DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Wednesday, 8/31/22

It's the final day of August, and it means we're down to the stretch run. Only one month of baseball remains, and each game gets more important than the last. Some of the division races are heating up, and it'll be fun to watch these clubs compete for the final 35 days. With that in mind, let's get started with a former Cy Young winner!

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Pitchers

Gerrit Cole FD - P 11100 DK - SP 10800
Opponent - LAA (Patrick Sandoval) Park - LAA
FD - 42.14 DK - 23.87

Many people have talked about the demise of Cole, but that's a silly notion. This is still one of the best pitchers in baseball, providing a 3.31 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 11.7 K/9 rate. His recent form is even more absurd, accruing a 2.05 ERA and 0.87 WHIP across his last four starts. That form should be easy to continue against this awful Angels offense, with Los Angeles sitting 26th in OBP and dead-last in K rate. He showed how wretched they were last season when Cole compiled a 1.42 ERA, 0.55 WHIP, and 17.1 K/9 rate in their two matchups! That has him entering this matchup as a -210 favorite, with LA projected for just three runs.

Freddy Peralta FD - P 8600 DK - SP 8200
Opponent - PIT (Undecided) Park - MIL
FD - 34.04 DK - 18.46

It's strange to see Peralta this cheap. This dude has been an ace since his call-up, collecting a 3.08 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 27 percent K rate since the start of last season. That's usually what you see from many of the $10K players, making the pricing tough to understand. What makes it even more mind-boggling is his recent form, registering a 2.55 ERA and 0.89 WHIP across his last five starts. The matchup with Pittsburgh is the best part of this, though, with the Pirates ranked bottom-three in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and K rate. Not to mention, he enters this matchup as a -250 favorite, scoring at least 43 FanDuel points in three of their last four matchups.

Triston McKenzie (FD $10300 DK $10200) has a WHIP sitting around 1.00 and should have no problem holding down a 24th-ranked Orioles offense.

Catcher/First Base

Paul Goldschmidt FD - 1B 4700 DK - 1B 6300
Opponent - CIN (Mike Minor) Park - CIN
FD - 16.49 DK - 12.5

Goldy is the best play on the board, and it's not close. The NL MVP frontrunner is amid an astounding season, amassing a .333 AVG, .417 OBP, .620 SLG, and 1.037 OPS. It's crazy to maintain averages like those for 120 games, but Goldy also has a 1.137 OPS across his last 37 games. The best part of this is that he faces a lefty, with Paul posting a .504 OBP, .828 SLG, and 1.332 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor this season. Mike Minor has been terrible this year too, and we'll dive into that later on. Oh yeah, Goldy also has a .571 AVG and 1.886 OPS in 15 at-bats against Minor.

José Abreu FD - 1B 3200 DK - 1B 4100
Opponent - KC (Kris Bubic) Park - CHW
FD - 11.33 DK - 8.58

It's been a rough season for the Chicago faithful, but Abreu goes out there and rakes every day. Over his last 94 games, Abreu has accumulated a .346 AVG, .420 OBP, and .924 OPS. That's a dominant three-month stretch, making it hard to understand why he's not $500 more on each site. In any case, we'll take advantage because Kris Bubic has a 5.62 ERA and 1.68 WHIP. It also gives Abreu the platoon advantage from the right side, registering a .371 OBP and .945 OPS against left-handers since 2020.

J.T. Realmuto (FD $3600 DK $5600) is arguably the best catcher in baseball, and he should thrive against an inexperienced pitcher like Tommy Henry.

Second Base

Jose Altuve FD - 2B 3700 DK - 2B 5600
Opponent - TEX (Martín Pérez) Park - TEX
FD - 11.29 DK - 8.61

Using BvP can be dangerous with all of the small sample sizes out there, but Altuve and Martin Perez have been battling throughout their careers. They've faced each other 52 times, with Altuve posting a .289 AVG against him. That means he sees the ball well out of Perez's hand, and we adore that with Altuve's recent raking. The 32-year-old All-Star has a .308 AVG, .379 OBP, .577 SLG, and .956 OPS across his last 14 games. Jose has also slaughtered southpaws throughout his career, compiling a .380 OBP, .657 SLG, and 1.038 OPS against them this season.

Brandon Drury FD - 2B 3300 DK - 1B/2B 5300
Opponent - SF (Alex Wood) Park - SF
FD - 8.8 DK - 6.79

Drury was an underrated acquisition by the Padres, and he's been one of their best hitters since that trade. The utilityman just hit a three-run bomb off of Carlos Rodon on Monday, and he's been killing left-handed pitching all year. In fact, Drury dons a .299 AVG, .614 SLG, and .943 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor this season. That makes him way too cheap on FanDuel, especially since he faces a struggling southpaw here. That happens to be Alex Wood, generating an 8.53 ERA across his last five starts. He's also struggled with San Diego this season, allowing five runs in two of their last four matchups.

