DraftKings MLB picks for June 24
By Mike Marteny
![May 11, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; A general view of the scoreboard showing Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) tally of an MLB record twenty strikeouts against the Detroit Tigers at Nationals Park. The Washington Nationals won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports May 11, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; A general view of the scoreboard showing Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) tally of an MLB record twenty strikeouts against the Detroit Tigers at Nationals Park. The Washington Nationals won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/cbe311ef4f75fd8386ba679117f396706caf49e4062df1260d6220c6cf145899.jpg)
DraftKings MLB picks for June 24
We have a full 15 game slate tonight, so that leaves us plenty of options, and plenty of places to separate our lineup from the pack. Where are the best places? Let’s hit the stats!
More from DraftKings
- DraftKings Open Championship picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
- Genesis Scottish Open DraftKings picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
- Rocket Mortgage Classic DraftKings picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
- US Open DraftKings picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
- RBC Canadian Open DraftKings picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
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.
Zach Davies has never faced the Nationals, and while his 5-3 record and 3.62 ERA look solid for the price, he is squaring off against a good offense and a great pitcher. It will be hard to get value here.
Carlos Rodon has never faced the Blue Jays, but they feast on left handed pitching. Even without Jose Bautista, this is a tough matchup for a southpaw. Shelf Rodon until a better matchup comes around.
Rookie Tyler Anderson has put together two strong starts for the Rockies so far, but he isn’t to the point that I would trust him against all the right-handed power of the Diamondbacks in Coors Field just yet.
Zach Eflin is probably not a good idea against a disciplined Giants team.
Carlos Martinez has never faced the Mariners, but the game is in spacious Safeco Field, and he is facing off against journeyman Wade LeBlanc. This looks like a really good spot to use him.
Rookie Jameson Taillon is making his first start against the Dodgers. The Cubs knocked him around over the weekend, but you can’t hold that against him. This matchup against Nick Tepesch is an intriguing play for you gamblers out there.
Cody Reed was solid in his first major league start against the Astros. He should have a much easier time against the Padres tonight. He struck out nine in his debut. He could flirt with double digits again.
The White Sox are 0-6 with a strikeout against Aaron Sanchez in relief. Will Sanchez’s success carry over to his start against them?
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
Best Bets:
Max Scherzer ($13,900): The Brewers are kind of a mess on offense, and Scherzer has absolutely dominated them in his career. The current incarnation of the Brew Crew is hitting just .115 against Scherzer in 61 at bats with two runs and 28 strikeouts. That’s right, nearly one in every two trips to the plate has resulted in a strikeout. The Brewers’ biggest threats, Ryan Braun and Chris Carter, are a combined 0-19 with 11 strikeouts.
Kyle Hendricks ($9,500): The Marlins have managed only a .224 average against Hendricks in 49 at bats with only four runs and 13 strikeouts, mostly due to the fact that they only have two extra base hits (both doubles). And, well, you know how prolific the Cubs’ offense is, past stats be damned. How long can Koehler really hold them off?
Honorable Mention:
Steven Matz ($10,600): The Braves are a respectable 18-75(.240) off of Matz, In three starts against the Braves this year, Matz has given up only four runs and racked up 23 strikeouts. Expect another strong showing from Matz tonight. The only reason that he is here and not in the top tier is because of the report that he will be “watched closely” by the Mets. They wont take any risks with that elbow, so he may be yanked early. That’s a big risk to take for that much money.
Masahiro Tanaka ($8,800): The Twins have managed a respectable .259 career average against Tanaka in 58 at bats, but they have only pushed across three runs and struck out ten times. Look for this kind of ineptitude to continue, and for Tanaka to put up numbers worthy of a second tier starter tonight.
Tom Koehler ($7,800): Koehler has done very well against the Cubs so far in his career. The Cubs are hitting just .191 against Koehler in 68 at bats, but they have scored seven runs and only struck out nine times. This price is higher than I thought it would be, and honestly, is probably a little too high for me to want to gamble against the Cubs offense, but they past stats say it could be worth while.
Dark Horses:
Yovani Gallardo ($6,700): Gallardo has held the Rays to a .198 average in 81 at bats with just one homer, five runs, and 19 strikeouts. His 6.26 ERA on the year will scare most off, but keep in mind that he held the Blue Jays to just two runs in his first start off of the disabled list. There is cautious optimism here.
Jered Weaver ($6,400): Weaver is not the Weaver of old – his season ERA is more than a run and a half above his career mark – but this is about checking out past stats. Weaver has held the A’s to a .223 average in 305 at bats with six homers, 24 runs, and 45 strikeouts. If he can come anywhere near those averages, he will produce well for his price.
