DraftKings Early MLB Picks April 18: Is Hamels worth five figures?

CHICAGO, IL – APRIL 05: A fan of the Chicago Cubs is bundled up against the cold wind off of lake Michigan for the opening day game between the Cubs and Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field on April 5, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Early MLB Picks April 18: Is Hamels worth five figures?

Two teams get the day off, and the Rockies-Pirates tilt starts at 12:35 Eastern, so DraftKings chopped that off the early slate. We still have six games this afternoon, but there isn’t much for star power among pitchers. That means plenty of money to spend on hitters, and plenty of stack options. Let’s check those out!

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We didn’t lose any games to weather yesterday, but weather could play a part today. There is a stiff breeze blowing in at Wrigley, and a high chance of rain. There is rain in Milwaukee too, but the roof will be closed. The rest of the games are in the clear.

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

BALTIMORE, MD – APRIL 9: Starting pitcher J.A. Happ #33 of the Toronto Blue Jays throws to a Baltimore Orioles batter in the third inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 9, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Cole Hamels ($10,300): Hamels is the highest price pitcher on the early slate despite poor numbers against the current Rays lineup. The Rays are hitting .268 with two homers and 13 runs in 138 at bats against Hamels with only 27 strikeouts. That said, former Ray Matt Moore shut this offense down and racked up six strikeouts in seven innings. No offense to Moore, but Hamels is far more talented. There is huge potential here.

J.A. Happ ($9,600): There is dominance, and then there is Happ against the Royals. The Royals are only hitting .121 in 58 at bats with just two runs and 14 strikeouts. Add in the fact that Happ has a 3.31 ERA in 57 career starts at Rogers Centre, and you have the recipe for a pitcher’s duel to close out the early slate.

Jon Lester ($9,400): Lester’s career numbers against the Cardinals aren’t great, but they are good and the wind is blowing in assuming the game is even played. The Cardinals are hitting .245 with six homers and 16 runs in 151 at bats with 37 strikeouts. Those are rather pedestrian numbers, but pitching is pretty weak on the early slate. The conditions in this game are not conducive to big offensive games either.

Middle Tier:

Andrew Triggs ($8,500): Interestingly enough, Triggs has faced the Cubs, but not the White Sox. The Sox bats have been quiet on the left coast, and Triggs is off to a fast start this year. Triggs has yet to last six innings in a start this year, but he has also not allowed more than two runs. He is not a high strikeout guy, but the 2.87 ERA and 1.21 WHIP look good, especially against a suddenly struggling offense. The Sox have just three runs in two games against Oakland.

Ian Kennedy ($7,600): Kennedy has held the Blue Jays to a .233 average in 43 at bats with just one homer and two runs to go with 12 strikeouts. Kennedy has allowed just two earned runs in three starts so far this year. He started fast last year as well. Kennedy has a 3.93 ERA in April over his career, his second lowest month. Oh, and he has a 2.50 ERA in three career starts at Rogers Centre.

Bargain Pitchers:

Zach Davies ($6,700): The Reds have managed to make some noise against Davies, hitting .280 off of him, but it’s mostly been harmless. The Reds only have three homers and ten runs in 100 at bats with 15 strikeouts. There is decent potential here, especially at home against the struggling Tyler Mahle.

Kevin Gausman ($6,400): I’m not usually a big advocate of Gausman, but it’s hard to ignore these numbers. The current Tigers are hitting just .121 in 58 at bats with only one homer, four runs, and 12 strikeouts. We know that Gausman doesn’t have huge strikeout potential, but if he records outs at that pace, he is going to have a nice afternoon. When you add in the pitcher he is facing and the park he is at, Gausman makes a fantastic SP2 today. Gausman’s one career start at Comerica Park was a quality start. Expect the same today.

ST LOUIS, MO – APRIL 11: Eric Thames #7 of the Milwaukee Brewers reacts after striking out during the eighth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on April 11, 2018 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Jeff Curry/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Joey Votto is off to a slow start, but he is 8-21(.381) with two walks, a homer, two runs scored, and two RBI in his career against Zach Davies.

Kris Bryant is 2-4 with a solo homer and two runs scored in his career against Luke Weaver.

