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DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Monday 5/2/22
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Pitchers
Pablo López FD - P 10500 DK - SP 10000
Opponent - ARI (Zac Gallen) Park - MIA
FD - 35.68 DK - 18.95
The Marlins are off to a great start entering Monday three games over .500 and sitting second in the NL East and a large part of that success can be attributed to their starting rotation which has the 7th best ERA in baseball. Leading the way has been Pablo Lopez who has allowed just 13 hits and one earned run over his first four starts and now gets an elite matchup against the D-Backs who rank dead last in wOBA(.238) and wRC+(51). Lopez is our top projected pitcher on Monday and a great play in all formats.
Drew Rasmussen FD - P 8200 DK - SP 8300
Opponent - OAK (Daulton Jefferies) Park - OAK
FD - 27.45 DK - 14.75
Rasmussen came over from the Brewers last season and was converted to a starter late in the year in hopes he would make the opening day rotation in 2022. He did just that and despite being on a pitch count through four starts has been terrific with a 3.50 ERA and even better 3.12 xFIP and has recorded 18 strikeouts with just four walks. He stands out tonight as he should get a shot at exceeding 90 pitches in a plus matchup against the A's who are below average in both wOBA(.285) and wRC+(95) but what really stands out is their league-high 28.7% K rate. He comes at a terrific price point on this small slate and is my top PTS/$ option on both sites.
Catcher/First Base
Yandy Díaz FD 2700 DK 4200
Opponent - OAK (Daulton Jefferies) Park - OAK
FD - 8.63 DK - 6.58
First things first. There is likely enough value on this slate, even with paying up for pitching, where you can get exposure to Vladdy or Ty France but I am leaning toward the PTS/$ route at first, at least in cash games. Diaz has lacked early in the season with just one home run but has been very consistent hitting .298 with a .444 on-base percentage and 163 wRC+. He has also improved against righties(.362 wOBA/146 wRC+) and faces Jefferies who has given up a ton of hard contact in three of his starts. At this time, Diaz is probably best for cash but the upside is most defintiely there for GPP formats, as well.
Yuli Gurriel FD - 1B 2900 DK - 1B 3800
Opponent - SEA (Marco Gonzales) Park - HOU
FD - 9.47 DK - 7.3
The reigning AL batting champ is off to a slow start in 2022 but checks enough boxes to easily show up in my model on this smaller slate. The good news is that most of the struggles have come against righties as he carries a .351 wOBA and 138 wRC+ against lefties into tonight's matchup against Marco Gonzalez who has had his struggles with righties(.437 wOBA against). All things considered, Gurriel is my top play PTS/$ play at first base.
Second Base
José Altuve FD 3000 DK 4700
Opponent - SEA (Marco Gonzales) Park - SEA
FD - 12.37 DK - 9.43
While I tend to normally stay away from players returning from injuries, I just can't ignore the season-low prices(by a lot) on both sites for the All-Star second baseman. He went 1 for 3 in his final rehab assignment on the weekend and returns to resume a three-game hit streak with the big club. While hitting under .200 in a limited sample to start the year, Altuve provides an elite combination of power and speed and hits leadoff in front of some big bats. This is a limited time deal so take advantage in all formats.
Luis Arraez FD - 3B 2500 DK - 1B/2B 3400
Opponent - BAL (Tyler Wells) Park - BAL
FD - 9.26 DK - 7.24
The Twins' offense has been a great source of value this season and tonight combine it with a plus matchup. One of those values is Luis Arraez who gives us multi-position eligibility on both sites and despite some struggles in the short-term, has been terrific overall hitting .299 with six runs and six RBI. He has bounced around the lineup some but has mostly hit near the top where he is projected to hit tonight once again. I will have exposure in all formats as the Twins are also a top-protected offense.
