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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on April 12, 2023. Kevin Hickey's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
It's time for some Wednesday baseball, RotoBallers! I'm excited to be covering another fun DFS slate. The MLB season has been good to me in the early going, so I'm looking to build off that momentum. Let's break down my favorite plays from today's slate!
With baseball games scattered all throughout the day, the main slate will only consist of six games tonight. I'll point out the standout plays, but with a smaller slate, finding spots to get creative with your picks today will be important.
This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 4/12/2023 and the slate locking at 6:35 pm ET. The lineup picks will range from some elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. It's also essential to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. Now that we got all that out of the way, it's onto the picks!
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Spencer Strider, ATL vs. CIN ($9,300 DK, $10,900 FD)
Without a doubt, Strider will be a popular play on this six-game slate. During his spectacular rookie season in 2022, Strider posted a 2.67 ERA, including some truly elite figures -- .179 xBA, .279 xSLG, .242 xwOBA, and a 38.3% strikeout rate. He has picked up right where he left off to start 2023, posting a 2.45 ERA with 18 strikeouts over his first 11 innings.
Strider draws a favorable matchup with the Cincinnati Reds, who bring a very middling offense. You may be tempted to try getting different from the field by fading the Strider chalk, but I recommend not overthinking this one.
Kevin Gausman, TOR vs. DET ($10,100 DK, $11,100 FD)
In case the theme here isn't apparent, today is a good day to spend up for pitching. Gausman is the most expensive arm across both DraftKings and FanDuel, but he's well worth the price today. Through 12 innings this season, Gausman has not allowed an earned run and struck out 14 along the way.
He's coming off a phenomenal 2022 campaign, featuring a 3.34 xERA and 28.3% strikeout rate. The best part of rostering Gausman today is that he takes on the Detroit Tigers. Detroit ranks dead last in the majors with a .088 ISO this season, and they also own the league's second-highest strikeout rate at 26.9%. Look for Gausman to dominate in this spot.
Also consider: Clayton Kershaw, Nathan Eovaldi
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Wander Franco – SS, TB vs. Chris Sale ($5,800 DK, $4,100 FD)
Given their torrid pace, it might be negligent not to highlight at least one Rays bat on this slate. Franco is a strong jumping-off point. He's already hit four home runs and owns a 1.021 OPS through the first 11 games. The switch-hitter also has a preference for left-handed pitching, slugging .547 with a .215 ISO against southpaws for his career. Chris Sale is struggling to keep balls in the ballpark, surrendering four home runs with a .601 xSLG, .414 xwOBA, and 17.4% barrel rate through his first two outings of 2023.
Ryan Mountcastle – 1B, BAL vs. Ken Waldichuk ($4,300 DK, $3,300 FD)
Mountcastle has his power stroke working beautifully in 2023. He's already hit five home runs in 11 games, and four of those long balls have been against left-handed pitchers. Conversely, Ken Waldichuk is giving up home runs at an impressive pace, surrendering seven long balls in his first 8 2/3 innings of the season. Right-handed hitters own a .645 slugging percentage against Waldichuk during his brief MLB career.
Vinnie Pasquantino – 1B, KC vs. Nathan Eovaldi ($3,300 DK, $2,700 FD)
Despite being an overall strong pitcher, Eovaldi has built a reputation for giving up the long ball. He relented 1.73 home runs per nine innings last year, including some truly alarming figures -- a 10.7% barrel rate, .449 xSLG, and 45.2% hard-hit rate. Pasquantino is an affordable spot to attack Eovaldi from. He has a home run and five doubles against right-handed pitching this season, amounting to a .500 slugging percentage and .231 ISO. Overall, he owns a 57.7% hard-hit rate and 93.5 mph average exit velocity.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Ronald Acuna Jr. – OF, ATL vs. Hunter Greene ($6,300 DK, $4,100 FD)
Hunter Greene is a talented pitcher who does many things well on the mound. He also gives up a lot of home runs. Greene allowed 1.72 home runs per nine innings during his rookie season last year, and right-handed hitters slugged .452 against him. You can take your pick of several great Atlanta bats here, but Acuna is the priority if you can afford it. He brings a .654 xSLG, .445 xwOBA, and 20.5% barrel rate through the first 11 games.
Anthony Santander – OF, BAL vs. Ken Waldichuk ($4,100 DK, $2,800 FD)
Santander has struggled to get going at the plate this year, but this has helped soften his price. He launched 33 home runs in 2022, so we know the kind of pop he possesses. In particular, he feasted on left-handed pitching to the tune of a .548 slugging percentage and .255 ISO. Ken Waldichuk's struggles with the long ball have already been highlighted above.
Esteury Ruiz – OF, OAK vs. Dean Kremer ($2,900 DK, $2,200 FD)
Here's a spot to get different. Ruiz's MLB career is just 18 games deep to this point, so he's yet to establish himself. Still, he flashed some serious upside in the minors last season, posting an impressive .332/.447/.526 slash line over 114 games between Double-A and Triple-A.
Regardless, the most impressive part of Ruiz's game is his base-stealing ability. He led the minor leagues with 85 stolen bases last season. Ruiz will have a great opportunity to succeed in squaring off against Dean Kremer. Kremer posted a .423 xSLG, .326 xwOBA, and 4.46 xERA in 2022. He owns a career .477 slugging percentage against right-handed hitters.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Baltimore Orioles vs. Ken Waldichuk
The Orioles should have a big day offensively. Ken Waldichuk's MLB service time is just 43 1/3 innings deep to this point, but he owns a horrendous 2.49 home runs per nine innings for his career. Waldichuk regularly gets smacked around. 2023 has been the worst version of this yet, allowing seven home runs and a 14.54 ERA through his first two starts and 8 2/3 innings.
Right-handed hitters give him the most trouble, and Baltimore has plenty. I don't anticipate Waldichuk will pitch too deep into this game, and that's not a problem because Oakland's bullpen brings a 5.79 ERA into play today.
Favorite Plays: Ryan Mountcastle, Anthony Santander, Cedric Mullins, Austin Hays, Adley Rutschman
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Chris Sale
This will sound very unoriginal, but Wednesday is another good day to roster the Rays. They are the hottest offense in baseball, scoring 7.5 runs per game en route to an 11-0 start. They'll take on Chris Sale, who has allowed 10 earned runs and four home runs through his first eight innings pitched in 2023.
Sale hasn't pitched much since 2019, and batters are teeing off on his rust. The veteran is also 34 now, and due to a combination of age and injuries, he doesn't look anywhere near as great as he once was. Look for the Rays to continue the trend of scoring plenty.
Favorite Plays: Randy Arozarena, Wander Franco, Yandy Diaz, Isaac Paredes, Harold Ramirez
Also Consider: Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers
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