DraftKings MLB Picks For April 22

Sep 12, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; A general view of the DraftKings sign board during the match with FC Dallas playing against New York City FC at Toyota Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

DraftKings MLB Picks For April 22

There is finally a full 15 game slate tonight, to that means a lot of stats to go through, and a lot of tough decisions to make. Who should you spend on? Let’s hit the stats!

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NOTE: these picks are based solely on statistics. Some players have never faced their opponents, or have very little experience against them. I am not saying that none of those are good picks. The highest scorer of the day could be someone with no experience against his opponent. This is based on statistical analysis only. If you have a gut feeling, then by all means, follow that. This is not an exact science. The best lineups usually have a mix of proven stats and hot players.

The current A’s roster only has five appearances against Aaron Sanchez (1-5 if you are wondering). That is too small of a sample to get information from. Same with Patrick Corbin against the Pirates. They are 2-7 against him. Andrew McCutchen does have a walk and a two run single against him though. Is that worth paying his premium? That is for you to decide. Aaron Hill is the only Brewer that has faced Aaron Nola (he has two singles in three at bats, by the way). Steven Wright has only faced the current Astros eight times. Kyle Gibson has only faced the Nationals 12 times, but they have six hits off of him. That includes Stephen Drew‘s 0-5 line! Rookie Jon Moscot has never faced the Cubs. Youngster Zach Davies has never faced the Phillies. So there may be a full slate, but there are a quite a few players that have little or not stats against tonight’s opponents. They are not included here.

For you first time players, if you would like a free entry into the $1 million baseball contest, use this link for the referral bonus!

Next: Pitcher Picks

Apr 12, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija (29) delivers a pitch in the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Best Bets:

Jeff Samardzija ($9,300): I can’t believe I am doing this, but the stats back me up. And honestly, Samardzija looks nothing like the 4.96 ERA guy from last year. The Marlins are hitting only .211 against him in 76 at bats with two homers, eight RBI, and 26 strikeouts. Half of that damage was done by one player (more on that later), and it wasn’t Stanton. The stats favor Samardzija as the best pitcher of the night.

Justin Verlander ($8,400): The Indians are hitting only .239 in 306 at bats off of Verlander with eight homers and 37 RBI. They have struck out 63 times though, giving Verlander some nice strikeout upside. Also, if you take away Michael Brantley‘s 18-62 with eight RBI against Verlander, that brings the numbers down to .225 and 29 RBI. Rolling the dice a little with Verlander could pay off, especially with Josh Tomlin opposing him.

Honorable Mention:

Matt Harvey ($10,300): Yes, Matt Harvey is struggling this year. That’s why he is down here. That an the fact that the current Braves have just 24 at bats against him. They also have just three hits and six strikeouts. It is worth paying the premium? That depends on whether you think you can trust Harvey, but his matchups wont get any better than this.

Martin Perez ($6,900): The White Sox are hitting just .229 with two RBI and one extra base hit against Perez in 35 at bats with 11 strikeouts. There is potential for him to be low owned, and the Rangers have done fairly well against his mound opponent, Jose Quintana. There is potential here for Perez to have a really good game

Dark Horses:

Scott Kazmir ($6,600): It feels weird to call Kazmir a dark horse, but it is a small sample size. The Rockies are only hitting .152 in 33 at bats off of Kazmir with a whopping 12 strikeouts. Brandon Barnes is the only one to take him deep, and has two of the four RBI. If you are looking to save some money, the stats favor Kazmir here, even in such a small sample.

Yovani Gallardo ($6,300): If you feel like playing with fire, you have Gallardo. The Royals are only hitting .196 against him in 46 at bats, but they have struck out just three times. And, well, they are the Royals. Still, the stats overwhelmingly favor Gallardo. The Royals have just two RBI off of him in those 46 at bats.

Chris Young ($5,800): Want to really play with fire? Try Chris Young. The Orioles are only 1-23(.043) against him, but he is 36 years old and the O’s are the hottest team in baseball. The choice is yours.

