DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Monday 5/15/23

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Pitchers

Framber Valdez FD 10700 DK 10700
Opponent - CHC (Jameson Taillon) Park - CHC
FD - 37.64 DK - 19.79

We get a very appealing pitching slate tonight as there are three big favourites, two of them at home, and all three in different price ranges. Let's start at the top with Framber Valdez who is coming off his best start of the season going eight innings, allowing just three hits and one earned run while striking out 12 with zero walks. For the season, he has held opponents to two or fewer earned runs in six of eight starts and enters with an impressive 2.38 ERA/2.60 xFIP. The Cubs offence has dropped off some after a hot start and they are striking out 25% of the time over the last two weeks. All things considered, Valdez is my top pitcher on this slate.

Michael Wacha FD 9200 DK 7800
Opponent - KC (Brad Keller) Park - KC
FD - 27.91 DK - 14.51

For value, as a SP on DraftKings, I will be turning to Michael Wacha who comes in as the biggest favourite(-212) on the slate. After a rough stretch where he 21 hits and 12 earned runs across two starts, Wacha has really bounced back allowing just nine hits and four earned runs over his last three starts while giving us quality starts in two straight. He now faces a bottom-10 offence in the Royals who are also considerably worse against right-handed pitching(.294 wOBA/81 wRC+). Wacha is my favorite SP2 option on DraftKings and a GPP pivot on FanDuel.

Catcher/First Base

Christian Walker FD 3500 DK 4500
Opponent - OAK (Drew Rucinski) Park - OAK
FD - 13.07 DK - 9.83

The bats are also in a great spot tonight with seven teams sitting with 5+ implied runs and the Diamondbacks are my favourite from a PTS/$ standpoint. There are one of the surprises early in the season as they are five games over .500 and their offence is Top 5 in runs scored and Top 10 in almost every advanced metric, as well. For Walker, he has cooled off a bit in the short-term but has been very productive overall with nine home runs and 28 RBI and has seven multi-hit efforts in his last 15 games. Fire up Walker in all formats.

Also Consider: Spencer Steer(CIN) as a punt option who gets to hit in Coors and is projected to hit near the top of the lineup tonight

Second Base

Jonathan India FD 4100 DK 5600
Opponent - COL (Connor Seabold) Park - COL
FD - 14.73 DK - 11.26

The Reds start a series in Coors Field tonight and with their below-average start to the season, they are actually very affordable stack despite a few higher-priced options. One of those is Jonathan India who is becoming an elite leadoff hitter in the big leagues entering the night with a .295 average and .387 on-base percentage. He has also got more aggressive on the base paths and already has eight steals on the season. In a plus matchup surrounded by value, India is my top play at second base tonight.

Also Consider: Ketel Marte(ARI) who also has a plus matchup and is second to only India in projections 

Shortstop

J.P. Crawford FD 2800 DK 2900
Opponent - BOS (Tanner Houck) Park - BOS
FD - 9.38 DK - 7.22

It has been a disappointing start to the season for the Mariners which is directly tied to the struggles of their superstar, Julio Rodriguez. He has somewhat forced their hand as they moved him down the lineup but that has opened up some value for us as J.P. Crawford has benefited from the opportunity to leadoff in each of the last four games. He not only has hits in each of those games, he also comes in with hits in seven straight overall and fits the leadoff mold with a .379 OBP on the season. Crawford is easily one of my top PTS/$ value plays on this slate.

Third Base

Josh Rojas FD 2900 DK 4600
Opponent - OAK (Drew Rucinski) Park - OAK
FD - 12.83 DK - 9.85

Let's stick with the D-backs value at third base(also 2B eligible on DK) and roll with Josh Rojas who has been the regular leadoff hitter against right-handed pitching this season. He is still looking for his first home run and is only hitting .259 on the season but the opportunity is huge and the good news is that he is starting to heat up with hits in four straight games including an extra-base hit in three straight. He the D-backs also get one of the best matchups on the board against Drew Rucinski so I will be loading up in cash and also have some exposure to a top-of-the-order, four-man stack in GPP.

Also Consider: Nolan Arenado(STL) who may not get the best matchup but is a buy-low on both sites and is heating up in a huge way with home runs in three straight games

Outfield

Jake Fraley FD 3400 DK 4200
Opponent - COL (Connor Seabold) Park - COL
FD - 15.14 DK - 11.43

Back to Coors to finish things off and like I mentioned earlier, I am much more on the road team in this game. Fraley is projected to hit second behind India like he has in each of his last two starts and while the overall numbers don't jump off the page, he has comes in red-hot. He has hits in five straight starts, multi-hot efforts in three straight, and three home runs over his last two starts. At these prices, I will have a ton of exposure to Fraley tonight.

Also Consider: Jarred Kelenic(SEA) who has started to look like the high prospect he was over the last few years as he enters with eight home runs and has a plus matchup against Tanner Houck and the Red Sox

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