Shortstop
J.P. Crawford FD 3500 DK 5600
Opponent - HOU (Jake Odorizzi) Park - HOU
FD - 7.7 DK - 5.94
The Mariners will be a tough team to stack at the top of their lineup as their prices have skyrocketed but I would definitely advise getting a couple of pieces of this Top 5 offense and it starts with Crawford at shortstop, at least on FanDuel where the price is still reasonable. Coming in hot would be a huge understatement here as he enters with hits in 10 straight including multi-hit efforts in seven of those games pushing his season average up to .372 with an insane .474 wOBA and 224 wRC+. He now faces a pitcher in Odorizzi who is known to struggle most against left-handed bats. Fire up Crawford in all formats.
Carlos Correa FD - SS 3200 DK - SS 4600
Opponent - BAL (Tyler Wells) Park - BAL
FD - 10.36 DK - 7.85
It took some time for Correa to heat up with his new team(4 for 32 to start the season) but he is most definitely there as he enters Monday on the back of four straight multi-hit games. The best news with Correa is that we no longer have to worry about playing him down in the order as he is firmly locked into a top 3 spot in a Twins lineup on the rise. Best of all, the price is still in a value spot on both sites making him my top shortstop on this slate on both sites.
Third Base
Alex Bregman FD 3900 DK 5100
Opponent - SEA (Marco Gonzales) Park - SEA
FD - 11.92 DK - 8.94
Josh Donaldson FD 3300 DK 4800
Opponent - TOR (Ross Stripling) Park - TOR
FD - 10.4 DK - 7.75
Matt Chapman FD 3400 DK 3900
Opponent - NYY (Jordan Montgomery) Park - NYY
FD - 10.37 DK - 7.71
I am going to go ahead and group these underperforming third baggers together as the system likes them all tonight. Let's start with Bregman who is our top projected player at the position and it comes down to the Astros being our favorite offense. Of these three, Bregman gets the best matchup and while the average(.230) is disappointing he has produced for fantasy with four home runs, 13 RBI, and 12 runs scored.
For Donaldson and Chapman, they are both struggling on their new teams but both have a history of driving in runs and both are hitting in elite offesnes. Chapman has shown the most power early on with four bombs and 12 RBI but Donaldson has been slightly better in the short term with hits in five straight games. It will ultimately come down to which team you are stacking when deciding between the two and Bregman would be my top choice between all of them .
Outfield
George Springer FD 3800 DK 5500
Opponent - NYY (Jordan Montgomery) Park - NYY
FD - 13.23 DK - 9.94
There are three elite outfielders in equally good spots tonight but I am going to pull my homer card and roll with George Springer. After a full offseason and entering the season healthy, the Jays are getting what they paid for with Springer as he comes in with six home runs, 12 RBI, and 16 runs scored with a .403 wOBA and 166 wRC+. The other thing that stands out in this matchup vs. a lefty are the splits as Springer has a .420 wOBA, 168 wRC+, and .299 ISO against lefties since joining the Jays last season. I will not be talking anyone off Aaron Judge on DraftKings but Springer is my #1 on FanDuel with that price differential.
Byron Buxton FD 3900 DK 5700
Opponent - BAL (Tyler Wells) Park - BAL
FD - 12.75 DK - 9.69
Max Kepler FD - OF 2800 DK - OF 3400
Opponent - BAL (Tyler Wells) Park - BAL
FD - 8.67 DK - 6.51
It's no secret the Twins are high on our priority list tonight and they should be scoring nine runs in each of their last two games and five or more in seven of their last eight. We are almost covering the entire top of the lineup but it's hard not to with the value, especially on this Twins roster. It's that value that allows us to pay up for 3-4 big bats tonight and in the outfield, it is very close at the top but I am leaning Buxton to get the correlation at the top of the lineup. He has been excellent to start the 2022 season with an eye-popping .473 wOBA/218 wRC+ and sits Top 5 in home runs(7).
The best part about the Twins' value is that it's spread out across almost every position. In the outfield, it's Max Kepler hitting 5th who comes in red hot with hits in six of his last eight games with four multi-hit efforts, four home runs, and nine RBI. He is an excellent value and in play in all formats on both sites tonight.
