DraftKings Early MLB Picks For April 23

There are seven games in the late DraftKings tonight. We have four pitchers priced as aces tonight. Are any of them worth paying for? Paying up for pitching worked last night. Will it again? Are there enough bargains to be found? Let’s check out the past stats for some help in this matter!

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The money line in the early slate was pretty high at 116.3 DraftKings points. I feel just short of this line because of a terrible start by Ariel Miranda and an implosion by Jameson Taillon after a good start.

The winning lineup was up just a bit to 212.95. He used a solid start by Jake Arrieta and a really good start by Gio Gonzalez as a good foundation. Then he capitalized on the huge games from Willson Contreras, Eugenio Suarez, and Jason Heyward to take down the prize. It was the low owned Shane Peterson and Tim Beckham that put him over the top.

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!

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P: Danny Salazar ($11,300): Salazar is by far the most expensive pitcher on the docket today, and with good reason. The White Sox have hit a respectable .250 against him in 84 at bats with six home runs, but they have only scored ten runs. Yeah, there are better numbers around, but Salazar has an incredible 36 strikeouts in those 84 at bats. That is nearly a 40% clip! I will take the few runs he will give up to get those strikeouts and the win against Derek Holland.

P: Eduardo Rodriguez ($6,000): Baltimore is only hitting .218 against Eduardo Rodriguez so far in 87 at bats with two homers and only six runs scored. Rodriguez also boasts an impressive 28 strikeouts in those 87 at bats, and has held the O’s to a paltry .273 wOBA. Rodriguez has struggled a little this year, but this kind of stat line shows what he is capable of.

C: Miguel Montero ($3,600): 40 year old Bronson Arroyo has only faced four current Cubs. One is Montero, who is 8-17(.471) with a walk, a double, three homers, four runs scored, and seven RBI against Arroyo. Montero also boasts a .642 wOBA. Willson Contreras had a huge day catching yesterday. Can Montero do the same?

1B: Matt Carpenter ($4,800): Matt Carpenter is 8-16 with two walks, a double, two homers, seven runs scored and seven RBI against Jimmy Nelson already. There are plenty of great first base numbers today, but none top Carpenter’s .619 wOBA against Nelson. These are ridiculous stats. Expect a big game from Carpenter.

2B: Yolmer Sanchez ($2,400): Who? Yes, Sanchez isn’t that well known, but I can guarantee you Salazar remembers him. Sanchez is a perfect 3-3 with two singles and a solo homer against Salazar. I have a feeling the numbers take a hit today, but for this low of a price, I will take a chance that he gets at least one more hit.

3B: Maikel Franco ($4,300): Franco only has five official at bats against Mike Foltynewicz. He has two singles, a solo homer, and two runs scored in those five at bats, which is good for a .760 wOBA. This is a small sample size, but Franco is a good bet to help us out.

SS: J.J. Hardy (3,300): Hardy is one of the few Orioles that hit Eduardo Rodriguez well. Hardy is 3-8 with a walk, a double, a run scored, and two RBI against Rodriguez. He also boasts a solid .417 wOBA on Eduardo so far.

OF: Billy Hamilton ($4,200): Hamilton is 8-22(.364) with two walks, two doubles, five RBI, and five steals off of John Lackey. The Reds as a whole hit Lackey well (.316). You can add more to the stack if you like, but you know me, I’m chasing stats.

OF: Mookie Betts ($5,500): Betts has hit Kevin Gausman hard so far in his career. Betts is 9-21(.429) with a walk, two homers, four RBI, and an impressive seven runs scored. His Boston teammates have mostly done well against Gausman too. Betts has a .500 wOBA, which means he is a good bet to get us some points!

OF: Carlos Santana ($4,500): Santana has punished Derek Holland so far. He is only 7-26(.269), but he has three walks, a double, two homers, and an impressive seven RBI against him. Santana also owns a .883 OPS and .378 wOBA. There is a good chance that Santana does some damage today.

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!