This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Hopefully your enthusiasm for the MLB season has not waned by the second day of the season proper! There's a lot of baseball left to watch, and a lot of MLB DFS left to play. Friday provides us with eight games starting at 6:50 p.m. ET or later. Was Opening Day a success for you? If so, let's keep it going. If not, it's time to turn it around. Here are my recommendations.
Pitching
George Kirby, SEA vs. BOS ($9,700): Kirby is getting some Cy Young buzz, and I can see why. Through two MLB seasons he has a 3.11 FIP, he's strong at keeping the ball in the park, and last year he had a pristine 2.5 walk percentage. Thus far he has a 2.98 ERA in home as well. The Red Sox were above average in runs scored last year but didn't really add to the roster. They also tend to roll out a few lefties who prefer Fenway Park to the road.
Logan Allen, CLE at OAK ($7,400): The Athletics remain the number-one matchup to target until further notice. They barely qualify as an MLB team at this point, and they were comfortably last in runs scored and team OPS in 2023. Why would that change? Allen was decent as a rookie, putting up a 3.81 ERA in 24 starts. Hopefully that serves as a platform for him to build off of in his sophomore season.
A.J. Puk, MIA vs. PIT ($7,000): Once, Puk was one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. That was before he became one of the prime examples for the "There's no such thing as a pitching prospect" crowd. The lefty has only pitched out of the bullpen in his MLB career, owing in part to injuries and arm concerns. However, for the last couple seasons he's been a regular arm out of the bullpen, and after a stellar spring he's getting a chance to start. The Pirates were 22nd in runs scored last season, and unless you're hyped for Michael Taylor and (lefty) Rowdy Tellez, there's little reason to expect much more.
Top Targets
A couple of Cleveland's bats seem to be on the rise (such as catcher Bo Naylor), but Jose Ramirez ($5,500) is the clear standout once again. Other than 2020, an outlier season for a multiple of reasons, Ramirez has been a 20/20 guy five seasons in a row, including 24 homers and 28 stolen bases last year. Ross Stripling is now a starter for the Athletics, but he's 34 with a career 4.09 FIP, so my expectations are low for him, and high for the opposition.
After an explosive postseason, Ketel Marte ($5,200) begins 2024 with some added hype. I can see his speed and batting eye playing well again, as he hit .276 last year with only eight stolen bases, but nine triples. Speaking of last postseason, we heard time and time again that since the introduction of a humidor Arizona's ballpark has been pitcher friendly instead of a hitter haven. Even so, Marte had an .888 OPS at home last season. The Rockies, for their part, will be starting Cal Quantrill who had a 5.24 ERA with Cleveland in 2023.
Bargain Bats
With a new manager in town who will presumably not be as oddly down on him, Chas McCormick ($4,200) could be in for a big year. As if the Astros needed the help. Last season he particularly excelled at faces lefties, who he had an 1.008 OPS against. Carlos Rodon should bounce back to some degree, but his 2023 campaign was an utter disaster. The southpaw had a 6.85 ERA and allowed righties to hit .274 against him.
If there's a lefty on the mound, don't be surprised to see fireworks from Jake Burger ($4,200). Over the prior two seasons Burger slugged .600 against southpaws. Martin Perez's 2.89 ERA in 2022 was an outlier, and 2023 indicates that will remain true. He had a 4.45 ERA in 2023, right in line with his career 4.44 number.
Stacks to Consider
Padres vs. Giants (Kyle Harrison): Xander Bogaerts ($4,800), Ha-Seong Kim ($4,600), Luis Campusano ($3,800)
It was only seven starts. He was in his age-21 season. He used his cutter more in spring training. All that said, Harrison had a 4.15 ERA in 2023, including a 6.28 ERA on the road. On top of that, he had a 5.53 FIP and allowed over two home runs per nine innings. Until further notice, I'd stack against the southpaw.
Bogaerts hit .285 with 19 homers and 19 stolen bases in his first season as a Padre. That included taking well to his new home ballpark, as he had an .848 OPS at Petco. Kim, who has moved from second base to shortstop, picked it up on the base paths with 38 swiped bags last year. He paired that with 17 homers. The Korean infielder definitely shows more power against lefties, as Kim slashed .302/.376/.521 against southpaws. Campusano can be your catcher in your DFS lineup. In 49 games last year he hit .319 with seven homers, and he collected three hits in South Korea to start the season.
Mariners vs. Red Sox (Nick Pivetta): Julio Rodriguez ($6,000), J.P. Crawford ($4,300), Ty France ($3,700)
Dictionaries rarely to baseball for example imagery, but Pivetta could be the dictionary definition of "mediocrity." He's never had an ERA under 4.00 in seven MLB season, and never allowed fewer than 1.3 homers per nine innings. Things got so bad last season, Pivetta pivoted to the bullpen for some time. Teoscar Hernandez was perhaps not a fan of Seattle's home park, but this trio should feel differently Friday.
Look no further than the friendly confines of Rotowire for proof that the Rodriguez hype is real. He went 20/20 as a rookie and 30/30 as a sophomore (plus 37 doubles). He's already in the realm of guys who you're happy to have in your lineup anytime he catches a pitcher who isn't an ace. Crawford won't live up to his erstwhile prospect hype, but last year he had a .380 OBP and hit 19 home runs. The shortstop had an .846 OPS against righties, and also an .841 OPS at home. France struggled in 2023, so he spent the offseason working on his swing mechanics to try to get back to the guy who hit .285 with doubles power over the three previous years. He was genuinely poor at the plate on the road in 2023, but at home, France still managed a .756 OPS.
