Jared Contestabile 
The second Saturday of the MLB season is here, and we are ready to cash in to start off the weekend! There are two slates, one starting at 4:05 ET, and the other starting at 7:05 ET. The afternoon slate looks loaded with solid arms, while the night slate looks primed for offense. There are plenty of targets on both slates, so I’ll highlight some of my favorites from each!
MLB DFS Aces – Main
Jeffrey Springs vs Oakland Athletics
I’ll go ahead and say it. Jeffrey Springs is my favorite pitcher that doesn’t play for my Cincinnati Reds. Not only does he have a phenomenal name (my son is named Jeffrey), but this kid is tremendously talented. His dominance was on full display in his 2023 debut, as he no-hit the Tigers for 6 innings with TWELVE punchouts and just one walk.
There are two slates for Saturday, and Springs is on the slate that starts at 4:05 ET. He alone is a reason to play this slate. Oakland has an offense that may legitimately be worse than some AAA lineups. This is a match made in heaven.
This is no fluke either, as Springs posted a 9.68 K/9, 2.06 BB/9, and 3.29 xFIP. He is the real deal and an absolute lock for me on the afternoon slate.
Noah Syndergaard vs Arizona Diamondbacks
It may be too soon to say that “Thor” is back to his old ways, but he looked sharp in the opener. He allowed just four hits and a single earned run over six innings with a 6/0 K/BB against these same D-Backs. He is always an easy target for stolen bases, so don’t forget to grab some shares of Corbin Carroll, Jake McCarthy, and anyone who has legs and can get on base.
That said, Syndergaard had success against this lineup regardless last time out, and was efficient with just 78 pitches. This is a below average lineup and one that he can have plenty of success against once again. Let’s see if he can continue to trend upward on his strikeouts. He had just a 6.35 K/9 in 2022, although the rest of his peripheral stats were solid (2.07 BB/9, 0.94 BB/9, 4.28 xFIP).
Justin Steele vs Texas Rangers
Steele is a player I get excited to roster in DFS. The only thing that could get me away from rostering him would be to find out that the winds are headed out in Wrigley. That said, among pitchers on Saturday’s slate of games, Steele allowed the second-lowest HardHit% of everyone in 2022 (33.3).
He has elite upside, and the only issue he runs into is his command (3.78 BB/9 in 2022). That may not be an issue against Texas, as they rank 24th in MLB so far in 2023 with just a 6.9% walk rate as a team. He does a great job of keeping the ball in the park as well, allowing just 0.61 HR/9 in 2022. Texas has some big bats in its lineup, and he would have the platoon advantage against two of them (Corey Seager and Nate Lowe).
MLB DFS Stacks – Main
Los Angeles Dodgers vs Zach Davies
I feel like Zach Davies has been pitching forever, and I’m completely fine with it. Somehow he is just 30. He hands up home runs like those little pamphlets you get on the Vegas Strip. You know the ones I’m talking about. Nobody wants those, but everyone DOES want home runs in their lineups.
Enter the powerful Los Angeles Dodgers lineup. Davies served up 1.44 HR/9 in 2022, and that was on the heels of a 1.52 mark in 2021. Another good thing to note is that he doesn’t miss bats (6.83 K/9), but he DOES miss the strike zone (3.48 and 4.56 BB/9 the last two seasons).
Now we get the likes of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, JD Martinez, Will Smith, Max Muncy, Trayce Thompson against him. There should be ducks on the pond as long as Davies lasts in this one. Bombs away in Arizona.
New York Yankees vs Cole Irvin
Irvin actually had a decent season in 2022 with Oakland, but he is a contact lefty facing a very powerful Yankee lineup. That’s a recipe for disaster in my family cookbook. He served up a 1.24 HR/9 in 2022, including 20 HR to RHB. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are licking their chops awaiting their matchup with Irvin.
Don’t forget about the likes of Gleyber Torres, Orlando Cabrera, and the young superstar Anthony Volpe from the right side. Anthony Rizzo has hit lefties well in his career as well. The Bronx Bombers could have a big night on Saturday.
Los Angeles Angels vs Jose Berrios
The knock on Berries used to be that he couldn’t pitch on the road, but now it seems like he just can’t pitch well anywhere. He got knocked around in his first start, serving up eight earned runs on nine hits with a 7/2 K/BB. He had some poor batted ball luck, but I’m still not a believer.
The Angels will likely find many ways to disappoint in what may be the final year of the Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani duo, but I don’t think they will on Saturday.
Taylor Ward, Hunter Renfroe, and the hot-hitting Logan O’Hoppe jump off the page at me here as well. I’m down for a full stack here at what should be low ownership.
MLB DFS Summary
The afternoon slate looks like a blast, and I’m locking in Springs once again. I’ll be looking to fit as many Dodgers and Yankees into my lineups as well. Let’s make some cash! I will find myself some Coors exposure against Gomber in particular, we could see some fireworks out in Denver too!
Find the team in the Discord and let’s chat about some plays!
Good luck and hope to see you in the green.
Check me out on Twitter @BigItaly42 and let me know who you are playing tonight! Always around to talk some MLB!
