This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
There are 12 games on the FanDuel main slate of contests Monday. This includes some ace pitchers and some former ace pitchers looking to reclaim some glory. We have seen a few interesting performances from hitters already this season, but the sample size is still small enough I'm looking a lot at last year, even if that wasn't a great sample size either. Hey, 60 games is still more than eight or nine. Time to get to the recommendations.
PITCHING
Tyler Glasnow, TAM vs. TEX ($10,700): Glasnow took a bit of a step back last season with his 4.08 ERA, but he had a 3.65 FIP. Also, he struck out 14.28 batters per nine innings, and he's already been racking up the K's this season. The Rangers had the seventh-most strikeouts last year and also finished 29th in runs scored. Glasnow has the chance to really mow down some Texas batters Monday.
Stephen Strasburg, WAS at STL ($): Strasburg obviously was limited due to injury in 2020, but his first start of this year, he looks no worse for the wear. He went six innings against the Braves and allowed zero runs while striking out eight. While the Cardinals did add Nolan Arenado this offseason, and that is significant, they finished 28th in runs scored in 2020. At the moment, FanDuel is not listing a starting pitcher for the Nationals for some reason. However, other sites (such as ESPN) have Strasburg listed as the potential starter, so I am going to recommend him even without the price or the guarantee he starts. Obviously if something happens to clarify the pitcher, it would change things.
Carlos Rodon, CWS vs. CLE ($8,300): Shane Bieber is going to get a lot of the love from this pitching matchup, but my eye is drawn to Rodon. It seems like he's past the issues from his Tommy John surgery, as he struck out nine in five innings in his 2021 debut with some filthy stuff. Cleveland was really reliant on its pitching for its success last year, because its offense ranked 24th in runs scored. Also, it has now lost Francisco Lindor, too.
Aaron Sanchez, SF vs. CIN ($7,200): I wanted to give one option on a lower salary in case you want to save some money for other roster spots. Sanchez didn't pitch in 2020, and in 2019 he had a 5.03 FIP. That being said, in his career he has a 4.31 FIP, which isn't good, but is better. He also only allowed one run in five innings with zero walks in his first start with the Giants. San Francisco is a good park for pitchers, and the Reds had a .212 batting average in 2020, lowest in the majors.
TOP TARGETS
Trea Turner, WAS at STL ($3,900): Turner is consistently one of the few guys you can rely on for power and speed. The shortstop has stolen more than 30 bases in his four full MLB seasons, and last year he set a new career high with a .588 slugging percentage. John Gant has primarily pitched out of the bullpen in his career and he still has a 4.13 FIP.
Matt Chapman, OAK vs. ARI ($3,100): Chapman is off to a bit of a slow start to the season, and last year, he posted a troubling .276 OBP. On the other hand, he was limited to 37 games due to injuries and still hit 10 homers and managed a .535 slugging percentage. Plus, let's not forget that in 2009 he hit 36 home runs. It's usually pretty easy to go yard in Arizona, and Madison Bumgarner has struggled mightily ever since becoming a Diamondback. In 11 starts with Arizona, he has a 7.28 ERA.
Buster Posey, SF vs. CIN ($2,800): Posey is back, and he's showing some of that old skill and a little added power thus far. He has a career .370 OBP, and a catcher who can get on base has real DFS value. Meanwhile, we know who Wade Miley is at this point. He's a 34-year-old pitcher with a career 4.22 ERA. On top of that, he had a 4.72 FIP in 2020.
VALUE BATS
Taylor Trammell, SEA at BAL ($2,300): Trammell is only just starting his MLB career and hasn't even played double-digit games yet, but the 23-year-old is considered one of the better prospects in baseball. He's also a lefty, so I like the matchup against a right-handed pitcher on the mound. Dean Kremer is a righty and he also has a 5.40 ERA in five career starts.
Alec Bohm, PHI at NYM ($3,100): Speaking of prospects, Bohm was considered one of the top promising names in baseball prior to 2020, and he lived up to that. In 44 games, he slashed .338/.400/.481. David Peterson's one start this season came against the Phillies, and he allowed six runs in four innings. That's one start, of course, but he also had a 4.51 FIP in 2019.
Jared Walsh, LAA at KC ($3,100): Hitting righties is kind of Walsh's thing. He has a .903 OPS against right handers since 2019 with a .566 slugging percentage. Brady Singer, a righty, was a middling starter as a rookie in 2020 (4.06 ERA), and his first start this year was a disaster against the Rangers.
LINEUP STACKS TO CONSIDER
Mets vs. Chase Anderson: Francisco Lindor ($3,700), Dominic Smith ($3,100), Michael Conforto ($3,000)
Anderson's last two seasons as a Brewer weren't particularly good, as he had a 5.16 FIP in 2018 and a 4.82 FIP in 2019. Then, he moved to Toronto last season and posted a 6.15 FIP. Now he's a Philly, but I'm not optimistic. I am optimistic about Lindor, however, even if he is off to a bit of a slow start. He has a career slash line of .285/.346/.486 with plenty of homers and stolen bases. There's a reason the Mets wanted him so badly. Smith is a lefty with a truly insane amount of power. He slugged .616 in 2020. Conforto is also a lefty, and he has a .927 OPS versus righties since 2019. Also, in MLB's last full season, he hit 33 homers.
Brewers vs. Adbert Alzolay: Christian Yelich ($3,800), Travis Shaw ($2,900), Jackie Bradley ($2,200)
In addition to having a name that's hard to spell from memory the first time you try, Alzolay has a career 5.10 FIP in 38.2 innings while allowing 1.63 homers per nine innings. I have selected three lefties to stack against the right-handed Alzolay. I'm writing off Yelich's 2020, because he had a 1.100 OPS in 2019 and a 1.000 OPS in 2018. Also, he had a .259 BABIP in 2020, so clearly he was unlucky. Shaw really struggles against southpaws, but he has two 30-homer seasons in his career largely based on his ability to hit his righties. Bradley actually was a bright spot at the plate for the Red Sox in 2020, as he hit .283 with a .364 OBP.
