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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on May 9, 2023. Brenton Kemp's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
There are 10 games on what is an attractive slate both from a starting pitching and hitting standpoint. Which arms will reign supreme? That is the question as we look for a foundation to build upon as we look to cash in early in the week!
Remember, this 10-game slate locks at 7:05 PM ET on Tuesday, May 9 so be sure to get your lineups set and locked before that deadline! Remember, feel free to give me a follow and hit me up on Twitter @BKemp17 with any comments, questions, or banter when it comes to these free MLB DFS picks!
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. Let's get after it and come out on top tonight!
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Shohei Ohtani - SP, LAA vs. Houston Astros ($11,600 DK, $11,600 FD)
Usually, the Houston Astros are not to be messed with in most scenarios but Ohtani has been so good this season while the 'Stros offense hasn't been very good overall.
Indeed, Houston's 89 wRC+ for the season represents an offense 11% worse than the league average. Their 21.5% K% on the season ranks in the top half of the league but their 8% BB% slips into the bottom 10. Remember, Shohei Ohtani has dealt with some control issues this season but his 26.8% K-BB% is still an elite figure.
The price is sky-high but so is the upside. For good measure, Ohtani has pitched to a 2.04 ERA and 32.5% K% in his career at home versus a 4.01 ERA and 30.9% K% on the road. This remains a matchup with targeting tonight in Los Angeles.
Logan Webb - SP, SF vs. Washington Nationals ($9,500 DK, $10,500 FD)
We can always find value at the plate as it's absolutely worth paying up for the top two pitchers on the slate.
Logan Webb might not boast the same strikeout upside as Ohtani but he's at least improved his strikeout rate to 27% so far this season, a figure well above his career 22.8% mark. Furthermore, his elite control has him sporting a dynamite 23% K-BB% on the season.
Washington might sport just an 18.2% K% on the season but their 7% BB% sits 28th league-wide. Furthermore, they're tied for 25th with a .301 wOBA on the season with a .102 isolated power that checks in at dead last in the majors. Add in a pitcher-friendly Oracle Park in San Fran and Webb should have his way with a light-hitting Nationals offense tonight.
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Andrew Vaughn - 1B, CWS vs. Jordan Lyles ($3,100 DK, $3,200 FD)
Andrew Vaughn is a serious bargain on DraftKings considering his matchup tonight on the road against Royals right-hander Jordan Lyles.
Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City isn't the greatest venue for the long ball but few pitchers in baseball surrender homers at the rate Lyles does. The veteran owns a 2.45 HR/9 in seven starts this season, or 11 homers already given up on just 40 1/3 innings of work. He's posted a 1.60 HR/9 or worse in three of his previous four seasons.
Vaughn might have just three homers on the season but also 12 doubles and even a triple to his credit. Don't fret about the righty-on-righty matchup here as his .790 OPS off righties this season towers over his .636 mark off of southpaws.
The price is right and the matchup is even better for the White Sox first baseman tonight.
Wilmer Flores - 1B/3B, SF vs. Patrick Corbin ($2,600 DK, $2,800 FD)
Death, taxes, and Wilmer Flores against left-handed pitching. Especially against Patrick Corbin who tosses up his fair share of gopher balls.
Corbin has surrendered six homers in 38 1/3 innings on the season to go along with a 5.17 ERA. He sports a tiny 15.9% K% on the season and while he doesn't walk many, he's clearly not missing many bats.
Flores is having a big season as he's hitting .270 with six homers and four doubles to his credit. The veteran is hitting a massive .349 with four homers, three doubles, and a 1.075 OPS across 45 trips to the plate against lefties this season. That will play.
DJ LeMahieu - 1B/2B/3B, NYY vs. Drew Rucinski ($4,000 DK, $2,800 FD)
I'd certainly go with a player like Flores over DJ LeMahieu at first base or third base tonight but LeMahieu is a fantastic second-base option on FanDuel at the very least.
