DraftKings Early MLB Picks For April 9

We have nine early games on our Sunday, and five pitchers that are priced like aces. Who should we use? This looks like a day to pay up for pitching. Who can we use to pay for the top arms and still get enough points on offense? Let’s check out the past stats for some insight.

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Due to time constraints, you are just getting my lineup and the theories behind it. I will go back to the regular strategy when time permits.

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Next: Going To Lean On Pitching Today

P: Stephen Strasburg ($10,600): There is a reason why Strasburg is the highest priced pitcher of the day. The current Phillies are only hitting .207 against him in 82 at bats with only two homers, six runs, and an astounding 31 strikeouts. There is a lot of strikeout potential here today. Besides, the Phillies used up most of their runs for April yesterday.

P: Lance McCullers Jr. ($9.900): I usually shy away from small sample sizes, but the Royals have struggled offensively so far this year, and McCullers dominated them in his one try against them. The current Royals are just 2-17(.118) with a solo homer by Perez as the only blemish. McCullers only struck out four, but if no one is getting on base, it makes up for the lack of huge strikeout numbers.

C: Salvador Perez ($3,000): Perez is 1-3 with a solo homer against Lance McCullers, but no catchers really have any outstanding numbers this afternoon. Perez is as good a dice roll as anyone.

1B: Todd Frazier ($4,200): This is a bit of a risk considering that Frazier is off to a terrible start. His first hit of the season didn’t come until yesterday against the Twins and a rookie pitcher. Is this a sign that he is coming around? If so, facing Ervin Santana can only help. Frazier is only 3-12 lifetime against Santana, but all of the hits are for extra bases and he has walked four times. Two of them are solo homers.

2B: Ian Kinsler ($3,900): I know that Rick Porcello just won a Cy Young Award. However, Kinsler didn’t help his cause. The tough matchup lowers Kinsler’s price quite a bit, but he is still 7-16(.438) with a double, a triple, and five RBI against Porcello. Kinsler looks like a solid bargain today without sacrificing too much at the position.

3B: Maikel Franco ($3,900): Strasburg has pitched very well against the Phillies, but Franco could be a sneaky play today. Franco is 3-10 with a homer and two RBI against Strasburg. If Philadelphia has anything left after last night, it could come from here.

SS: J.J. Hardy ($3,000): You wont see Hardy mentioned here much, but you always will when he draws Sabathia. Hardy is 13-41(.317) with a walk, five doubles, a homer, and eight RBI against the big lefty in his career. Hardy may not have a lot left, but he is a strong play against Sabathia.

OF: Jayson Werth ($3,500): Werth is only 4-16 against Jeremy Hellickson, but he has a walk, three doubles, a homer, and an impressive eight RBI off of him. When Werth does hit him, he hits him hard.

OF: Melky Cabrera ($3,800): Melky is hitting .343(12-35) with three walks, two doubles, a homer, and four RBI against Ervin Santana. Santana looked good in the opener, but the current incarnation of the White Sox has hit him pretty hard.

OF: Adam Jones ($4,200): Ah, the Baltimore stack against CC Sabathia. It’s a baseball tradition as old as the seventh inning stretch. Okay, as old as singing God Bless America during the seventh inning stretch. The O’s are hitting .273 with nine homers and a whopping 42 RBI against CC. Jones has done a bulk of the damage. He is 21-70(.300) with four walks, four doubles, a triple, five homers, and 15 RBI against Sabathia. You wont find more richer histories than that!

Next: DFS Strategy - Take Your Game to the Next Level

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