MLB baseball is back! While the KBO held us over for a few months, we have to be honest and say it isn’t as good as the real thing. Now that we can watch baseball during hours that we are normally awake, it’s a great time to get in on some DraftKings MLB action.
Set your DraftKings lineups here: MLB $300K 18th Hole Special [$100K to 1st]
Starting Pitcher
Stud
Walker Buehler, LAD vs. COL, $10,200 - There is no denying that Buehler is struggling in the early going of the season. Don’t worry, I come loaded with good news! His swinging strike rate is still intact, generating swing and misses on 11.3% of his pitches. This is in line with his career average so I expect positive regression in his strikeouts. On top of this, his velocity is the same as it’s been the rest of his career. The early struggles from Buehler seem to be a result of a small sample size and the Rockies have been one of the worst road offenses in baseball for years.
Value
Andrew Heaney, LAA at OAK, $7,700 - Most of the cheap pitching options on today’s slate are pretty risky and Heaney is no different. At least with Heaney, his risk comes with a high ceiling. He’s striking out over a batter per inning and scored 19.3 DKFP in his last start against Oakland. There is also reason to think he starts working deep into games consistently after throwing over 100 pitches in his last start for the first time this season.
Curious about when major leagues and events will return? Check out our DraftKings Sports Calendar for the latest updates.
Catcher
Stud
Pedro Severino, BAL vs. BOS, $4,600 - Formerly just a lefty masher, Severino apparently crushes all pitchers these days. In addition to doing his normal damage against southpaws, Severino has a 166 wRC+ against right-handed pitching. He’s been one of the best hitting catchers in baseball and has a hit in nine of his last 10 games.
Value
Austin Nola, SEA vs. TEX, $3,700 - I am oddly excited that we have both the Nola brothers playing on tonight’s slate in a good spot. Not only does Aaron Nola ($9,900) warrant some consideration at pitcher, Austin continues to swing a hot bat for the Mariners. Hitting in the middle of the lineup at a cheap price, he’s scored double-digit DKFP in two of his last three games.
First Base
Stud
Yuli Gurriel, HOU at SD, $4,900 - Due to what is likely bias against the Astros because of their cheating scandal, Houston isn’t garnering nearly as much ownership as it should this season. This is causing a hot hitter like Gurriel to frequently go overlooked. He’s riding a seven-game hitting streak and averaging 8.8 DKFP.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Gurriel is not in the lineup for tonight’s game vs. the Padres.
Value
Eric Hosmer, SD vs. HOU, $3,500 - I am fully bought into the increased launch angle. After mostly being irrelevant for fantasy over the last couple of seasons, Hosmer is hitting more balls in the air and it’s leading to upside. He hit a grand slam Thursday night and now has homered in four of his last eight games.
Second Base
Stud
Whit Merrifield, KC vs. MIN, $5,500 - After scoring double-digit DKFP in both of the Royals’ doubleheader games on Wednesday, Merrifield brought his DKFP average up to 9.6 per game. This makes him the top fantasy producer amongst all second baseman. A matchup against Jake Odorizzi ($9,000) might seem tough, but he isn’t stretched out yet and has a 5.14 ERA.
Value
Phil Gosselin, PHI at ATL, $3,500 - Gosselin has been sneaky good this season and this is especially true against left-handed pitching. Against southpaws, he has a ridiculous 279 wRC+. This is a bit inflated and there’s a small sample size issue, but Gosselin also has a 13 wRC+ against right-handed pitching. Simply put, he’s cheap and been one of the top middle infield hitters this season.
Third Base
Stud
Jose Ramirez, CLE vs. DET, $5,400 - Last year’s slow start is well behind Ramirez. This has not been an issue at all this year and he’s back as one of the top fantasy players in baseball. His upside is immense since he has five stolen bases to go along with five homers. Ramirez has double-digit DKFP in four of his last six games and stolen four bases over this stretch.
Value
Brad Miller, STL vs. CIN, $3,700 - You probably didn’t know Miller is on fire to start the season. Since the Cardinals have barely played on any main slates due to their doubleheader situations, there hasn’t been much reason to look into the stats of their players. Miller has hit the ground running, reaching base in all of his starts this season with a .421 batting average.
Shortstop
Stud
Tim Anderson, CWS at CHC, $4,800 - Finally, Anderson is leading off for a good White Sox offense. Over the last few years, he’s batted leadoff and hit lefties well, but without much help behind him. Now with a solid offense around him, Anderson is getting better pitches to hit and doing damage. Over his last five games, he’s hit four homers and averaged 22.6 DKFP.
Value
David Fletcher, LAA at OAK, $4,100 - The Angels are having a really disappointing season, but at least the top of the lineup is hitting well. This has allowed Fletcher to score 15 runs as the leadoff man. Fletcher is having no problem getting on base and has a .367 OBP.
Outfield
Stud
Anthony Santander, BAL vs. BOS, $4,600 - Santander is the best hitter in baseball and you can’t convince me otherwise! Okay, that’s a lie, but still, he’s playing out of his mind. I don’t know exactly what to make of him going forward. He’s among the league leaders with nine homers and has a great matchup in what is shaping up to be a bullpen day for the Red Sox. Santander has scored at least 9.0 DKFP in 12 of his last 14 games.
Value
Dylan Moore, SEA vs. TEX, $3,900 - I know the Mariners should have a terrible offense, but they have a few individual hitters who are performing really well at cheap prices. One of those guys is Moore. He has a 150 wRC+ and is flashing some power upside with five long balls.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Moore (wrist) has been scratched from the lineup for tonight’s game vs. the Rangers.
Set your DraftKings lineups here: MLB $300K 18th Hole Special [$100K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is gehrenberg) 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 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.
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