This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
I have noted some performances from players so far this year, of course. However, the MLB season is quite young. We aren't even all the way through the starting pitching rotation for any team yet. Numbers from past seasons mean more at this point. As for Monday, there are 11 games starting at 7:05 p.m. ET or later. Here are my recommendations.
Pitching
Drew Rasmussen, TAM at WAS ($10,200): Last season was Rasmussen's first full season as a starter, and his first full season as a Ray. It panned out, as he had a 2.84 ERA, and even his 3.25 FIP was impressive. The Nationals were 26th in runs scored last year, but with no Juan Soto, many are picking them to have the worst offense in MLB, and nothing that has happened so far has challenged that prediction.
George Kirby, SEA vs. LAA ($10,000): Kirby's rookie season was quite encouraging, as he posted a 2.98 ERA and struck out 9.21 batters per nine innings. Interestingly, in spite of being right handed he also kept lefties in check to the tune of a .210 average. Yes, the Angels have Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, but that was true last year and they still finished 25th in runs scored.
Hunter Brown, HOU vs. DET ($9,100): Brown, one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, wowed in limited action in 2022. He had an 1.98 FIP and didn't allow a single home run in 20.1 innings. This is a big game for Brown, as he is a Detroiter (who shares an alma mater with me, apropos of nothing), getting to face his hometown team. Sure, it also helps that said team finished last in runs scored and 29th in team OPS last season.
Top Targets
I held out hope for Bo Bichette ($3,900) when he started last season slowly, and in the end I was rewarded with a .280 average with 24 home runs and 13 stolen bases. Plus, on the road he had an .844 OPS in 2022. Brady Singer had the best season of his career last year, but he still had a 3.58 FIP. He also allowed righties to hit .259 against him.
While Jose Ramirez ($3,900) is a switch hitter, he prefers to face a righty. Last year he had a .918 OPS when facing a right-handed pitcher. James Kaprielian couldn't strike anybody out last year, as he managed only 6.58 strikeouts per nine innings. Don't count on Oakland's ballpark, either. Kaprielian actually had a 5.09 ERA at home.
Bargain Bats
Brandon Lowe ($3,000) has a bruise on his toe, but fret not. He's expected back in the lineup Monday against the Nationals, and he pinch hit Sunday with success. The second baseman struggled in 2022, but in the prior three seasons he slugged .526. Lowe is a lefty, and he will get to face a righty in Trevor Williams. The righty has a career 4.33 FIP, and he spent most of last season in the bullpen with the Mets. Only the Pirates have ever trusted Williams in the rotation, and that says it all in a way.
Maybe swinging for the fences at Petco isn't ideal, but I still like Christian Walker ($2,900) on Monday. He slugged .477 last season and hit 36 home runs. The righty will get to face southpaw Ryan Weathers, and he has a career 5.39 FIP. There's a reason why he spent almost all of 2022 in Triple-A.
Stacks to Consider
Dodgers vs. Rockies (Ryan Feltner): Freddie Freeman ($3,700), J.D. Martinez ($2,900), David Peralta ($2,400)
Feltner is Colorado's fifth starter due to…a lack of options? He has a career 5.04 FIP, and his poor numbers aren't all about Coors. Last year, he had a 5.73 ERA on the road and allowed 1.8 homers per nine innings in away games. Sure, this stack would look nicer in the Mile High City, but it looks good in Los Angeles as well.
In his first season as a Dodger, Freeman slashed .325/.407/.511, racking up a career-high 47 doubles. He also had a .956 OPS versus righties, in line with the southpaw slugger's career numbers. Martinez is in his first season with L.A. now, but after a lost 2020, he managed an .829 OPS over the previous two seasons in Boston. Also, in his career, Feltner has let righties hit .300 against him. Peralta is another new addition to the Dodgers lineup. He really struggled versus lefties in 2022, but he had a .778 OPS against righties.
Rangers vs. Orioles (Kyle Bradish): Marcus Semien ($3,900), Adolis Garcia ($3,900), Corey Seager ($3,500)
This is a top-heavy stack, but the Rangers don't have much depth yet, and this matchup is too enticing to ignore. Bradish made 23 starts as a rookie. In that time he had a 4.90 ERA and allowed 1.30 home runs per nine innings. While he is a righty, right-handers hit .280 against him, so having two righties in this stack is good with me.
Semien having a mediocre OBP was typical for him, but so were his counting stats. He racked up 26 homers and 25 stolen bases, and I could easily see him being a 30/30 guy this year. Garcia is also a counting-stat aficionado, as he had 27 homers, 25 stolen bases and 101 RBI last year. He also picked up five triples, speaking to his speed, aggression and acumen on the base paths. In his first season as a Ranger, Seager's average cratered, but so did his BABIP, dropping to .242. However, he still hit 33 homers and slugged .455. His issues were usually on the road as well, as he had a .901 OPS in his new ballpark.
Red Sox vs. Pirates (Johan Oviedo): Rafael Devers ($4,000), Alex Verdugo ($3,400), Triston Casas ($2,800)
Oviedo had a 3.21 ERA last year, but a 3.71 FIP, and he pitched a lot of the season in the bullpen. As a starter with the Cardinals the prior two seasons he had a FIP over 5.00. I mean, he's the fifth spot in the rotation of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Doesn't that say it all?
When Devers gets to face a righty at home, you want him in your lineup. Last year he had a .931 OPS versus right-handed pitchers, plus a .932 OPS at Fenway Park. Verdugo is more of a guy who hits for average, which is not as exciting for DFS but does have value. However, since 2021 he has an .820 OPS against right-handers. That's where the southpaw does his damage. Casas was considered one of the best bats in the minors, and with his size and strength optimism is high. In limited action last year, the lefty did manage better against righties (.817 OPS) and at home (.866 OPS).
