This is a rare small six-game slate and it’s clear that many teams have a travel day ahead of them. The best game to stack is actually the 6:45 ET matchup between the Yankees and Orioles but we’re going to forget about that one since it’s not a part of the major prize pools. What we do need to keep an eye on is the weather though, as we’ve had troubling forecasts throughout the opening month. The games we need to focus on here are MIL-PHI and BAL-NYY. Luckily, that Yankees game doesn’t matter to us and the Philly forecast is nothing to worry about.
Catcher
Omar Narvaez, SEA vs. OAK
DK ($4,300) FD ($2,900)
Picking a catcher is like pulling teeth, but it’s hard to argue with Narvaez’s recent production. In fact, Narvaez has at least 12 DK points in three-straight games, with a dinger in back-to-back outings. That has raised his OPS north of .900 and his average above .300, which are some of the best marks in the league for any catcher. While Mike Fiers threw a no-hitter in his most recent start, this is a guy we want to exploit with his 5.48 ERA and 5.16 xFIP. Not to mention, the A’s gave Fiers an extra day off after throwing 131 pitches, which is also a recipe for disaster.
Also Consider: Blake Swihart has a quality matchup against Nick Kingham and has shown serious potential against right-handers throughout his career.
First Base
C.J. Cron, MIN vs. LAA
DK ($4,300) FD ($3,500)
Cron has quietly been one of the best power hitters in the game over the past three seasons, collecting 55 home runs over his last 275 games en route to a .250 ISO. That’s all you can ask for from someone in this price range, and Cron gets the benefit of facing a southpaw too. In that same three-year span, Cron has a .917 OPS against lefties and an absurd 1.376 OPS against southpaws so far this season.
Also Consider: Jay Bruce is one of the AL leaders with 12 home runs and gets the platoon advantage against Fiers.
Second Base
Jonathan Schoop, MIN vs. LAA
DK ($4,100) FD ($3,000)
Stacking Twins is going to be popular on this slate and rightfully so. Not only do they rank first in xwOBA, they also sit third in runs per game. That puts all of the Minnesota bats in play, especially the righties. After allowing eight runs in his most recent start, Skaggs now owns a 4.79 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and .344 wOBA. The southpaw typically struggles with righty bats, allowing a .333 career OBP and OPS approaching .800. Schoop is in good form right now too, collecting three doubles, two homers, six runs and seven RBI over his last 10 games.
Also Consider: Jason Kipnis has been batting from the two-hole recently and he could be a contrarian play in an Indians stack.
Third Base
Jose Ramirez, CLE at CWS
DK ($4,300) FD ($3,500)
Ramirez’s price remains criminally low and he’s hard to avoid until he gets closer to $5,000 on DK and $4,000 on FD. That’s pretty much where he sat last season and recent form would indicate that he’s recapturing that form. In fact, Ramirez is averaging 12 DK points per game across his last 23 outings, despite hitting below .250. That tells us that he’s providing elite counting statistics and that makes him particularly intriguing against Reynaldo Lopez, who owns a 6.38 ERA and 1.75 WHIP. Ramirez will bat from the left side, and he has a .933 OPS against righties since the beginning of 2017 and is way more likely to steal a bag against a right-hander.
Also Consider: Jeimer Candelario has been too good to be priced at just $3,100 on DraftKings and should bat in the heart of the Tigers order.
Shortstop
Francisco Lindor, CLE at CWS
DK ($4,700) FD ($3,600)
Stacking Ramirez and Lindor is one of my favorite strategies on this slate, as they should have success against Lopez. The White Sox right-hander has those ugly ERA and WHIP numbers to match his atrocious .392 wOBA. That should be huge for Lindor, who owns a career .198 ISO and .355 wOBA. That doesn’t even take into consideration his speed, with Lindor swiping at least 15 bags in three-straight seasons.
Also Consider: Tim Beckham has been a pleasant surprise for the Mariners and will be a great value at $3,700, if you’re looking to stack Seattle.
Outfield
Bryce Harper, PHI vs. MIL
DK ($4,400) FD ($4,400)
It’s tough to use Harper on FanDuel but the $4,400 price tag on DraftKings is hard to overlook. We’re talking about a guy with a career OBP approaching .400 and an ISO above .220. Those are simply dominant numbers and his .960 OPS and .405 OBP against righties since the beginning of 2017 shows just how amazing he is with the platoon advantage in his favor. Freddy Peralta is a guy we definitely want to exploit too, posting a 6.75 ERA and 1.61 WHIP in six starts this season.
Khris Davis, OAK at SEA
DK ($4,000) FD ($3,800)
Davis is in a terrible slump right now but any guy with this sort of power potential is worth a shot in this price range. The simple fact is, Davis has at least 42 homers in three-straight seasons and appears well on his way to another 40-homer year with 10 dingers in 36 games. That’s elite power and his .243 ISO this season is only slightly below his .270 career ISO. That makes this price tag hard to believe, especially considering the fact that Davis gets the platoon advantage against a lefty here.
Jake Bauers, CLE at CWS
DK ($3,800) FD ($3,200)
After a terrible start to the year, Bauers appears to be finding his rhythm. In fact, the left-hander has a .301 average over his last 23 games, providing 10 runs and 10 RBI in that span. This is a guy we want to use against right-handed pitching too, as his OPS is nearly 200 points higher than when he faces lefties. The Lopez statistics speak for themselves and Bauer makes for a beautiful three-man stack with Ramirez and Lindor.
Also Consider: If you’re stacking Phillies, don’t forget about Andrew McCutchen at just $4,100.
Monkey Knife Fight Picks of the Day
Jose Berrios over 5.5 Strikeouts
It’s strange that this number is so low, as Berrios hasn’t had fewer than four Ks in any game this season. That alone makes him an attractive option, as he’s also reached at least six innings pitched in all eight of his starts. Any pitcher with a 25 percent K rate is worth using, especially when they have a six-inning floor against an average offense.
Jose Ramirez over 1.5 hits+walks
The write-up from earlier tells you everything you need to know about this play, as it would be hard to imagine Ramirez not getting on base at least twice. In fact, Ramirez has accomplished that feat in five of his last seven games and is traditionally a better on-base guy from the left side.
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