Just a nine-game featured MLB slate on DraftKings this evening, as a handful of games have decided to be annoying and start around 6:30 p.m. ET. It’s not really that much of an inconvenience, but I don’t get off work till seven o’clock, so, you know, it affects my preferred lifestyle — and isn’t that what really matters?
Let’s dive into the contest we do feature and find some studs and values.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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PITCHER
Stud
Ronel Blanco, Houston Astros vs. Seattle Mariners, $8,200 – There are a lot of viable pitchers in good matchups at the top of this slate’s pitcher pricing list, but it feels like Blanco is the best value. The RHP has been sensational to begin 2024, maintaining a 1.65 ERA and and 2.32 xERA across 32.2 innings. Blanco’s change-up is elite and it’s expanded usage has turned the 30-year-old into a soft-contact savant. To wit, Blanco sits in the 96th percentile in both expected batting average (.168) opponent hard ht rate (25.6%). Add in the fact that the Mariners own the league’s highest strikeout rate (28.7%) and there’s a lot to like about this spot.
Value
George Kirby, Seattle Mariners at Houston Astros, $7,800 – Take the under in this tilt, I guess. The Astros are a decidedly worse matchup than the Mariners — Houston has baseball’s lowest strikeout rate (16.9%) and the AL’s best wRC+ (117) — yet there’s no justifiable reason for Kirby being this cheap. Kirby pitched to a 3.35 ERA across 31 starts last season and, so far in 2024, he’s rocking a 2.05 FIP with a career-high 28.4% strikeout rate. Heck, in his last 12 innings, Kirby hasn’t allowed an opponent run and he’s struck out 19. That’s pretty damn good.
INFIELD
Stud
Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles Dodgers, $5,700 – I won’t sugarcoat it: Olson’s results have been awful in 2024. Yet he’s still the same guy that led MLB in home runs last season. His barrel rate is 13.3%. His expected wOBA is .377. I think it’s safe to say good things are on the horizon for the All-Star — maybe even as soon as this evening. Gavin Stone ($6,900) has struggled with LHBs. To wit, left-handed batters are currently hitting .341 with a .415 wOBA off the young RHP. Olson should be licking his chops.
Stud
Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox at Minnesota Twins, $5,100 – After a slow start to the season, Devers is heating up. The third baseman is currently riding an eight-game hit streak coming into Friday’s action and it’s a span of time where Devers is slashing .448/.556/.621 with a 231 wRC+. I guess he’s finally feeling healthy. Expect Devers to keep the good times rolling in a matchup with Chris Paddack ($6,300), who has had his issues with LHBs in 2024. Lefties have combined to hit .393 with a .414 wOBA off the RHP.
Value
Nolan Gorman, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago White Sox, $3,900 – Gorman is in the midst of a massive slump, but the infielder’s plus-power always makes him viable in DFS — especially when his price drops below $4K. Plus, there might not be a better cure for struggling bats than the White Sox pitching staff. Brad Keller ($7,100) will make his first start of the season on Friday. Since 2021, Keller has started 57 games. He’s pitched to a 5.05 ERA.
Value
Tyler Nevin, Oakland Athletics vs. Miami Marlins, $2,600 – I’ll forgive you if you haven’t been keeping up to date on your Tyler Nevin stats, but the man can hit left-handed pitching. For his career, in 145 plate appearances within the split, Nevin owns a .222 ISO and a 146 wRC+. There’s a reason that the former second-round pick has been hitting in the two-spot for Oakland against southpaws in 2024. Tonight’s lefty? Ryan Weathers ($6,000), who has the exact splits you’d expect. RHBs are hitting .291 with a .500 slugging percentage off Weathers so far this season.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Michael Harris II, Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles Dodgers, $4,900 – While Harris is confined to the bottom of the Braves’ order, his numbers against RHPs remain elite. Specific to 2024, Harris is slashing .300/.341/.463 with a 127 wRC+ within the split. The 23-year-old has also stolen 20 bases every year he’s been in the majors, so he’s has multiple ways to rack up DKFP for your lineups.
Stud
Esteury Ruiz, Oakland Athletics vs. Miami Marlins, $4,200 – It’s been an odd start to the season for Ruiz, but while he’s been up with the A’s, he’s absolutely smashed left-handed pitching. In 25 plate appearances within the split, Ruiz is slashing .316/.440/.737. In fact, Ruiz’s .478 expected wOBA versus LHPs is the third-highest mark in the league. It’s not like this skill has come out of nowhere, either. In 2023, Ruiz posted a 106 wRC+ in opposite-hand matchups. Weathers better take notice.
Value
Alex Verdugo, New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers, $3,700 – Personally, I didn’t have Verdugo becoming the Yankees’ clean-up hitter on my 2024 BINGO card, but here we are. It’s hard to say he hasn’t earned it. In his 79 plate appearances this season against RHPs, Verdugo has registered a .203 ISO and a 142 wRC+. At this price, batting directly behind Juan Soto ($6,300) and Aaron Judge ($6,100), it’s difficult to not see Verdugo as a viable asset.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (my username is theglt13) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
