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Five months of waiting are finally over! MLB's Opening Day is here and I am fortunate enough to get to welcome you to the 2023 MLB season, just like I sent you off from the 2022 season. Opening Day is a promise that spring still does exist even though many of us still have snow on the ground. It breeds optimism for fans of every team since we're tied for first, you know!
We have a big 11-game Opening Day slate for our MLB contests this year. That's quite an interesting opening slate. We have aces galore, old faces in new places, and even a few imports that gained notoriety in the WBC before leaving camp on MLB rosters. Let's jump right in!
As always, this article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel. Thursday's main slate locks at 1:05 pm EST on 3/30/2023. The lineup picks will range from some elite high-priced players to mid-priced options and value plays. I'll give you a few of my top pitching options and then some infielders, outfielders, and teams to stack! 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 of that out of the way, it's onto the picks!
DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Max Scherzer at MIA ($9,400 DK, $10,700 FD)
Don't you just love Opening Day? This is probably the most affordable Scherzer will be all season on DK and I plan on taking advantage of it. Yes, Scherzer's batting average against is worse in April than any other month (.231...who pays this guy??), but the strikeout potential alone is enough to pay up for. Mad Max is 8-4 with a 2.40 ERA in his career at Marlins Park. I'll trust that more than his "lousy" March/April splits. Even if he only goes five innings, he should notch double-digit strikeouts.
Hunter Greene vs. PIT ($7,400 DK, $9,100 FD)
Greene faced Pittsburgh twice last year and wrecked them both times. He didn't get a win, but he did strike out 19 in 13.1 innings while allowing just one earned run on four hits. Greene's stats from last year don't look that great, but he closed the season on fire. He only allowed two runs over his last 29 innings in 2022. He has a great chance to come out hot in 2023 facing a Pirates team that is still going to be one of the best in the majors at striking out.
Also consider: Shane McClanahan, German Marquez
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - 1B, TOR at Miles Mikolas ($5,300 DK, $4,000 FD)
Vlad only had 13 at-bats this spring because of knee issues, but he hit two homers, a single, and a double in those 13 at-bats. He seems ready to me. Mikolas usually has more trouble with homers in the first month of the season, allowing 15 in 16 April starts during his career. I could see Vlad getting into one here. What's the sense in saving on pitchers if we aren't going to pay up for a guy like Vlad?
Ozzie Albies - 2B, ATL at Patrick Corbin ($3,900 DK, $3,500 FD)
We begin this season right where we left off last year. Corbin pitched the final game of 2022 for the Nationals, and the human pitching machine will toe the rubber to open the season as well. He closed last season with a 9.42 ERA against the Braves and was demolished by the Phillies on the last day of the season.
One wouldn't think the Nats would be tanking with 161 games to go, but the fact that they are throwing the corpse of Corbin out there suggests otherwise. That said, Corbin's 3.86 ERA in the spring and exorbitant contract get another go-round as the Opening Day starter.
Hey, we're not complaining! The Braves are relatively cheap on DK. Albies is a little pricy on FD, especially considering he hit just eight homers in 247 at-bats last year. I'll jump in on the ground floor of his rebound. Albies is 12-for-28 lifetime against Corbin with three homers, three doubles, and a triple. He should open the season with crooked numbers.
Nick Gordon - 2B/SS, MIN at Zack Greinke ($2,900 DK, $2,400 FD)
Gordon's OF eligibility on FD helps out a lot here since the middle infield is going to get crowded today with an overabundance of value picks. Gordon is more than just a value pick, though. He has dominated Greinke so far in his career. Gordon is 7-for-11 with two doubles and a homer against Greinke already. Another hit here and he hits value. Two more and he could really vault us up the leaderboards.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Randy Arozarena - OF, TB vs. Eduardo Rodriguez ($5,100 DK, $3,800 FD)
Arozarena hit a robust .471 during the WBC atop Mexico's lineup and looked to be in mid-season form. Arozarena likely won't lead off for the Rays, but he is still going to be a force to be reckoned with. He has hit 61 points higher in his career against lefties and has a homer about every 17 at-bats against southpaws. Arozarena is a solid 5-for-13 in his career against Rodriguez, but only one of those hits has gone for extra bases. Is today the day Randy gets him?
Masataka Yoshida - OF, BOS vs. Kyle Gibson ($4,400 DK, $2,900 FD)
Yoshida led the WBC with 13 RBI and will bat cleanup for Boston. It's a day full of aces, so we have to attack the weaker spots. Gibson is definitely one of those weaker spots. He might get out of this one relatively unscathed, but I'm a Twins fan. I know how truly bad Gibson can be at times. I'll take a chance on the flashy import. The caliber of baseball played in the WBC will likely help Yoshida out more than most imports coming into the majors for the first time.
Max Kepler - OF, MIN at Zack Greinke ($3,400 DK, $2,500 FD)
2022 was a total disaster for Kepler. He was one of those players hit hardest by switches, and with that now outlawed, we could see Kepler get back to his 2019 form when his pull percentage was above 50%. Kepler did well this spring, hitting .357 with a pair of homers in 28 at-bats. I'll buy into it at this price against one of the worst pitchers on the slate.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Here are my top stacks for tonight (in the order in which I like them):
Atlanta Braves - Righties, lefties, switch hitters, babies, grandpas, and great-grandmas...they all smashed Corbin last year. Look, we thought he couldn't be any worse than he was in 2021. But then 2022 happened. Never underestimate Corbin's ability to be even worse than the previous start/month/season. Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies are the obvious pieces. I'm filling in the rest of this stack with righties Austin Riley, Travis d'Arnaud, and Marcell Ozuna. Look out in those left-field bleachers!
Tampa Bay Rays - I thought about the Twins here, but there's a good chance they only score three or four runs. One or two players may be optimal, but I don't think they'll do enough to warrant a full stack. I like the Rays, who can throw a ton of righties at Eduardo Rodriguez. Arozarena is a given. Yandy Diaz, Wander Franco, and Harold Ramirez will be prominently featured throughout my lineups as well. If you want a fifth, I'm leaning toward Manuel Margot.
Honorable mention: New York Yankees
I hope I gave you a head start on your research today and I wish you the best of luck! If you ever have questions about DFS or fantasy baseball, my DMs are always open and I appreciate you taking the time to read my picks today.
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