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Jorge Pucks highlights the top DraftKings and FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks for the afternoon slate on 6/23/21, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.
Hello there, MLB DFS grinders! We have a split Wednesday slate and the focus of this article will be on the 6-game afternoon slate for DraftKings while mentioning plays for the split afternoon FanDuel slates. We have some good pitching options and good stacks to consider so let's dive on in and find the best plays for both your cash game and tournament lineups.
While most of our MLB DFS coverage here at RotoBaller is geared towards the main slate, I wanted to give you some of my favorite pitchers and bats for these early games that will help you cash in tournaments and cash game contests. I'll highlight my favorite pitching options here first and then give you some hitters at each price tier to consider as well as my favorite teams to stack up! You can read our DraftKings DFS lineup picks for the main slate and FanDuel DFS lineup picks for the main slate as well.
I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the DraftKings and FanDuel slates beginning at 12:35 PM on 6/23/2021. Be sure to also check out all the MLB player news, including late scratches, and the projected and confirmed daily MLB lineups for each DFS slate. You can also check out today's MLB DFS lineup picks for the main slate here, and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. Let's get to it!
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MLB DFS Pitchers
Brandon Woodruff vs. Arizona Diamondbacks ($10,700 FD, $10,300 DK)
Woodruff is my top arm on the slate and he certainly is viable in all formats against Arizona. Woodruff is 5-3 on the season with a 1.94 ERA and while he is coming off of his worst outing of the season (allowed five runs on five hits in just five innings pitched), Woodruff has struck out at least five batters in all but one game this year while also managing to strike out eight or more batters in three of his last five games. The Diamondbacks have struggled to generate power against right-handed pitchers this year as they have a team ISO of .138 while also having five batters carry a strikeout rate that is greater than 21% so this seems like a great matchup to target in all formats.
Dylan Cease vs. Pittsburgh Pirates ($9,300 FD, $9,400 DK)
Cease looks to be a good tournament arm that frees up some additional salary for the rest of your lineup on both sites. Cease is 5-3 on the season with a 3.99 ERA and while he is coming off of one of his worst starts of the season, he does carry some strikeout upside which is what we are looking for. Over the last four games that he has pitched in, he has accrued 23 strikeouts while recording two wins. The Pirates lineup features five batters that all carry a strikeout rate that is greater than 21% and Cease is generating a 23.7% strikeout percentage on the year. As a whole, the Pirates sport a team ISO of .162 against right-handed pitchers this year while only having a 33.1% fly ball percentage so they don't pose a strong threat to Cease.
Others to consider: Kevin Gausman vs. Los Angeles Angels, Shohei Ohtani vs. San Francisco Giants
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MLB DFS "Bats Worth Paying For"
Jose Abreu – 1B, CWS @ PIT ($4,000 FD, $4,800 DK)
Abreu is one of my top bats on this Wednesday afternoon slate on both sites. He has a .234 ISO against righties and is second on the team with six home runs against right-handed pitching. Right-handed batters are getting to De Jong as he has allowed them to have an ISO of .206 and a flyball rate of 45.8% and Abreu profiles well against De Jong's fastball as he has a .300 ISO and a .518 XwOBA against that specific pitch which is thrown over 52% of the time to right-handed batters.
Trevor Story – SS, COL @ SEA ($4,100 FD, $5,600 DK)
Story is one player that has always historically hit lefties well as he has a career .305 batting average against this handedness and has a .193 ISO against the handedness this year. Sheffield throws his sinker over 40% of the time to right-handed batters and Story carries a .333 ISO against this specific pitch type so he is certainly worth paying up in this specific matchup.
Mitch Haniger – OF, SEA vs. COL ($3,100 FD, $5,000 DK)
Haniger is one of the main Mariner bats that you will want in this matchup against German Marquez. Haniger is hitting .261 against right-handed pitching this year and is tied for the team-lead with 10 home runs to this handedness and is a value on DK while you will have to spend up on DK to get him into your lineup. Marquez throws his fastball 35% of the time to righties and Haniger has an ISO of .293 and an XwOBA of .488 against this specific pitch type.
MLB DFS Values
Ty France – 1B/3B, SEA vs. COL ($3,100 FD, $3,100 DK)
France leads this Mariners squad with a .267 average when it comes to facing right-handed pitchers this year. Marques has struggled against lefties on the road as he is allowing them to have a .345 batting average with two home runs in 62 total batters faced. France is a big-time value over on DK and makes for a great punt play if you decide to pay down at the position.
Tommy Edman – 2B/OF, STL @ DET ($2,900 FD, $5,300 DK)
Edman looks to be a great value over on FD while his price point is too high for our liking over on DK. Edman is a valuable piece due to his position eligibility and the fact that he is always batting at the top of the order in the Cardinals lineup. Edman is only striking out 13.1% of the time against righties this year which is the lowest rate on the Cardinals so you have to like the chances of Edman finding a way of getting the ball in play and get caught looking with the bat on his shoulders.
Brian Goodwin – OF, CWS @ PIT ($2,600 FD, $3,000 DK)
Goodwin is making the most of his opportunity as he has been getting some run while the White Sox have several key players out with long-term injuries. He is batting .318 against righties this season and De Jong is allowing lefties to have a .281 ISO against him. De Jong throws his fastball and curveball combination over 80% of the time to lefties and Goodwin carries a .170+ ISO against both pitch types.
Also Recommended: Shed Long Jr. vs. German Marquez, C.J. Cron vs. Justus Sheffield
MLB DFS Hitter Stacks
Chicago White Sox vs. Chase De Jong
Chicago gets a very favorable matchup against Chase De Jong on Wednesday afternoon. De Jong is 0-1 on the year with a 4.26 ERA while having a WHIP of 1.42 in 19 innings pitched. He has struggled against right-handed batters a little more this year as righties are hitting .267 against him with three home runs in just 7,1 innings pitched against that handedness. The top of the order is in play (Abreu, Moncada, Anderson) while also looking at some values like Brian Goodwin, Jake Lamb and Andrew Vaughn should they draw a good place in the lineup.
Seattle Mariners vs. German Marquez
The Mariners could make for an interesting stacking piece on the six-game slate, especially with their matchup against German Marquez on the road. Marquez has massive home and road splits as batters are hitting .298 against Marquez when he is pitching on the road while he is limiting them to just a .216 average when pitching in Coors. When stacking the Mariners, their top-of-the-lineup is in play with Haniger and Seager both being value pieces as they have 10 home runs each against right-handed pitchers this year while also looking at Shed Long Jr. and Ty France.
Other recommended stacks: Washington Nationals vs. Vince Velasquez, Philadelphia Phillies vs. Erick Fedde, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Matt Manning
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