Next: Who Are The Best Stacks?

Apr 21, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) swings into a two-run homer against the Chicago White Sox during the fifth inning at U.S. Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

You have heard our FanDuel experts Matt Rogers and Brian Tulloch talk about “stacking” pieces of a lineup against certain pitchers. Here are the stacks that could work well on DraftKings today, based on past statistics.

The D-Back stack against Jonathon Niese could pay off. Wellington Castillo ($3,500) is 3-13 with a walk and a solo homer against Niese. Paul Goldschmidt ($5,300) is 3-11 with a walk, a homer, and three driven in. Rickie Weeks ($3,700) is worth using if he plays. He is 4-14(.286) with three walks, a double, and a solo homer off Niese.

Mike Trout ($4,800) has clobbered Felix Hernandez. The Angels have only hit six homers off of the King in 279 at bats. Trout has four of them. He is 23-65(.354) with five walks, three doubles, two triples, those four home runs, and an impressive 13 RBI. For you gamblers, Albert Pujols ($3,700) is only 11-53(.208) off of Felix, but he does have five doubles, a homer, and seven RBI. Cliff Pennington ($2,200) is actually 13-42(.310) off of Felix, but he only has one RBI.

The Rays may seem like a good matchup for CC Sabathia, but I can assure you they are not. The Rays are hitting .283 with eight homers against him in 173 at bats. Logan Forsythe ($4,200) is 6-15 with two doubles, two homers, and three RBI against Sabathia. Desmond Jennings ($3,400) is only 10-42(.238), but he has four doubles, and three walks. However, it has been Evan Longoria ($4,600) who has pummeled Sabathia. Longoria is 24-64(.375) with thirteen walks, eight doubles, six home runs, and 14 RBI against Sabathia. You have to play Longoria today.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia ($3,300) is 4-5 with a walk, a double, a homer, and four RBI against Josh Tomlin. J.D. Martinez ($4,000) is 3-8 with two walks, a double, and a pair of RBI. Ian Kinsler ($4,300) is 5-14 with two doubles and a RBI. Miguel Cabrera ($4,100) is the guy that has hit Tomlin hardest though, going 5-13(.385) with three walks, a double, a homer, and four RBI against him.

Next: More Notes For 4-20

Apr 7, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Miami Marlins shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria (3) hits an RBI single against the Washington Nationals during the third inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Billy Hamilton ($3,800) and Brandon Phillips ($3,300) seem like a weird stack against Jon Lester, but the stats back it up. Hamilton is 5-7 with a double and a solo home run off Lester. Phillips is 6-15 with a double and three driven in.

Neil Walker ($3,900) is 9-23(.391) with five walks, a double, and a solo home run off of Bud Norris. Yoenis Cespedes ($4,600) is 3-10 with a homer and three driven in if you want to bet on Norris imploding against the Mets.

Carlos Santana ($3,600) is only 11-53(.208) against Verlander, but he has a double, six homers, and an impressive ten RBI. If anyone can get to Verlander, it is Santana.

Joe Mauer ($3,600) is 5-17(.294) with a pair of solo home runs off of Gio Gonzalez in his career. He will be a solid little-used option.

Prince Fielder ($3.600) is only 4-15 off of Jose Quintana, but he has two doubles and a solo homer to go with four walks. He could be a little used option to come up with good points.

Here is an interesting one for you. Adeiny Hechavarria ($2,500) is a blistering 6-9 against Jeff Samardzija with a homer and four RBI. By contrast, Giancarlo Stanton is 3-16 with just one RBI against Sammie.

Jose Bautista ($4,400) is one of the few and the proud that can say they hit Sonny Gray well. Bautista is 5-10 with a homer and two RBI against Oakland’s ace.

If you are looking for a catcher, Yadier Molina ($3,300) is 4-9 with a RBI against Andrew Cashner. That may be as good as you will get.

Next: DraftKings NBA Picks For April 21

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for the NBA playoffs and FanDuel baseball!