There is no other way to say this, MLB DFS fans. It might be draft day in the NFL, but daily fantasy baseball players have some work to do before settling in for football. Thanks in part to the NFL Draft, we have a loaded early slate in baseball featuring nine games that pop off starting at 12:35pm EDT.
Today, the weather is expected to be mostly clear. Aside from a few late-game potential delays (nothing serious), everyone else looks to have smooth sailing for what should be a great day at the ballpark. It’s time to get back on the horse and continue to build your DFS bankrolls headed into the weekend. As always, I’ll highlight some good player values before listing today’s impact heavy-hitters at the end.
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***All prices listed are from DraftKings***
Value on the Hill
Michael Kopech – vs Kansas City ($9,600)
Kopech hardly appears to be a value pick on paper. However, had he taken wins in all three of his starts this season (he likely should have), his price today would be higher than Justin Verlander‘s. The White Sox righty has shown ability to mow down batters with an excellent four-seamer, and was up to 83 pitches total in his last start. He’s clearly stretched out, and Kopech has 15 strikeouts in 14 innings. In 2021, he fanned a ridiculous 103 in 69.1 innings. Against a subpar Royals’ offense, he might for the distance, and is nearly guaranteed hit the double-digit mark in Ks today.
Freddy Peralta – at Pittsburgh ($7,700)
Sold. Peralta’s awful start (12 total innings in three starts and a 7.50 ERA) has driven his price down. After starts against the Cubs, Cardinals, and Phillies, Peralta is on the road to face a Pittsburgh lineup far less intimidating. This is a “get right” opportunity for him. The Brewers right-hander still has a K/9 topping 12 even in his limited time on the bump. His career average is 12.1. Here’s a chance to toss six innings, fan 10, and watch his team put up runs preserving his first win of 2022. That’s a pretty good price point for that sort of performance.
Value in the Field
Gleyber Torres, 2B – vs Baltimore ($3,300) PIVOT: Luis Arraez, 2B – vs Detroit ($3,500)
Prior to Wednesday’s victory over the Orioles when he went 0-for-4, Torres had hit safely in five straight games. He’s been showing signs of heating up and fits the bill for some inexpensive upside. Torres has a history of coming up clutch when men on base, and I expect the Bronx Bombers to get to Bruce Zimmerman. The Baltimore pitcher got the best of them the first time around. Now that New York has seen him, they’ll be keying in. Last season, Zimmerman gave up 14 homers in 14 games en route to a 5.04 ERA.
Joey Wendle, 3B – at Washington ($3,900) PIVOT: Michael Chavis, 3B – vs Milwaukee ($4,300)
The versatile Wendle has found a place in Miami’s lineup. With the ability to play all around the infield, he’s missed just one game since the start of the season. With four multi-hit games, Batting .333 on the season, with a dinger, eight RBI, and stolen base to his credit, he can stuff the stat sheet. Even spending most of his time hitting seventh, Wendle has also scored five runs. With that said, he’s been in the lineup as high as fourth and is one of the Marlins’ best bats thus far in 2022.
Giancarlo Stanton, OF – vs Baltimore ($4,800)
I already said I expect the Yankees to get after Zimmerman today. Stanton has had a slow start by his standards (.242/.246/.394), but still has had three moonshots and 12 RBI on the season. Teams cannot expect to keep him down for long. In fact, Stanton had got back-to-back days off (one a team day off), and came back strong. In his last two games, he went 4-for-7 with a homer and three RBI. If he is heating up, anything under $5 thousand is a deal waiting to be had.
Jesus Sanchez, OF – at Washington ($3,400) PIVOT: Robbie Grossman, OF – vs Detroit ($3,400)
So… two Yankees and two Marlins in our value plays? You can see how I feel about Zimmerman and Patrick Corbin in today’s slate. In the case of these Miami values, it’s worth looking at Corbin’s stats. He’s coughed up 17 runs in 13 innings (good for an 11.20 ERA) in 2022. Over his four starts, he made it to the fifth inning just once, against Pittsburgh on April 17. Sanchez might be the best value in today’s picks. Though coming off of three hitless games, Sanchez is batting .277 with three ding-dongs and nine RBI. Expect him to bounce back today in a big way against Corbin.
Stud Finder: C.J. Cron (1B – COL), Wander Franco (SS – TB), Yordan Alvarez (OF – HOU), J.T. Realmuto (C – PHI)
There are plenty of other big boppers available, but you may need to sift through their pitching matchups. There are a lot of question marks on the mound that could go either way today. Either way, we’ve saved some nice cash on value plays in the field. That’s enough to get 2-3 studs into your lineup. Best of luck with all of your lineups today. Let’s stuff that bank account.
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