Early DraftKings MLB Picks May 1: The Beeks Squad

SEATTLE, WA – JUNE 23: Starter Felix Hernandez #34 of the Seattle Mariners delivers a pitch in front of the “King’s Court” fan section hold up “K” signs during the fourth inning of a game against the Houston Astros at Safeco Field on June 23, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /

Early DraftKings MLB Picks May 1: The Beeks Squad

We have a split slate again today on getaway day for our DraftKings MLB tournaments. Let’s try and break this thing down as best as possible. Both games that were postponed yesterday turns what would have been a three game early slate into a five gamer.

However, DraftKings left the second game of both twin bills out of the main slate, so it takes that from 11 down to nine games. The bad part about that is that the Rays are starting Snellzilla in the second game, so he’s off the slate again. Seattle and the Cubs, whose first pitch is at 6:40 eastern, and told to take a hike and are on their own for showdown mode.

DraftKings MLB Early Pitcher Plays:

Top Tier:

Masahiro Tanaka ($9,700): Tanaka is the afternoon ace. That’s where we stand today. Tanaka has been good, but nowhere near as good as the price suggests, especially on the road. There is enough value on this slate to pay for Tanaka if you like, but there is one guy in the Arizona lineup that has torched him for years. That really just means he only has one guy to avoid, right?

Carlos Rodon ($9,400): If you are looking for the best strikeout upside of the slate, you have it in Rodon. He has struck out 40 batters in 34 innings. The good news ends there. Rodon’s home splits have not been in his favor anyway, but he has been throttled at home in two starts this year. Rodon has given up 12 runs in just 7.2 innings to Detroit and Tampa. Detroit was the team that really hammered him. You know what they have in common with Baltimore? Both lineups are very heavy on the right handed hitters. There’s a ton of risk here.

Middle Tier:

Jameson Taillon ($8,500): Taillon hasn’t given up a homer in his last four starts, but the good news ends there. He has surrendered 15 runs over those starts, but a staggering six of those were unearned. The pitching is a little think this afternoon, so Taillon makes the cut because he’s a ground ball pitcher with decent strikeout upside. There is also the added perk that he could wind up with a complete game bonus if he makes it through six innings.

Jake Junis ($7,800): Junis held the Rays to just one run on four hits in Tampa last week en route to 21.1 DraftKings points. That was easily his best start of the year, so maybe Junis is on track after the rough start to the season. The current Rays are now hitting just .213 against Junis in 47 at bats with two runs and 13 strikeouts. He looks like a guy I want in my lineup today.

Merrill Kelly ($7,400): I think I would rather chase this side of it. Tanaka was knocked around by the Angels in his last start. The only thing Tanaka really offers is the strikeout upside. Actually, Kelly isn’t that far behind. He has fanned 27 batters in 29.2 innings pitched. Kelly’s ERA is also nearly a run lower at home. The Yankees offense still has some good pieces in it, but it’s nowhere near as potent as it could be. Kelly is actually a very solid option today, especially when you consider the price.

Bargain Pitchers:

Jalen Beeks ($5,900): Beeks has been mostly hit and miss out of the bullpen for the Rays this year, but he was all hit against the Royals. He held them to just two hits in 4.2 innings while striking out seven. Only two balls were hit in the air! That kind of dominant outing is what we are looking for. Beeks is a great option if you can get what you want without having to resort to Hess.

David Hess ($4,500): Pickings are slim at pitcher, but that’s still no reason for this price tag. Even on a truncated slate, 53 hitters are priced at or higher than this, including seven players on the injured list. So yes, the pricing on Hess is a bit ridiculous, and the definition of a punt spot. Hess put up 5.1 DraftKings points against the White Sox in Baltimore, which is slightly more than a single. If you are stacking bats though, Hess still allows you to take any other players you want. Don’t overlook that advantage.

My picks: Kelly, Beeks, Red Sox stack; Beeks, Hess, every hitter known to man

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – APRIL 05: Adam Jones #10 of the Arizona Diamondbacks bats against the Boston Red Sox during the MLB game at Chase Field on April 05, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB Early Notes:

To say Mike Fiers has been bad against the Red Sox is a bit unfair. He’s been bad against J.D. Martinez though. Martinez is 8-17(.471) with two homers off of Fiers. Fiers had only made one start in Fenway, and he made it just four innings. Righties hit far more homers off of Fiers, so if you’re power hunting it makes sense to use Martinez and Mookie. Lefties aren’t a bad play and a full on stack is very expensive. I think I’m just sticking to the two main righties and maybe Xander.

More from FanSided

As you may have guessed, the Snake that has tormented Tanaka is none other than Adam Jones. Jones was a bit of a dud last night, but I don’t mind going back to the well here with Tanaka’s road troubles. Jones is 12-32(.375) with three homers and seven RBI against Tanaka. Sign me up!

Khris Davis and Chad Pinder have both homered off of Hector Velazquez in the past. Velazquez is off to a good start this year, and is actually 6-3 with a 2.41 career ERA in 31 games (six starts) at Fenway. I wouldn’t go after Velazquez too heavily, but his career splits favor right handed bats and left handed power. It may not be a bad idea to mix in a little Kendrys Morales.

Jameson Taillon has struggled against lefties more in his career, but not so far this year. Righties are hitting .267 with both homers to just a .207 average against lefties. I’m not saying that Gallo and Choo aren’t really good plays. I’m just saying that Elvis Andrus and Hunter Pence probably belong in the conversation with them today.

This is another primo spot for Pirates bats, and the price reflects that. That’s why I’m a little hesitant to pay up. The Pirates offense hasn’t been great and Miller hasn’t been as bad lately. Still, there are values to be found here. I’m a big fan of Elias Diaz this afternoon. Same with Cole Tucker and Melky Cabrera. You could probably convince me to pay up a little for Starling Marte as well. I think I’m rolling with mostly cheap Pirates today though.

Rodon has handled this incarnation of the Baltimore lineup, holding them to just three hits and no runs last year. You can chase Rodon’s home struggles and righty splits with Jonathan Villar and Trey Mancini if you want, but I don’t know that I would go any deeper than that.

James McCann homered against Hess last week, and he should be in the lineup for one of the games today. Let’s hope it’s this one. Yolmer Sanchez has also taken him deep before. I don’t have an issue with running Tim Anderson or Yonder out there, but not if you wind up playing Hess. You can use one or two against him because he’s going to give up runs, but stacking against your own pitcher seems counterproductive.

I’m not sure I want anyone in the first game of the Rays-Royals double dip. Beeks dominated the Royals in long relief in Tampa last week, and junis shut down the Rays on the other side. There are better places to attack today that this. There aren’t even any value plays that really stank out with the possible exception of Ryan O’Hearn.

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