DraftKings Early MLB Picks April 4: Which ace should we use?

We have yet another split slate early in the MLB season. There are 13 games, but the two games afternoon arcade and a showdown are the only way to get a piece of the Twins and Pirates. A showdown is also the only way to get a piece of the Braves and Nats. That also takes Max Scherzer out of the big tournaments, which I think is bogus. The early tournament features the six games starting between 1 and 4 Eastern. That leaves this as the larger tournament, and there are plenty of aces.

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Rain wreaked havoc yesterday, wiping out the Cubs and Reds, which just happened to be the last game on the afternoon slate, so the late swap did no good. Weather could affect this early slate again. There is a chance of rain in New York, and both the Mets and Yankees are at home. Watch out for a cold and blustery day in Detroit as well, though no rain is around.

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 tips are based mostly on past performance. This is a nice tool for building a lineup, but should not be the only pieces of information you use. Stacking against a bad pitcher is always a good idea!

For you first time players, if you would like a free $20 in DraftKings dollars, use this link for the referral bonus with your first deposit of $5 or more! Then continue reading for tips on how to turn those DraftKings dollars into more!

Next: DraftKings Pitcher Plays

Top Tier:

Noah Syndergaard ($11,600): Thor has held the Phillies to a .151 average in 53 at bats, but they have managed to score four runs off of him. The 14 strikeouts are very nice too. Technically, Severino has better numbers against the Rays, but Thor is the safer bet. Keep a very close eye on the weather in New York if you use either top option though.

Luis Severino ($11,300): Severino has absolutely dominated the Rays in his career. The current Tampa squad is just 6-41(.146) with only one homer, two runs, and a staggering 20 strikeouts. If this game isn’t rained out, Severino is my anchor today.

Corey Kluber ($11,100): The Angels are hitting a pathetic .158 against Kluber in 76 at bats, but they do have five homers and 12 RBI. That’s a whole lot of damage done for a .158 average! The 19 strikeouts mitigate the damage, but the only way I’m down to Kluber is if the New York games are rained out.

Middle Tier:

Dallas Keuchel ($10,500): Keuchel is priced as a top tier guy, but his performance is not quite up to par with the other three. The Orioles are hitting a solid .260 against Keuchel with six homers, 12 runs, and 23 strikeouts in 131 at bats. Good numbers, sure, but when you can have Thor for just over $1,000 more, find the money to do that. If either or both of the New York games are rained out, you should be able to move to Keuchel with ease if you so choose.

Aaron Nola ($8,500): The Mets are hitting a solid .278 off of Nola in 36 at bats, but they only have one solo homer to show for it. Nola has nine strikeouts in those 36 at bats, which is a very nice clip. There is good potential for Nola here today, especially after Lively shut down the Mets last night. Watch for rain in this one too.

Bargain Pitchers:

Blake Snell ($6,300): You need a tough stomach to play this one. However, the Yankees are only hitting .222 in 45 at bats against Snell. Sanchez has the only two homers, and the Yanks have just four runs to go with 13 strikeouts. That is very good strikeout potential. Now the bad news: Snell is 0-2 with a 5.30 ERA in five career starts in Yankee Stadium.

Top Tier:

Who hasn’t Gary Sanchez hit in his time in the bigs? Sanchez is 3-8 with three walks, a double, two solo homers, and three runs scored off of Blake Snell.

Paul Goldschmidt is 6-20 with four walks, three homers, five runs scored, and five RBI in his career against Alex Wood. Jeff Mathis is worth a look if he starts. Mathis is only 4-16, but he does have a homer and three RBI against Wood. Oh, and Mathis only sets you back $2,300.

Middle Tier:

I’m staying off of Miggy today, who is just 9-38(.237) against Danny Duffy. I’ll go Victor Martinez instead. V-Mart is 15-39(.385) with five walks, two doubles, three homers, five runs scored, and six RBI in his career against Duffy. A Tiger stack may not be off base since Duffy got smacked around in the opener.

Mike Moustakas only has one hit against Daniel Norris in six tries. It is a home run though.