Next: Who Are The Best Stacks?
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.
Adam Jones ($4,700) is 11-27(.407) with a walk, a double, two homers, and seven RBI against Matt Moore. J.J. Hardy ($2,600) is just 7-28(.250), but he has a walk, two doubles, a homer, and five RBI. Really look out for Matt Wieters ($3,600). Wieters is 8-20(.400) with three walks, a double, two homers, and three RBI off of Moore.
Danny Salazar is in the midst of a breakout season, but man, the Tigers have hammered him. It’s hard to ignore these stats. Miguel Cabrera ($3,600) is 9-26(.346) with two walks, a double, two homers, and five RBI. Ian Kinsler ($4,100) is 6-22(.273) with three walks, a homer, and four RBI. Nick Castellanos ($2,800) is only 5-21(.238), but he has two doubles and a solo homer. Victor Martinez ($2,700) is 7-25(.280) with a walk, a double, a homer, and two RBI. Even Andrew Romine ($2,000) has gotten in on the act. He is 5-9 with a double and a solo homer off of Salazar. For the money you have to pay, you can likely do better than Salazar tonight, but you may want to stack against him!
The Astros have hit Edinson Volquez pretty well. Colby Rasmus ($3,500) is 5-14(.357) with three doubles, a homer, and six RBI. Carlos Gomez ($3,400) is 9-31(.290) with three solo home runs. Luis Valbuena ($3,400) is 3-10 with two walks, a double, a homer, and two RBI off Volquez. Jose Altuve ($4,800) has started off right as well. He is 3-7 with a double and a RBI.
David Price‘s ERA is still a bit on this high side, and facing Texas likely wont help. Elvis Andrus ($3,100) is 10-25(.400) with seven walks and five RBI. Shin-Soo Choo ($2,500) is 6-19(.316) with a walk, a double, and three RBI against Price. Adrian Beltre ($3,200) is 10-33(.303) with four doubles, two homers, and six RBI off Price.
The Yankees old guard remember Tom Milone well…..because they hit him well. Carlos Beltran ($4,500) is 3-5 with a homer and two RBI. Alex Rodriguez ($3,800) is 4-9 with two homers and three RBI. Fortunately for Milone, he wont have to deal with Mark Teixeira, who is 5-10 against him.
You can’t accurately say that any Oakland players have owned Jered Weaver, but some have hit him hard when they have hit him. Jed Lowrie ($2,700) is only 7-35(.200) against Weaver, but he has three doubles, a homer, and seven RBI. Billy Butler ($3,000) is only 8-37(.216), but he has a walk, a double, a homer, and five RBI. Danny Valencia ($4,000) is 5-21(.238), but he has a double, two homers, and three RBI. Stephen Vogt ($3,300) has enjoyed the most success off of Weaver, going 7-25(.280) with two walks, two doubles, a homer, and three RBI.
Next: More Notes For 6-24
Ben Zobrist ($3,800) is 2-7 with the Cubs’ only home run against Tom Koehler and two RBI. Miguel Montero ($2,800) is also 2-7, and has driven in three runs. It’s not all bad news for the bears (okay….Cubs) against Koehler.
Ryan Howard ($2,800) may get a spot start because of his numbers against Jake Peavy. Howard is 3-9 with two doubles and four RBI off of Peavy.
Lorenzo Cain ($3,600) is 5-12(.417) with a walk, two doubles, a homer, and two RBI against Dallas Keuchel. Kendrys Morales ($3,300) is 6-16(.375) with a walk, a double, and a RBI.
Trevor Story ($5,100) went 2-3 with two doubles and three RBI against Archie Bradley at Coors Field back on May 9th. What will he do for an encore?
Eduardo Escobar ($3,000) is 5-10 with a double and a RBI against Masahiro Tanaka. If only he could teach the his teammates how to do that…..
Yoenis Cespedes and Wilmer Flores both hit homers off Aaron Blair in his two starts against him this year.
Marcell Ozuna ($4,200) is 2-6 with a double and three RBI against Kyle Hendricks.
Daniel Castro ($2,400) is 4-9 with a solo homer against Steven Matz. He may be worth using if he gets the start.
Be sure to check out the FanDuel picks from out experts in that area! Brian Tulloch provides the picks, while Matt Rogers tells you where to save in his FanDuel Economics articles. Don’t play an FanDuel without them!
Next: DFS Strategy - Take Your Game to the Next Level
Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball!