This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
After a light card on Thursday, we're back to normal here. This Monday card has nine games, and that should be typical moving forward. We do have some interesting developments because it'll be tough to fade the Coors Field game. The pitching options aren't the best either, but we do have a Cy Young winner making his return to action. With that in mind, let's start there!
Pitching
Blake Snell, SF vs. WAS ($10,300)
It's risky to use Snell in his first start but this was the best pitcher in baseball over the final three months of last season. That earned him an NL Cy Young, posting a 1.20 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 12.4 K/9 rate across his final 23 starts. We're also encouraged with how he looked in his final tune-up, striking out 11 batters across four innings at Double-A. He did that damage on 74 pitches, so, he could get to about 90 here. That's all he needs against Washington, ranked 22nd in wOBA and 26th in runs scored. That's why Snell enters this matchup as a -250 favorite and why the Nats are only projected to score three runs.
Zach Eflin, TB at LAA ($9,000)
Eflin was one of the biggest surprises in the AL last season, posting a 3.50 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in a breakout year with the Rays. That's why Tampa made him their highest-paid pitcher, scoring 23 DraftKings points against the Rangers in his most recent start. That terrifying Texas lineup doesn't compare to this lackluster LA lineup, with the Angels losing Shohei Ohtani. They were 26th in K rate last year and rank 22nd in that statistic this season, with Eflin scoring 23 and 21 DK points in their two matchups last year.
Top Targets
Bryce Harper, PHI (vs. Miles Mikolas) $5,700
Harper has always been one of the best bats in baseball, and we definitely want to use him against a soft-tosser like Mikolas. Bryce has a 1.071 OPS through the opening 10 days of the year, which is no surprise since he has a .390 career OBP and .913 career OPS. He's also got a .402 OBP and .950 OPS against righties throughout his career, totaling a 1.055 OPS in 18 career at-bats against Mikolas. That's scary since the Cards righty has a 4.85 ERA and 1.33 WHIP since the start of last season.
Ketel Marte, ARI (vs. Kyle Freeland) $5,500
If you don't have some exposure to Arizona here, you need to find a new hobby. The D'Backs are projected to score six runs, the highest total on this slate. That makes Marte one of the best options out there, slaughtering southpaws throughout his career. Ketel has a .876 OPS against lefties over the last three years and has a 1.093 OPS through the opening two weeks in what's developed into a scorching start. Not to mention, Marte has a 1.195 OPS in 52 plate appearances against Freeland, who might be the worst pitcher in the league so far this season.
Bargain Bats
Eugenio Suarez, ARI (vs. Kyle Freeland) $4,300
We're going to dive into Freeland's numbers later on because Arizona is an amazing stack. Let's talk about the best cheap option of the bunch, with Suarez projected to bat fifth. This has been one of the best power hitters over the last decade, totaling a .473 SLG and .811 OPS since 2017. He's also got a .853 OPS against left-handers throughout his career, entering this matchup with a .910 OPS through his first eight outings. Not to mention, Geno also has a .552 SLG and .906 OPS in nearly 200 at-bats against the Rockies.
LaMonte Wade, SF (vs. Trevor Williams) $3,300
Wade doesn't provide much power or speed, but this guy is one of the best bets to get on base multiple times. Late Night LaMonte is expected to bat second for San Fran, sporting a .377 OBP and .805 OPS against right-handers last year. Those are incredible numbers from a $3,300 player, especially since he gets a premier matchup with Williams. The Washington righty had a 5.55 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in his first year with the Nats last season.
Stacks to Consider
Arizona Diamondbacks at Colorado Rockies (Kyle Freeland): Ketel Marte ($5,500), Christian Walker ($5,200), Eugenio Suarez ($4,300)
We already discussed Marte and Suarez, so let's give some love to Walker. He's expected to be in the heart of their lineup, providing 69 homers and 197 RBI over the last two years. He's also got a .873 OPS against left-handers in that span and always goes off in Coors Field. Walker has a 1.005 career OPS against the Rockies and a 1.062 OPS in Coors Field.
Now that we got all of the bats out of the way, let's talk about Freeland. To say Freeland has been bad would be an understatement, providing a 27.00 ERA and 4.06 WHIP through two starts this year. That equates to 23 baserunners and 17 runs across 5.2 innings! That's scary because Freeland hasn't even made a start in Coors Field yet, providing a 5.49 ERA and 1.50 WHIP at home last year.
Atlanta Braves vs. New York Mets (Julio Teheran): Ronald Acuna ($6,400), Matt Olson ($6,000), Marcell Ozuna ($4,600)
Atlanta has one of the best lineups in baseball, ranked at the top of nearly every offensive category last season. Acuna is the table-setter atop their lineup, leading the league in DraftKings points last season. Olson wasn't far behind, posting a 1.067 OPS against right-handers. Ozuna is the one guy who could be a bargain, hitting three homers and two doubles over the last four games! We saw Ozuna total 40 homers and 29 doubles last year, getting tons of RBI opportunities behind all of these studs.
We could stack the Braves against anyone, but we want to use them against Teheran. While this will be a homecoming for the former ATL stud, he hasn't been the same since leaving. In fact, Julio has a 5.92 ERA over the last three years! All of that has Atlanta entering this matchup as a -230 favorite in a game with a 9.5-run total.