Bargain Shoppers:

Danny Valencia is 8-22(.364) with five walks, two doubles, two homers, three runs scored, and four RBI in his career against Dallas Keuchel. If Valencia is in the lineup, he is worth a shot for just $3,000. Caleb Joseph is 2-8 with a homer and two RBI against Keuchel as well.

If Austin Barnes starts the day game, he is worth a look. Barnes is only 1-4 against Patrick Corbin, but the hit is a solo homer.

Top Tier:

The Astros are once again the expensive ones as they should be. Jose Altuve is 2-3 with a walk, a double, a homer, and three RBI in his career against Dylan Bundy. Correa has only faced Bundy once. He picked up a RBI single in that at bat.

Jose Ramirez is 2-5 with a walk, two runs scored, and three steals already against Tyler Skaggs. There is hidden value here with Ramirez and Francisco Lindor since Skaggs can be run on.

Middle Tier:

Chris Taylor is a little expensive, but he is 3-10 with a double, a triple, two runs scored, and three RBI in his career against Patrick Corbin.

You can stack the Royals middle infield against Daniel Norris. Whit Merrifield is 4-9 with a triple, a homer, a run scored, and two RBI in his career against Norris. Alcides Escobar is 8-16 with a walk, a double, a triple, a homer, four runs scored, and three RBI against Norris.

Bargain Shoppers:

Tim Beckham is off to a slow start, and is just $3,100. We can use that to our advantage. Beckham is 4-7 with a walk, a double, a triple, two runs scored, and a RBI off of Dallas Keuchel.

Jose Iglesias is 7-22(.318) with a walk, a double, a triple, four runs scored, and a RBI in his career against Danny Duffy. If you are stacking Tigers, Iglesias is a solid piece of that and can save you money.

Adeiny Hechavarria has the only home run against Luis Severino for the current Rays squad, and he will only set you back $2,400. Hechavarria is worthy of a flier for this price.

Next: Top Outfield Plays

Top Tier:

You are paying for potential with Aaron Judge. He doesn’t have a hit in five at bats off of Blake Snell, but he has walked five times. Stanton faced Snell once in the Battle or Florida and went 0-3.

A.J. Pollock is 7-16(.438) with two doubles, two homers, a steal, five runs scored, and three RBI in his career against Alex Wood. If you have the money, Pollock may be the best bet of the high priced options.

Nick Castellanos is off to a fast start, and his price reflects that. Castellanos is 8-30 with a double, a triple, a homer, two runs scored, and five RBI in his career against Danny Duffy. Mikie Mahtook is 4-8 with two doubles, a triple, and two run scored for just $3,000.

Yoenis Cespedes is 3-8 with a walk and a solo homer off of Aaron Nola. That is the only run that Nola has given up to the current Mets roster.

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Middle Tier:

Want to know why the Angels’s numbers aren’t so great against Kluber anymore? It’s Justin Upton. Upton is 5-16(.312) with four walks, two doubles, three homers, a steal, four runs scored, and six RBI in his career against Kluber. I prefer Upton over Trout here.

Yasiel Puig is 7-20 with a walk, two doubles, a homer, a steal, two runs scored, and five RBI in his career against Patrick Corbin. Professional lefty killer Enrique Hernandez is also lurking in the Dodger outfield.

Bargain Shoppers:

Alex Gordon is 5-10 with a walk, two doubles, and two RBI in his career against fellow lefty Daniel Norris. Gordon is always a risk since his miserable 2017 season, but he could be a much needed way to save money today.

Colby Rasmus may not be in the starting lineup due to not holding the platoon advantage on Keuchel, but if he is, check him out. Rasmus is 3-6 with two solo homers off of Keuchel in his career.

Brandon Guyer smokes lefties also, this one in particular. Guyer is 4-5 with two homers and five RBI in his career against Tyler Skaggs.

Next: DraftKings Main Slate MLB Picks

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball, along with our PGA picks. We also have plenty of NFL stuff to get you ready for football!

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