DraftKings MLB Picks For Opening Day

Opening Day is just a day away! We have three games this Opening Day, which gives us six aces to choose from. Who are the best to headline your DraftKings lineups? Let’s check out the past 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. Check out this post from Matt McGarvey for great tips about whether to use a hot player in DFS or not.

For you first time players, if you would like $10 worth of free entry tickets, use this link for the referral bonus! Then continue reading for tips on how to turn that $10 into more!

Next: Pitcher Picks

Best Bets:

Madison Bumgarner ($11,200): None of the pitchers going today have stellar stats against their opponents. When that happens, just revert to the best option out there. Without a doubt, that is Bumgarner. The Diamondbacks are hitting a solid .242 against him, but they only have five homers and 13 runs in 186 at bats. You can live with the hits he gives up when he doesn’t give up runs and wins the game!

Masahiro Tanaka ($8,800): Tanaka has the best batting average against (.208) of the opening slate, but he has given up nine homers to the Rays in just 130 at bats. The good news is that he has struck out 30 and only allowed 13 runs. There are more expensive options, but Tanaka has a good chance to outperform them based on his past stats. Tanaka was also 4-0 with a 3.12 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 34.1 innings against Tampa last year.

Honorable Mention:

Jon Lester ($10,600): Lester gave up just two earned runs in 20.2 innings against the Cardinals last year, but his career numbers still don’t look very good against the current roster. They have only hit .220 against him in 177 at bats, but they have five homers, 20 runs, and a slightly above average 46 strikeouts. I’m just not sure that he will be worth what you pay for him.

Chris Archer ($9,200): The Yankees are hitting a robust .281 against Chris Archer, but they only have four homers and 14 runs in 146 at bats. He also has a nice 44 strikeouts against them. The good news ends there though. Archer was 0-3 with a 3.86 ERA against them last year. Missing out on the win can hurt you quite a bit, especially if he picks up the loss.

Dark Horses:

Carlos Martinez ($8,300): The Cubs are hitting a modest .252 in 135 at bats against Martinez with only three homers, but they have driven in 17 runs. Last year alone, Martinez gave up 16 runs in just 30 innings (4.80 ERA), but he did strike out 31. Being a home game with the high strikeout potential makes him a decent punt option, but he is going to give up runs.

Zack Greinke ($7,700): San Francisco is hitting a solid .264 with seven homers and 27 RBI in 246 at bats against Greinke. However, he only has 50 strikeouts against the Giants, and had just 15 in 24.2 innings against them last year. The low strikeout potential and a sure loss going up against Bumgarner lessen the appeal of Greinke, even at this reasonable price.

Next: More Notes For Opening Day

Paul Goldschmidt ($4,600) is 13-46(.283) with nine walks, four doubles, two homers, and six RBI against Madison Bumgarner, but he has struck out 13 times. I would look for better options in formats that dock you for strikeouts. Yasmany Tomas ($3,500) has six hits in 18 at bats, but only one extra base hit (a triple) and hasn’t driven in a run. A.J. Pollock ($3,800) has 11 hits in 43 at bats (.256) with a walk, four doubles, a triple, a homer, and three driven in against MadBum.

Brad Miller ($3,600) is only 5-24(.208) against Masahiro Tanaka, but he has a triple, three homers, and five RBI against him. Kevin Kiermaier ($3,400) is an impressive 5-11 with a triple and a solo homer against Tanaka. Corey Dickerson ($3,300) has five hits in 14 at bats with two doubles, a homer, and two RBI. Evan Longoria ($4,000) has taken Tanaka deep, but he is just 3-23 (.130) against him.

Jhonny Peralta ($3,100) has three of the five lifetime homers for the Cardinals against Lester, but he is still just 10-47(.213) with five walks, a double, and six RBI. Oh, and he has struck out 15 times. Yadier Molina ($3,300) has had a good spring, and could get off to a good start considering that he is 8-22(.364) lifetime against Jon Lester with two walks, three doubles, and four RBI.

Jacoby Ellsbury ($3,600) could be the value play of the day. He is 19-34(.559) with four walks, a double, two homers, and five RBI against Chris Archer. Starlin Castro ($3,300) has four hits in 12 at bats with a double, a homer, and five RBI. How about hot commodities Gary Sanchez ($4,500) and Greg Bird ($3,200)? Well, Bird has a walk, two doubles, and a RBI in five at bats. Sanchez is 1-2 with a walk and a solo homer.

Brandon Belt ($4,200) is a solid 8-29 with a walk, a double, a homer, and four RBI against Zach Greinke. Hunter Pence ($4,300) is only 7-31(.226), but he does have three walks, two doubles, two homers, and four RBI against Greinke. Buster Posey ($4,400) is 12-37 (.324) with four walks, a double, and two RBI. Denard Span ($4,000) is 14-46 (.304) with two walks, two doubles, a triple, a homer, and five RBI against Greinke.

Ben Zobrist ($4,000) has five hits in 13 at bats with two walks, a double, and two RBI against Carlos Martinez. Anthony Rizzo ($4,900) is 7-26 (.269) with three walks, a double, a triple, three homers, and seven RBI against Martinez. Rizzo is the only current Cub to take Carlos deep.

Be sure to check out the FanDuel picks from out experts in that area! Brian Tulloch provides the picks, while Matt Rogers tells you what pitchers to target in his FanDuel pitching articles. Don’t play FanDuel without them!

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Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball, along with our NBA, NHL, and EPL picks!