On Wednesday, Major League Baseball has a fun split schedule, setting up a wide variety of MLB DFS opportunities on DraftKings. After a busy afternoon, six games are on the main DFS fantasy baseball slate, which begins at 7:05 p.m. ET. Four games start shortly after 7:00 p.m. ET, with two late-night matchups from Los Angeles getting underway at 10:10 p.m. ET to close out the evening. With 12 teams on the board, the player pool has a good mix of pitching and offense available, with plenty of ways to assemble a solid roster. Let’s dive in and examine some of my top MLB DFS picks for Wednesday night’s slate.
Overall, the weather forecast is clear for Wednesday night with warm temperatures and wind blowing out in most parks. The run totals are fairly consistent across the board, with matchups providing the main advantages rather than ballparks. Even without any rain concerns, it’s always important to double-check lineups and forecasts before locking in your final roster.
Make your DraftKings MLB DFS picks here: MLB $150K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]
PITCHER
Stud
Zac Thornton, New York Mets at Atlanta Braves, $8,200 — While the Mets’ season has been a mess on so many levels, Thornton has been one of several young players who have been bright spots and reasons for optimism moving forward. The 24-year-old lefty has a 2.52 ERA through his first seven MLB starts, backed up by a 3.69 FIP and 1.07 WHIP. He doesn’t have an extremely high strikeout ceiling, with 27 total punchouts in his 39 1/3 innings, but he has been very effective overall.
Thornton has earned at least 17 FPTS in five of his last six starts, averaging 17.1 FPTS per game over that stretch. He faced the Braves at the end of July and allowed three runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings. He was even sharper in his most recent start, only allowing four hits and no runs in five shutout innings on his way to 17.6 FPTS against the Pirates. He has a 1.86 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 29 innings since re-joining the rotation, and he has been reliable enough to trust as a strong play even in a tough rematch in Atlanta.
Value
George Klassen, Los Angeles Angels vs. Texas Rangers, $6,000 — Klassen is another young and promising arm on the mound this Wednesday night. Klassen returned to the Halos’ rotation after the team traded Jose Soriano ($8,700) to the Blue Jays, and he had his best MLB outing last Friday against the Marlins. He just worked four innings, as he issued four walks, but he only allowed one run while picking up three strikeouts and earning 8.2 FPTS.
Klassen struggled early this season in the majors, but had a strong July in Triple-A before his promotion. In the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, he went 3-0 in his six starts in the month, compiling a 2.48 ERA with a 3.53 FIP, a 0.99 WHIP and 38 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings. The 24-year-old will need to work deeper in the game on Wednesday against the Rangers if he wants to earn another turn in the rotation, since Yusei Kikuchi (shoulder) will be back in the mix soon. After so much success in the minors, Klassen brings enough upside to be a great value play at only $6,000 on Wednesday night.
INFIELD
Stud
1B Munetaka Murakami, Chicago White Sox vs. Cincinnati Reds, $5,400 — Murakami has picked up his production over his last 15 games after some time to re-adjust following an extended stay on the IL. The 26-year-old lefty from Japan has six homers in his last 15 games with an average of 10.7 FPTS per contest. He also sports a .262 batting average, .401 wOBA, 63.9% hard-hit rate and 25% barrel rate.
Murakami has a favorable matchup against Rhett Lowder ($7,000) and the Reds at home on Wednesday night. Lowder has allowed 10 of his 11 homers this season to lefties like Murakami, and is 2-6 with a 7.71 ERA in his 10 road appearances. There are many strong options at first base, but his current form and this favorable matchup make Murakami my top pay-up infield play.
Value
2B/3B Charles McAdoo, Toronto Blue Jays vs. Boston Red Sox, $2,300 — McAdoo started each of the last two games for the Blue Jays, moving into the leadoff spot against lefty Patrick Sandoval on Tuesday. Since Ranger Suarez ($9,000) is another southpaw, McAdoo could bring elite value upside if he’s hitting at the top of the order with such a low salary and good positional versatility.
McAdoo went 1-for-2 with a walk, a home run, and 16 FPTS on Monday, and had another walk out of the leadoff spot with an RBI and 4 FPTS on Tuesday. The 24-year-old righty has only hit .172 in 10 MLB games this season, but at Triple-A, he hit .269 with 16 homers and 12 stolen bases over 89 games. He posted a solid .372 wOBA with a 40.5% hard hit rate and 10.1% barrel rate. Suarez is a tough matchup, but McAdoo has enough upside to definitely be worth considering at his salary barely over the minimum.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Wilyer Abreu, Boston Red Sox at Toronto Blue Jays, $5,100 — Abreu and the Red Sox have dropped four straight after their impressive stretch through July and early August. Abreu has been the team’s hottest hitter recently and had his 21st homer of the season on Tuesday night on his way to 21 FPTS despite his team’s loss. Over his last eight games, Abreu averaged 16.9 FPTS per contest with five homers and a .324 batting average. He and the Sox will be taking on new Blue Jay Jose Soriano ($8,700) on Wednesday night as they look to get back in the win column. Whether they do or not, Abreu is a solid play to build around at $5,100, and doesn’t cost quite as much as the other elite outfield hitters.
Value
Hector Rodriguez, Cincinnati Reds at Chicago White Sox, $2,300 — The Reds have found ways to get Rodriguez in the lineup in RF, CF and DH since calling him up after the trade deadline. The rookie lefty brings lots of potential production after hitting .274 in 104 games with the Louisville Bats and racking up 27 homers and a .380 wOBA to go with six stolen bases, 72 runs scored and 69 RBI.
Rodriguez hasn’t homered in the majors yet, while going just 2-for-17 (.118) in his first six games. However, that power potential makes him a solid play to consider this Wednesday as a bargain play, especially against Luis Castillo ($7,500) of the White Sox, who has allowed 17 runs on 30 hits and eight home runs over his last four starts. Lefties like Rodriguez have hit 13 of the 17 homers against Castillo and have a .888 OPS against him. Those splits make Rodriguez one of the best MLB DFS picks today with his bargain salary just over the minimum.