Middle Tier:

All Brewer lefties are in play at home against Tyler Mahle today. This stack should start with, but not be limited to, Eric Thames and Travis Shaw. Also of note is the fact that Thames decimates the Reds. He has 11 home runs against the Reds in just 18 games (16 starts).

Jose Martinez is 2-5 with two RBI in his career against Jon Lester. Jedd Gyorko is back, and he is 6-19(.316) with two walks and two solo homers in his career against Lester. If Yadier Molina is in the lineup, he is worth a look too. Molina is 12-35(.343) with three walks, three doubles, a homer, a steal, two runs scored, and five RBI off of Lester.

I stacked A’s yesterday, and am strongly considering doing it again Carson Fulmer hasn’t been bad, but he has still given up plenty of runs. Matt Olson and Matt Chapman are definitely in play tonight.

Bargain Shoppers:

Ronald Guzman had a nice day yesterday, and so did Adrian Beltre. Both of them are good anchors for a Rangers stack against Jake Faria, and come really cheap.

Danny Valencia comes really cheap. He has only faced Matt Boyd twice, but one of those resulted in a solo homer. Chris Davis is also cheap, and is 1-4 with three walks, a double, two runs, and a RBI against Boyd.

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 07: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles follows through on a third inning two run double against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on April 7, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Manny Machado is 2-4 with a double, a run scored, and two RBI against Matt Boyd so far. Expect more of the same today. Tim Beckham is 1-4 with a double, but comes much cheaper.

Middle Tier:

The Cubs have not been kind to Luke Weaver, and their middle infielders are mostly to blame. Addison Russell is 2-3 with a walk, a double, a homer, two runs scored, and five RBI in his career against Weaver. Javier Baez is 2-4 with a homer and three RBI in his career against Weaver. Keep in mind that the wind is blowing in at Wrigley though.

Paul DeJong is only 2-8 against Jon Lester, but he does have a solo homer off of him.

Jed Lowrie and Chad Pinder are also worth a look against Carson Fulmer. However, there are enough other options here that you may not have to go that cheap.

Bargain Shoppers:

I really like Orlando Arcia leading off against Tyler Mahle and the Reds. I don’t care that he is struggling right now, there is potential here.

Jose Peraza will only set you back $3,100, but he is 4-12 with a homer and three RBI in his career against Zach Davies.

Jake Faria has never faced the Rangers, but judging by how much he has struggled and what the Rangers did yesterday, I’m all over Isaiah Kiner-Falefa. He had four hits yesterday!

Next: Top Outfield Plays

OAKLAND, CA – MARCH 29: Khris Davis #2 of the Oakland Athletics bats against the Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on March 29, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

The price is up on Nick Castellanos today thanks to his opponent. He is only 2-8 against Kevin Gausman, but he has a walk, a homer, and two RBI.

Tommy Pham is only 3-14(.214) against Lester, but he has four walks, a homer, two steals, three runs scored, and two RBI. Marcell Ozuna is 3-8 with a walk, a double, a solo homer, a steal, and two runs scored against Lester.

I’m definitely on Khris Davis for the power potential and Matt Joyce for his ability to hit righties and get on base. The A’s could have a nice offensive night once again.

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Middle Tier:

Christian Yelich is fresh off the DL, and is worth a look against Tyler Mahle. Lorenzo Cain could be as well even though he is right handed.

I’m not sure how Adam Jones is cheaper than Castellanos, but I’ll take it. Jones is 3-4 with two doubles, two runs, and a walk against Boyd. Craig Gentry is super cheap, and is 1-2 with a steal and a run scored off of Boyd.

Adam Duvall is really struggling right now, but a familiar face like Zach Davies may help. Duvall is 7-22(.318) with a double, a homer, two runs scored, and four RBI against Davies.

Curtis Granderson is 6-14(.429) with three walks, a double, a homer, two runs scored, and three RBI in his career against Ian Kennedy. I don’t really trust any of the other Blue Jays enough to roll them out there against the red hot Kennedy.

Bargain Shoppers:

Nomar Mazara and Shin-Soo Choo priced in this tier against Jake Faria borders on criminal negligence on the part of DraftKings, and larceny on the part of those of us who use them.

Next: MLB DFS Picks and Pivots

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball, along with our PGA picks. Still in NBA mode? No worries, we have the NBA DFS covered for the playoffs as well!