Fantasy Baseball: DraftKings Early MLB Picks For June 1

May 19, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Miami Marlins first baseman Justin Bour (41) runs the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /

DraftKings Early MLB Picks For June 1

We have an even split between the eight games today. The better pitching seems to be the calling card in the early DraftKings tournament. Who should we use? Who is worth stacking against? Let’s check some stats!

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It was tough to place in the early tournament yesterday. The money line was the highest of the season at 170.1, on a short slate, no less! I simply didn’t have enough Astros to place, and I made the bad call of Aaron Nola over Dan Straily. My turbo lineup had an impressive 171.15 DraftKings points, and was still more than 30 points out of the money!

Predictably, the winning lineup had an outrageous score of 264.4 DraftKings points. He gambled and won on David Paulino and Straily. Then he stacked Astros to go with Jake Lamb and Justin Bour.

These picks are based mostly on statistical analysis . 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 Early Lineup

Apr 22, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics third baseman Trevor Plouffe (3) singles against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports /

P: Brandon McCarthy ($9,000): McCarthy has dominated the Cardinals in his career. They are just 8-68(.118) against him with a .148 wOBA. The Cards have scored only three runs and struck out 18 times. The only extra base hit is a Dexter Fowler double. McCarthy has been quietly outstanding this year. He is by far the best bet on the afternoon slate.

P: Zack Wheeler ($8,300): Wheeler doesn’t have a history against the Brewers, and Jacob deGrom was punished by the Brewers last night, but I like the way Wheeler is pitching right now. We all know that the Brewers are all or nothing. They seem to have come away with all last night. Let’s see if Wheeler can hold them to nothing.

C: Stephen Vogt ($3,200): Corey Kluber is fresh off the DL, and has struggled against Oakland in his career. The A’s are hitting .274 against him with four homers and 15 RBI in just 84 at bats. Vogt has done some of the damage, going 2-5 with a double, a walk, a homer, and two RBI. If he is in the lineup, I will roll him out there in case Kluber is rusty.

1B: Carlos Santana ($4,600): When looking for who to stack against on a short slate, the first place I look is ERA and WHIP. Yovani Gallardo has the highest ERA on the slate, and his home ERA is even worse at 7.00. How is that possible in Safeco Field? However, Gallardo has held the Rockies to a .252 average in 111 at bats. So I turn my attention to Jharel Cotton. For some strange reason, his ERA is better on the road, but this Cleveland offense is putting up a bunch of runs lately. I trust them more than Colorado away from Coors!

2B: Jason Kipnis ($4,200): Cotton has never faced Cleveland, which is another reason to like Indians hitters today. Gallardo at least has a history of handling the Rockies. I don’t expect that to continue today, but I also have a feeling that everyone is going to be on Colorado. I’m using the contrarian Cleveland stack.

3B: Trevor Plouffe ($3,000): We will be able to tell if BvP stats are worth anything this afternoon. Plouffe has destroyed Kluber in his career. He is 13-46(.283) with two doubles, three homers, five runs scored, and an impressive ten RBI against him so far. If you don’t believe in BvP, well, Kluber’s numbers against Oakland are solid if you take out Plouffe’s stats, all of which came as a member of the Twins.

SS: Francisco Lindor ($4,900): Lindor plated the only Cleveland run yesterday with a home run. I am guessing that his teammates will join the party today. They got shut down by the suddenly hot Sean Manaea. Cleveland will switch their fortunes against the ice cold Cotton.

OF: Michael Conforto ($4,600): I would consider a Mets stack if it weren’t for the fact that Chase Anderson is pitching as well as anyone on this slate right now. However, Conforto has walked, scored twice, and hit a solo homer off of Anderson in just three at bats. Conforto’s mastery of right handed pitching this season is well documented. He is worth a slot in my lineup.

OF: Cody Bellinger ($4,200): Adam Wainwright has rebounded nicely after a tough April, but I am going to throw a dart with Bellinger here. He hit two homers over the weekend, and is always a threat to go deep, especially against right handed pitching.

OF: Carlos Gonzalez ($4,000): I want some exposure here just in case Gallardo gets hit hard. If he does, history says that CarGo will be involved. He is 8-19(.421) with a walk, two doubles, a homer, three runs scored, and two RBI in his career against Gallardo.

Next: FanDuel MLB Picks and Pivots

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