RADIO
Happy Saturday RotoBallers, and happy baseball season! This is John Brubaker dropping some of my favorite plays for today's slate! I'm so excited that MLB DFS is back, and here's a chance to start the season off on the right foot! We have a decent slate tonight, with nine games on tap. Let's get right to it!
We do have a minor slate difference today, as we'll be taking a look at what will be the "Main" slate on FanDuel, but the "Early" slate on DraftKings. This way, I won't have to make selections that may be on one slate and not the other. I have big ideas for this slate, so let's get right to it. I want to note that my writeups will get a bit more detailed as the season goes on, as I'm still making adjustments to my projection model this early on in the season.
This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 5/20/2023 and the slate locking at 4:05 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 of that out of the way, it's onto the picks!
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Mitch Keller, PIT vs. ARI ($9,300 DK, $11,500 FD)
I'll start things off with Mitch Keller today. Keller (5-1, 2.38 ERA) has been incredible this season, bringing into this one a 30.1% strikeout rate and just a .207 batting average against. He'll take on the Diamondbacks in this one, a team that's been solid against right-handers in 2023, ranking third in wOBA (.340) and fifth in wRC+ (112). However, Keller projects to a 2.88 SIERA, a 30.06% strikeout rate, and just a 27.96% hard contact rate in this one, making him the easy pick as a "top option" on this slate.
Hunter Brown, HOU vs. OAK ($9,600 DK, $9,600 FD)
I'll take a look at Hunter Brown (4-1, 3.43 ERA) next, who gets a very solid matchup against the Oakland Athletics in this one. The A's come into today's matchup ranked 26th in wOBA (.293) and 20th in wRC+ (89) against right-handed pitching. Brown projects among the top arms on the slate here with a projected 3.53 SIERA, 27.22% strikeout rate, and 33.12% hard contact rate allowed. He's a solid "pivot" off of Keller on FanDuel and/or a solid SP2 option on DraftKings.
Also consider: Aaron Nola, Braxton Garrett
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Jose Altuve - 2B, HOU vs. JP Sears ($5,100 DK, $3,400 FD)
As far as hitters go, I'll take a look at Jose Altuve to start things off. Altuve went 0-4 with a walk in his season debut Friday, but now gets the platoon advantage against lefty JP Sears.
He's 0-2 against Sears in his career but shows some promising projections based on his 2022 data. He projects to a .489 wOBA, 33.85% hard contact rate, and .527 wOBA against Sears' pitch types specifically.
Josh Jung - 3B, TEX vs. Kyle Freeland ($4,700 DK, $3,000 FD)
I'll stay in Texas and take a look at Josh Jung for my second infielder on the slate. Jung comes into this one slashing .250/.292/.438 with a .315 wOBA and 99 wRC+ in 2023, but like Altuve, gets a platoon advantage in this one. He projects to a .387 wOBA, 53.1% (!) hard contact rate, and .362 wOBA against Freeland's pitch types.
Casey Schmitt - 3B/SS, SF vs. Braxton Garrett ($3,000 DK, $3,300 FD)
I'll wrap things up with a value play here in San Francisco's Casey Schmitt. Schmitt has played very well early on in 2023, slashing .417/.417/.694 with a .474 wOBA and 204 wRC+ across his first 36 plate appearances in The Show. Sure, his numbers are skewed due to such a small sample size, but my model projects him to a .733 wOBA, 35.25% hard contact rate, and .430 wOBA against Garrett's pitch types. It's wise to ride the hot hand here, playing Schmitt as a one-off, particularly on DraftKings where he's still dirt cheap.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Aaron Judge - OF, NYY vs. Luke Weaver ($6.200 DK, $4,500 FD)
As far as outfielders go, we have to start with Aaron Judge, who's certainly (c)heating up of late (just kidding, Yankees fans!). He smacked another homer last night and is slashing .279/.381/.612 with a .409 wOBA and 164 wRC+ a quarter of the way through his 2023 campaign. He projects to a .474 wOBA, 51.95% (!!) hard contact rate, and .499 wOBA against Luke Weaver's pitch types, a pitcher he's yet to see in his career.
Adolis Garcia - OF, TEX vs. Kyle Freeland ($5,000 DK, $4,100 FD)
We'll head back to the Rangers for our second outfielder on the slate, Adolis Garcia. Garcia comes into this one slashing .258/.320/.541 with a .361 wOBA and 130 wRC+. Like Judge, he hit a homer last night and brings a platoon advantage into this one. He's 0-1 with a strikeout against Freeland in his career, but projects to a .383 wOBA, 44.05% hard contact rate, and a .380 wOBA against Freeland's pitch types.
Jake Fraley - OF, CIN vs. Jhony Brito ($4,800 DK, $2,900 FD)
I'll wrap things up with Jake Fraley tonight, against who I (and other sources) assume will be Jhony Brito. Fraley will be batting at the top of the order tonight, likely in the two hole, and comes into this one slashing .276/.375/.448 with a .367 wOBA and 117 wRC+ across 136 at-bats. He projects to a .415 wOBA, 40.15% hard contact rate, and .422 wOBA against Brito's pitch types tonight.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Texas Rangers vs. Kyle Freeland
As far as stacks go, I'll start off with the Rangers. While they may not be in Coors, the Rangers project very well against southpaw Kyle Freeland in this one, with a projected .383 wOBA and 42.9% hard contact rate against him. Texas ranks fourth in wOBA (.352) and third in wRC+ (124) against lefties. This is par for the course for them as they look to lock up a series win this afternoon.
Favorite Players: Nathaniel Lowe, Adolis Garcia, Josh Jung, Jonah Heim, Ezequiel Duran
Houston Astros vs. JP Sears
I'll wrap up this slate with my second stack, the Houston Astros. The Astros have faced Sears just once, tagging him for two runs across three innings last season. They project to a .348 wOBA and .361 wOBA against Sears' pitch types in particular. For a team that's demolished lefties in past seasons, they've been very average against them in 2023, as shown by the 100 wRC+. They do bring in a .316 wOBA as well, which ranks 19th. With all of that said, though, I'll still look to back them in this one.
Favorite Players: Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez, Chas McCormick
Also Consider: Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants
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