You have to love a Friday. Not only is it the final day of the work week, but it’s always jam-packed with baseball.
Tonight is no exception, as there’s a 12-game featured slate on DraftKings. Who are the best players to use in your lineups? Look no further. Here are my top three MLB DFS picks on the diamond.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: MLB $150K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
Top MLB DFS Picks for Friday 5/2/25
SP Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels, $10,500
This is not a night where you can get cute at starting pitcher. This matchup is simply too good to ignore for Skubal, who comes into Friday’s tilt in possession of a 2.34 ERA and 2.40 FIP in 2025. He’s also the reigning American League Cy Young award winner. On top of that, among pitchers with at least 300 innings thrown since 2023, Skubal’s 30.8% strikeout rate ranks as the highest. I don’t know what else to say. The man is very good.
The Angels, on the other hand, are not so good. Over the past 14 days, Los Angeles ranks dead-last in both batting average (.191) and wRC+ (61) and things aren’t like to get much better anytime soon — at least not with last night’s news. Mike Trout (knee) has been placed on the 10-day injured list. Add in a 29.3% strikeout rate across the past two weeks and it’s clear that the Angels are in for an excruciating night against Skubal.
3B Matt Chapman, San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies, $4,500
Chapman is in the midst of a very Matt Chapman campaign. What does the mean? Well, the veteran third baseman’s advanced statistical profile always tends to look better than his real numbers, and that trend is taking place once again in 2025. Despite 93rd percentile bat speed (75.4) and 89the percentile average exit velocity (92.8), Chapman is hitting just .200 across his first 136 plate appearances of the season. Needless to say, he’s due for a little luck, as a .246 BABIP is by far a career-low.
That luck could come in the form of Antonio Senzatela ($5,000). As you would expect, the Rockies’ RHP has been at his absolute worst when pitching at Coors Field in 2025, but don’t assume that means he’s been good on the road. Senzatela has a 5.20 FIP within the split and he’s allowed opponents to combine for an insane .472 wOBA. Righties have given Senzatela the most problems, with opposing RHBs slashing .379/.410/.724 off the 30-year-old. Woof.
OF Trent Grisham, New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays, $3,900
You can not overstate how good Grisham has been against right-handed pitching in 2025. In 44 plate appearances within the split, the 28-year-old has hit six home runs. That’s translated into a .780 slugging percentage, a .463 ISO and a 222 wRC+. So, if you had been wondering why the Yankees had been batting Grisham leadoff versus RHPs — now you know.
On Friday, the RHP in question will be Ryan Pepiot ($7,800), who comes into this matchup in New York surrendering 2.12 opponent home runs per nine. Pepiot has been particularly bad when pitching at home for the Rays in 2025, giving up eight long balls and sporting a 4.82 ERA in 28.0 innings within the split. Fun quirk: While he won’t be taking the mound at George M. Steinbrenner Field this evening, he will be pitching at the identical Yankee Stadium. I’d expect more of the same woes for Pepiot, which should mean great things for Grisham and the rest of the Yankees’ bats.
