The fourth edition of the “King of the Diamond” promotion takes place Monday night on DraftKings Sportsbook. Previous winners received bonus bets of $1,414, $249, and $60.
What is the “King of the Diamond”? For an in-depth breakdown of this promotion, you can read our How to Play King of the Diamond article on DraftKings Network. Below is a quick summary:
- 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.
The Dodgers snuck in as the winners late Friday night, after a huge ninth inning propelled them as the highest scoring team. Before that, the Padres were in the driver’s seat to be the KOTD and would have awarded eligible users a $20,408 bonus bet, as only Martin Maldonado homered for the Padres.
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DraftKings King of the Diamond Strategy
Essentially, two conditions must be met to be eligible to win part of the King of the Diamond jackpot: one or more players must hit a home run and play for the team with the highest score that night. One way to determine which players to pick is to identify the teams with the highest projected totals for that night. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, these are currently the highest projected team totals as of 8 a.m. Monday morning.
Highest MLB team totals for Monday, May 12th
- Texas Rangers 5.5 runs +100
- Chicago Cubs 4.5 runs -135
- Atlanta Braves 4.5 runs -125
- New York Yankees 4.5 runs -110
- Philadelphia Phillies 4.5 runs +100
MLB Starting Pitchers: Most home runs allowed
Among the starting pitchers scheduled for today, here is a list of those who have allowed the most home runs thus far. In parentheses, I have broken down the splits of how many they have allowed to right-handed and left-handed batters:
- Jake Irvin (WAS) at Atlanta Braves: 9 home runs allowed; 1.6 HR/9 (2 vs. RHB, 7 vs. LHB)
- Chase Dollander (COL) at Texas Rangers: 8 home runs allowed; 2.5 HR/9 (3 vs. RHB, 5 vs. LHB)
- Grant Holmes (ATL) vs. Washington Nationals: 8 home runs allowed; 1.8 HR/9 (6 vs. RHB, 2 vs. LHB)
- Tanner Houck (BOS) at Detroit Tigers: 8 home runs allowed; 1.7 HR/9 (2 vs. RHB, 6 vs. LHB)
DraftKings King of the Diamond Home Run Picks for Monday, May 12
Wyatt Langford to hit a home run +400 vs. Colorado Rockies
The Rangers have the highest team total on this slate at 5.5 runs. They’ll be facing Chase Dollander and the Rockies at Globe Life Field. Dollander, as listed above, has a 2.5 HR/9 on the season, allowing eight home runs over 28 innings. Seven of the eight home runs Dollander has allowed have come off his four-seam fastball, while the other is off his cutter. Langford has been hitting the four-seam very well to this point, which includes four of his six home runs on the season. I’d imagine the Rangers will be a popular play tonight but it’s hard to deny the matchup.
Kyle Tucker to hit a home run +425 vs. Miami Marlins
The Chicago Cubs have a high team total of 4.5 runs for their game tonight against the Miami Marlins. Cal Quantrill, the Marlins’ starter, has allowed five home runs this season and struggles with low strikeout numbers, leading to frequent contact. The Marlins’ pitching staff has surrendered the second-most runs in the league, averaging 5.9 per game, trailing only the Colorado Rockies. With the Cubs’ potent offense, led by Kyle Tucker’s hot bat, they are well-positioned to be one of the highest-scoring teams on tonight’s slate. For DraftKings’ King of the Diamond (KOTD) promotion, consider parlaying up to five players, including a few Cubs hitters, to maximize your eligibility.
Manny Machado to hit a home run +360 vs. Los Angeles Angels
When making your picks, don’t sleep on the bullpen matchups. Starting pitching matters a ton, but I also look at who’s coming in later. The Angels’ bullpen is a disaster, giving up a league-high 1.87 HR/9 (home runs per nine innings) and 27 homers, five more than anyone else. Opposing teams are averaging 5.3 runs per game, which makes this a team to consider targeting against.
Yusei Kikuchi draws the start for the Angels, which isn’t bad for the Padres either. Kikuchi is currently allowing the highest fly ball rate of his career at 41% (previous high was 38%), and his strikeout numbers have dived from last season, going from 10.5 K/9 to 8.2. While Machado only has three home runs on the season, he’s been dialed in at the plate this month. I don’t believe he’s been an overly popular play tonight, some of his teammates like Fernando Tatis Jr and Jackson Merrill would be, so I’m willing to take a shot with Machado.
Heliot Ramos to hit a home run +700 vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Heliot Ramos is my long-shot pick to hit a home run tonight at 7-1 odds. He’s facing Arizona’s Merrill Kelly, who’s posted a 1.2 HR/9, allowing six homers this season—five off his four-seam fastball. Ramos has been crushing that pitch, slugging .575 against it. With bigger names stealing the spotlight on tonight’s slate, Ramos and the Giants could fly under the radar. The Diamondbacks’ bullpen, much like other struggling relief units, has been leaky, giving up a 1.4 HR/9. That’s a solid setup for Ramos to go deep.
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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.
