DraftKings Early MLB Picks For April 14

There are only two matinee games today. One at Wrigley and one in Washington D.C. The good news is that neither is expected to be threatened by rain. With only four pitchers to choose from, who are the best options for our DraftKings lineup? Let’s check the past stats!

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The money line was at 105.6 DraftKings points on the afternoon slate yesterday thanks to big strikeouts from Yu Darvish. My lineup was undone by Josh Tomlin doing his best Steven Wright impersonation.

The winning lineup was at 188.6 points thanks to Yu and double digit points from everyone but the catcher! This lineup has all of the day’s home runs.

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: DraftKings MLB Lineup April 13

P: Stephen Strasburg ($10,800): It is worth paying up for pitching this afternoon. There is a clear divider between the top two options and the other two. While Nola is the only truly bad option, the top two are much better than door number three. The Phillies are hitting only .210 against Strasburg in 105 at bats with two homers, nine runs, and a whopping 39 strikeouts! Add to that the fact that Strasburg is facing the worst option of the day, and he has easily the most strikeout and win potential. He should be 100% owned, but we really can’t afford to not use him.

P: Kyle Hendricks ($9,200): The Pirates are hitting only .234 against Hendricks in 111 at bats with two homers, only eight runs, and a nice total of 27 strikeouts. Hendricks did struggle a little in his first start, but the strikeouts were still that. That helps mitigate the damage.

C: Francisco Cervelli ($2,800): It’s slim pickings at every position, but it is magnified at catcher where some starters will sit due to the day game. Cervelli had yesterday off, so he should be good to go. He is only 1-9 against Hendricks, but that one hit is a bases clearing double. That’s as good as anyone this afternoon.

1B: Anthony Rizzo ($4,800): Gerrit Cole‘s numbers against the Cubs aren’t terrible, but Rizzo has him figured out. Rizzo is 8-23(.348) with two walks, three doubles, and two RBI against Cole. The only Cub to homer off of Cole is Javier Baez. That is his only hit in nine at bats. I will go with quantity over quality this afternoon.

2B: Josh Harrison ($3,200): Harrison is 4-12 with a walk, a double, and a solo homer in his career against Kyle Hendricks. Harrison has yet to show his power this year, but he is getting on base so far. The power will come.

3B: Maikel Franco ($3,700): With only two games going on, we have to take a couple of batters against our pitcher. It’s a necessary evil. Franco is 3-11 with two walks, a homer, and two RBI against Strasburg so far in his career. That’s good enough for me in this slate!

SS: Addison Russell ($3,400): Russell is 4-12 against Cole, but all of the hits are singles. He has driven in a run against Cole, but don’t expect a big day here. Switching to Baez and chasing homers is not a bad idea either.

OF: Gregory Polanco ($3,800): Polanco is an impressive 7-17(.412) with two doubles, a homer, and two RBI against Hendricks. Yes, that is three hitters I’m using against one of my pitchers, but I’m following the stats.

OF: Bryce Harper ($4,900): Most of the damage done to Aaron Nola has been done by Harper and Werth. Daniel Murphy has also hit him hard, but I couldn’t afford the upgrade without sacrificing a pitcher, and I decided that I didn’t want to step down. Harper is 8-14(.571) with a walk, two homers, and five RBI against Nola. Look for some sort of crooked numbers tonight.

OF: Jayson Werth ($3,400): Werth is 6-17(.353) with two homers and an impressive seven RBI off of Nola. The whole Nationals team seems to get on base against Nola, so that will lead to plenty of RBI chances for Werth.

Next: FanDuel MLB Picks and Pivots - Early Slate

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