Shortstop

Dansby Swanson FD - SS 3800 DK - SS 5400
Opponent - COL (Ryan Feltner) Park - ATL
FD - 11.68 DK - 8.91

Swanson is amid a breakout year in Atlanta, and it looks like he will land a monster contract in the offseason. While he did have a rough opening month, Swanson has a .302 AVG, .353 OBP, .472 SLG, and .825 OPS since April 25. He's also got 17 homers, 16 steals, 80 runs, and 75 RBI in that span, stuffing the stat sheet on a nightly basis. That's even more intriguing now, with Swanson leading off in the absence of Ronald Acuna. Getting to face off with Ryan Feltner is fantastic, too, with the Rockies righty totaling a 5.87 ERA and 1.42 WHIP.

Javier Báez FD - SS 2800 DK - SS 3900
Opponent - SEA (Marco Gonzales) Park - DET
FD - 10.77 DK - 8.25

This is a risky recommendation with how bad Baez has been this season, but this is a good spot for him. His first asset is his sensational splits, producing a .314 AVG, .500 SLG, and .827 OPS against left-handers this year. His career OPS against lefties is right on par with that, and it's clear he sees the ball really well from that side. The main thing holding him back has been his strikeouts but facing one of the lowest K-rate guys in the sport makes Baez an enticing option. Gonzales has been far from lights out, too, tallying a 3.97 ERA ad 1.39 WHIP.

Third Base

Nolan Arenado FD - 3B 4100 DK - 3B 5900
Opponent - CIN (Mike Minor) Park - CIN
FD - 13.82 DK - 10.47

Stacking Goldschmidt and Arenado will be the safest stack on the board. These two have been mashing all season, with Arenado playing some of the best ball of his career. Over his last 35 games. Arenado has accrued a .341 AVG, .393 OBP, .674 SLG, and 1.069 OPS. That alone makes him an excellent option against anyone but facing Mike Minor is marvelous. The Reds left-hander has a 6.10 ERA and 1.54 WHIP this year. That's bad news with St. Louis posting the best numbers against lefties, and you could even squeeze in Albert Pujols with a minimum price tag on DraftKings to save some salary.

Alex Bregman FD - 3B 3500 DK - 3B 5200
Opponent - TEX (Martín Pérez) Park - TEX
FD - 10.6 DK - 7.96

It might be risky to stack against Martin Perez, but I refuse to believe that this guy is a good pitcher. He's definitely having a good season, but this is a lefty who provided a 4.71 ERA and 1.48 WHIP through his first nine years. That sample size seems much more trustworthy, and we believe he'll struggle with a righty-heavy lineup like the Stros. Bregman has been their best bat recently, amassing a .362 AVG, .449 OBP, .705 SLG, and 1.154 OPS since sitting on July 27. That's 31 games of dominance, and we obviously don't mind that Bregman is flirting with a .400 OBP and .900 OPS against left-handers throughout his career. He's also got a .364 OBP in 33 at-bats against Perez.

Outfield

Aaron Judge FD - OF 5000 DK - OF 6500
Opponent - LAA (Patrick Sandoval) Park - LAA
FD - 13.95 DK - 10.43

Judge just connected on his 51st homer on Tuesday, and he's lapping the field in that category. He's 15 homers ahead of anyone else and leads the league with 104 runs and 113 RBI. That pairs beautifully with his .398 OBP, and he looks like the clear frontrunner for AL MVP with that absurd season under his belt. That makes him the best player on every slate, and he gets the platoon advantage against a struggling southpaw. Sandoval has a 1.50 WHIP since the end of May, while Judge has a 1.017 OPS against lefties since 2020.

Eloy Jiménez FD - OF 3000 DK - OF 3900
Opponent - KC (Kris Bubic) Park - CHW
FD - 11.48 DK - 8.72

It's been a rough year for most of these Sox hitters, but Eloy will be a stud at some point. The righty has a .500 SLG and .250 ISO since his call-up, and he posted even more prestigious power numbers at the minors. He's actually amid his best season in terms of pure hitting, providing a .308 AVG and .378 OBP. That makes him an excellent play against a pitcher like Bubic, boasting a 5.62 ERA and 1.68 WHIP. It also gives Eloy the advantage from the right side, which is terrific since Jimenez has a .522 OBP and 1.228 OPS across his last six games. Stacking Jimenez and Abreu is relatively cheap, and it could pair beautifully with the Cardinals stack!

Tyler O'Neill FD - OF 3100 DK - OF 5400
Opponent - CIN (Mike Minor) Park - CIN
FD - 13.68 DK - 10.34

Let's cap off the article with the most jacked player in baseball. O'Neill is an absolute unit, and it's just a matter of time before he starts raking. The power hitter had 34 homers, and 15 steals in a breakout 2021 campaign and has been held back by injuries this year. With that said, he's healthy now, totaling a .394 OBP, .846 SLG, and 1.240 OPS over his last eight games. That's moved him into the heart of this Cardinals lineup which is incredible since this is our favorite stack of the day. O'Neill hasn't faced Minor much, but a .667 AVG, 1.778 SLG, and 2.445 OPS in nine at-bats against him are absurd averages.