the second-most home runs on this slate, with six of the seven hit by right-handed hitters. Flores has been getting a bit lucky at the plate, but we’ll bank on that luck against a pitcher who often allows home runs.
Brent Rooker to hit a home run +330 vs. Miami Marlins
We don’t have many betting markets available for this game because the Marlins’ starter hasn’t been announced. I’m okay with this. Why? Because the Marlins’ bullpen has allowed a high rate of home runs. This season, their bullpen has a combined 1.2 HR/9 rate, the fourth-highest in the league. Without a confirmed starter, the Marlins may rely heavily on their bullpen tonight. The Athletics could fly under the radar, presenting an opportunity to select a less popular hitter.
Follow me on Twitter (X) for daily MLB info and picks @SBuchanan24
Good luck with your King of the Diamond picks for tonight! Whenever this promotion is happening, I’ll be doing these strategy articles exclusively on DraftKings Network.
For a more in-depth breakdown of how the King of the Diamond promo works, check out our How to Play King of the Diamond article on DraftKings Network.