He'll take on a right-hander in Drew Rucisnki who owns a 7.71 ERA with two homers and six walks allowed in two starts and 9 1/3 innings in the bigs this season. This comes after he was touched up for a 6.52 ERA in three starts at Triple-A in his return to North America after pitching the last number of seasons in Korea.
As for LeMahieu, he's up to four homers on the season after hitting a two-run blast Monday night while he's added seven doubles and a triple to his ledger in 32 games. He's also hitting .278 with a .350 wOBA with a 123 wRC+ that stands 23% above the league average.
The value upside here is too good to pass up at second base this evening.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Trayce Thompson - OF, LAD vs. Eric Lauer ($2,600 DK, $2,400 FD)
Trayce Thompson brings so much power upside to the table that he's almost impossible to ignore on a slate where value at the plate is a must.
Eric Lauer owns a 4.40 ERA on the season but also a 5.37 FIP and 4.91 SIERA across six starts. He's served up six homers in only 30 2/3 frames on the campaign, good for a big 1.76 HR/9 figure.
Enter Thompson who has four homers and a .240 ISO across 59 trips to the plate. Now, he's also hitting .140 with an eye-popping 45.8 K% while three of his four homers came in the same game early in the season. Nonetheless, he has homered 21 times in his last 119 games. He sports a .209 ISO in his career against left-handed pitching.
Value upside galore given the power potential with Thompson.
Austin Slater - OF, SF vs. Patrick Corbin ($2,700 DK, $2,500 FD)
Austin Slater should hit out of the leadoff spot tonight for the Giants against Corbin which makes him an attractive asset at a quality price across the board.
Of course, Slater clobbers left-handed pitching. For his career, he's hitting .291 with an .855 OPS off of southpaws while he also brings some stolen-base potential to the table. Despite being a platoon player, Slater has 27 stolen bases over the last two seasons with two more so far this season. Interestingly, Corbin has allowed exactly 27 stolen bases over the last two seasons, certainly an elevated number for a lefty.
There's always a chance Slater could get lifted for a pinch hitter when a righty enters the game for the Nats but the price and matchup make perfect sense out of the leadoff spot.
AJ Pollock - OF, SEA vs. Andrew Heaney ($2,800 DK, $2,600 FD)
Obviously, value is the name of the came here and we need to target yet another pitcher with a home run problem in the Rangers' Andrew Heaney.
Heaney has already surrendered seven homers in 29 1/3 innings spanning six starts on the season and was rocked for six runs his last time out, raising his ERA to 5.52 while he also owns a 6.18 FIP on the campaign. Heaney has posted a 1.73 HR/9 or worse in three of his last four seasons and is at 2.15 so far in 2023.
AJ Pollock is hitting just .153 on the season but he also has four homers, three doubles, and a big .254 ISO to his credit. The veteran also sports a .125 BABIP that is sure to positively regress moving forward.
Just another player oozing with value in a favorable matchup tonight.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
San Francisco Giants vs. Patrick Corbin
If we're looking for a stack chock-full of value, look no further than the San Francisco Giants against Patrick Corbin. Slater is a nice start atop the lineup and, of course, Flores is a must in any Giants exposure tonight. Thairo Estrada also needs to be in a Giants stack while I prefer J.D. Davis over Mitch Haniger as there is a plethora of outfield value versus more limited options at third base.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Eric Lauer
Feel free to target Andrew Heaney further with the Mariners but we can get cheaper Dodgers bats into our lineups against Eric Lauer. In addition to Thompson, Chris Taylor is a nice, cheap option at shortstop with Miguel Vargas making sense as well. If you can stretch the budget a little bit Max Muncy is a power-hitting option that will hit further down the lineup closer to Thompson, Vargas etc.
The hitting conditions at American Family Field in Milwaukee are also attractive for a Dodgers stack this evening.
Good luck tonight, everyone!
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