DraftKings MLB Picks April 1: Who's the best pitcher today?

NEWCASTLE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 14: A Knights fan dressed as the Easter Bunny during the round seven NRL match between the Newcastle Knights and the Sydney Roosters at McDonald Jones Stadium on April 14, 2017 in Newcastle, Australia. (Photo by Tony Feder/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB Picks April 1: Who’s the best pitcher today?

As I sit here on Easter morning at 4am, I know that I don’t have the time to accurately give you two full length articles. They are going to have me up early, and I haven’t slept yet. And I’ve heard that sleeping in church is bad karma. So, I will give concise pitcher picks for both slates here, and a couple of hitters worth using. I will be back with the full length articles tomorrow.

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We will provide you with several options to build your lineup here. Want to spend all your money on pitchers and play bargain bats? We will highlight who is worth the money. Want to punt arms and pay up for the big boppers? We can help you with that as well, and everything in between!

These picks are based largely on past stats. Obviously, these are not a true indicator of what will happen tonight, but they can provide good insight and trends to help us pick some winners.

For you first time players, if you would like a bonus of $20 DraftKings dollars, use this link for the referral bonus! Then continue reading for tips on how to turn those DraftKings dollars into more!

Next: DraftKings Pitcher Plays

CHICAGO, IL – OCTOBER 19: Jose Quintana #62 of the Chicago Cubs pitches in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game five of the National League Championship Series at Wrigley Field on October 19, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Jose Quintana ($11,700): The current Marlins are a pathetic 4-34(.118) with one run and eight strikeouts off of Quintana. Given the strikeout potential against a weak hitting team in a pitcher’s park, Quintana is likely worth the price in his first 2018 start.

Sonny Gray ($9,700): Gray has absolutely dominated the current Blue Jays. They are hitting just .180 off of him in 100 at bats with not a single homer, only four runs, and 29 strikeouts. Gray’s 2-3 career record at Rogers Centre belies the success he has had there. Gray has a 2.32 ERA in five career starts at Rogers Centre. The Yankees will give him the offensive support to come out of here with a win.

Middle Tier:

Luke Weaver ($8,000): Luke Weaver has never faced the Mets, but come on. It’s the Mets. There is a lot of potential here, especially against Steven Matz. We don’t really know what to expect from him after last year’s disastrous injury plagued season. I would rather take the chance on Weaver than Matz regardless of the price point.

Michael Fulmer ($7,800): The only current Pirate to face Fulmer is former Ray Corey Dickerson. Dickerson is a sad 1-11 off of him. I like Fulmer here since Pittsburgh isn’t a great hitting team. I am also a fan of Fulmer’s 2.12 ERA this Spring. There is plenty of potential here. At least so far in his career, Fulmer is better earlier in the season.

Jake Faria ($7,500): Faria pitched a complete game in his only career start against Boston. The Red Sox that are left were a combined 1-26 with five strikeouts in that game with the only hit being an Andrew Benintendi single. There is a lot of potential here, both good and bad.

Bargain Pitchers:

Kevin Gausman ($6,900): I’m not a huge fan of this, especially with Gausman facing Jose Berrios. Berrios and Gausman have both racked up the strikeouts against each other’s team at nearly a 30% rate. Berrios lhas only allowed four solo homers, but his price is $2,100 more than Gausman. Gausman’s huge strikeout potential (27 in 81 at bats) is very rare at this price point. Who cares if he gives up a few runs?

Hector Velazquez ($6,400): Velazquez is intriguing against a Rays team that doesn’t have a ton of power and they strike out a lot. If you are looking for a dart throw, Velazquez fits the bill. The bottom tier is littered with risks. The unknown with Velazquez may not be so bad.

Mike Minor ($5,600): First off, I have no clue what to expect from Gerrit Cole in his first A.L. start. Minor has held the current Astros to a .190 average and just two RBI in 21 at bats. The caveat is that he only has three strikeouts, and this is the Astros. The best offense on the planet. You have to be really brave here. Personally, I would rather stack against Minor and let the chips fall where they may.

Trevor Williams ($5,200): Williams racked up 28 DraftKings points in his start against Detroit last season. Williams is never much of a strikeout pitcher, but he showed signs this spring of notching a few more. I’m not opposed to using Williams in any pitcher’s park this year.

OAKLAND, CA – MARCH 30: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim works out in the bullpen prior to the start of a Major League Baseball game against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on March 30, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Gio Gonzalez ($11,100): Honestly, the top tier in the afternoon sucks. Enough so that I may avoid this slate entirely. Trevor Bauer has allowed two homers and 13 RBI in just 83 at bats against Seattle. Gonzalez has allowed a .302 average with four homers and 10 RBI in only 86 at bats against Cincinnati. However, Gio does have 23 strikeouts and a career 3.41 ERA in five starts at Great American Launching Pad. There is more potential here than anywhere else on the afternoon docket.

Middle Tier:

Mike Leake ($7,800): I’ve never been a huge Mike Leake guy, but he has proven to be solid in pitcher’s parks. He has held Cleveland to a .254 average in 59 at bats with just one homer and four RBI. The bad part is that he only has three strikeouts! Personally, this price for Leake is way too inflated. The Indians have punished Seattle to start off 2018, and there is no strikeout potential. And do you really think he’s going to beat Trevor Bauer? He may. The Mariners are hitting .325 with two homers and 13 RBI in just 83 at bats against Bauer.

Bargain Pitchers:

Shohei Ohtani ($6,500): Yes, Ohtani was an unmitigated disaster this spring, but the potential is there, and who would you rather he make his debut against? As far as MLB debuts go, this is about as cake as it gets for Ohtani against Oakland. He should have a very good debut stateside, but nothing is a given.

TORONTO, ON – MARCH 29: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after scoring a run in the fifth inning on Opening Day during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on March 29, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Today, the top tier will simply be a list of those hitters with multiple home runs against today’s mound opponents

More from FanSided

Early:

MIguel Sano (2) vs. Kevin Gausman, Aaron Judge (3) vs. Marcus Stroman, Brett Gardner (2) vs. Stroman, Mike Moustakas (2) vs. Reynaldo Lopez.

The only late one to do it is Joey Votto against Gio Gonzalez with three homers and a .381 average.

Honorable Mention:

The honorable mention players are those with one homer off of today’s opposing pitcher:

Manny Macahado, Chris Davis, Adam Jones, and Jonathan Schoop vs. Jose Berrios. Paul DeJong and Tommy Pham vs. Steven Matz. Alcides Escobar vs. Reynaldo Lopez. Matt Davidson and Yoan Moncada vs. Jason Hammel.

The late ones start with Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager vs. Trevor Bauer. Jose Ramirez vs. Mike Leake. Eugenio Suarez vs. Gio Gonzalez. Matt Adams vs. Sal Romano.

Next: MLB DFS Picks and Pivots

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball, along with our PGA picks. We also have the tail end of the NBA season covered.