The App is Back! Don’t forget to download the NBC Sports EDGE app to receive real-time player news, mobile alerts and track your favorite players. Plus, now you can check out articles and player cards. Get it here!
This article outlines the best daily fantasy MLB plays of the day at every position. We take a comprehensive look to uncover these core recommendations, factoring respective salaries into the analysis.
Please note, these player picks were organized early in the day. For MLB contests, always check lineups and weather closer to game time. Rain, wind, or unexpected managerial decisions could open up additional sources of value. Be sure to keep an eye on the MLB Headlines and Injuries desk.
[[ad:athena]]
PITCHER
Top Play: Jacob deGrom – Mets (vs Cubs)
This is an ace-heavy slate with deGrom and Gerrit Cole headlining the show. We don’t know what if any pitch count deGrom will be working with, but he’s returned value on tonight’s price tag while throwing 63 pitches on May 25, 68 pitches on May 9, and 70 pitches on May 31. In other words, he doesn’t need a long runway to spike a big point total. The Cubs have a league average offense with the seventh-highest strikeout rate (25.6%).
Pivot: Zack Wheeler – Phillies (at Dodgers)
In 13 starts this season, Wheeler has finished seven or more frames nine times. He’s reached double-digit strikeouts in four of his last five starts. The Dodgers are certainly a challenging assignment – that’s what makes this a pivot. He is one of the most effective pitchers in the league.
Also Consider: Gerrit Cole, Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Ian Anderson, Aaron Civale, Anthony DeSclafani, Keegan Akin
Editor’s Note: Dominate daily with our premium DFS Tools that are packed with our lineup optimizer, a salary tracker, projections and much more. And don’t forget to use promo code SAVE10 to get 10% off. Click here to learn more!
CATCHER
Top Play: Carson Kelly – DBacks (vs DeSclafani)
Kelly is showing signs of escaping his post-injury slump. His batted ball profile matches well against DeSclafani. Even so, this is a value play on a day with fairly lousy catcher choices. Kelly doesn’t stand out as especially likely to record multiple hits or dingers.
Pivot: Kyle Higashioka – Yankees (at Ross Stripling)
Cole’s personal catcher hasn’t done much since his torrid April. However, he still rates among the best bets for an out-of-nowhere multi-homer game. Stripling has a modest strikeout rate and can struggle with allowing home runs. This is an all-or-nothing punt.
Also Consider: Buster Posey, J.T. Realmuto, Ryan Jeffers
FIRST BASE
Top Play: Freddie Freeman – Braves (vs Garrett Richards)
Freeman has a bizarre .240 BABIP which is actually an improvement on where it was a few weeks ago. In his 11 seasons as a regular, he’s never posted worse than a .295 BABIP – and that was way back in 2012. Richards is a moderately favorable matchup for multiple hits and power outcomes.
Pivot: Chris Gittens – Yankees (at Stripling)
Gittens has incredible raw power, but he struggles to get to it in games. He verges on passivity which leads him to fall behind in counts. He also has a ground ball-centric batted ball profile. Stripling induces more flies than grounders which could help Gittens generate some lift. He has a little worse than a one-in-five chance to homer. Because so much of his contact is pulled on the ground, he’s very reliant on home runs to power his DFS production.
Also Consider: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Pete Alonso, Yuli Gurriel, Trey Mancini, Brandon Belt, DJ LeMahieu, Christian Walker
SECOND BASE
Top Play: Jose Altuve – Astros (vs Jordan Lyles)
The Astros stack headlines this slate. Altuve is among the top plays for a hit, and he has a one-in-five chance to homer. Lyles is one of the most easily exploited pitchers in the league. The Rangers, knowing they need innings from their starters, sometimes let him self-immolate on the mound. Unfortunately, Altuve is quite expensive so he makes for a poor value even though he has the top projection at the position.
Pivot: Dylan Moore – Mariners (vs Bailey Ober)
Ober is a passable spot starter who averages about four innings an appearance. He consistently works in the strike zone to avoid walks and has just enough swing-and-miss ability to induce over a strikeout per inning. Moore comes with a 30 percent strikeout rate, but he does dynamic things when he puts the ball in play. Dating back to just before his injury, he’s performed well lately - .255/.321/.608 over his last 56 plate appearances. He was similarly hot while on rehab.
Also Consider: Ozzie Albies, DJ LeMahieu, Josh Rojas, Jorge Polanco
THIRD BASE
Top Play: Josh Donaldson – Twins (at Justus Sheffield)
Donaldson isn’t quite the best third baseman in the last, but he is a sharper value than the likes of Alex Bregman and Jose Ramirez. Sheffield is a slightly below average southpaw with a modest home run problem (1.38 HR/9). Donaldson has a one-in-four chance to homer.
Pivot: Alec Bohm – Phillies (at Clayton Kershaw)
Bohm hasn’t delivered an extra base hit in about a month. Otherwise, he’s doing valuable things like making frequent hard, low-angle contact. Kershaw is known to live above right-handed hitters bats, a trait which could help Bohm finally produce some lift. In terms of pivots, this is a deep one.
Also Consider: Jose Ramirez, Alex Bregman, Austin Riley, Kyle Seager, Gio Urshela
SHORTSTOP
Top Play: Gleyber Torres – Yankees (at Stripling)
Despite popping just six home runs over his last 398 plate appearances, Torres is more or less than same hitter who bashed 38 dingers in 2019. If anything, he’s improved his approach. It seems he needs to grow into his more discerning plate discipline and increased contact rate – his soft contact rate is up because he’s putting more borderline pitches into play. Stripling doesn’t do much to limit quality of contact.
Pivot: Brandon Crawford – Giants (vs Merrill Kelly)
The Giants stack probably deserves more than one writeup in this column. Kelly is an exploitable opponent with a career 1.40 HR/9. His vaguely ground ball-centric batted ball profile should increase Crawford’s potential to deliver a home run. He’s a strong play for those chasing an affordable double-dinger.
Also Consider: Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts, Jorge Polanco, Francisco Lindor, Josh Rojas
OUTFIELD
Top Plays: Yordan Alvarez – Astros (vs Lyles)
Aaron Judge – Yankees (at Stripling)
Ronald Acuna – Braves (vs Richards)
A Braves stack featuring Acuna, Freeman, Albies, and Riley figures to be among one of the most productive and least rostered in a slate with several viable stacks. It’ll be a challenge to combine them with the more attractive pitching options. By comparison, the outfield portion of the Astros stack is massively underpriced. All hands on board for cheap power and run production. Judge and Giancarlo Stanton match up incredibly well against Stripling. They both have a better than one-in-three chance to homer.
Pivots: Harold Ramirez – Indians (vs Akin)
Taylor Trammell – Mariners (vs Ober)
Trammell might not be eviscerating Major League pitchers, but he sure did punish Triple-A arms - at a .384/.413/.726 clip. Ober is effectively a Quad-A pitcher so we can expect an uptick in performance from Trammell. As for Ramirez, he’s a competent hitter with a positive matchup and cheap price. Use him as a connecting piece to afford both deGrom and a pricey stack.
Also Consider: Giancarlo Stanton, Kyle Tucker, Michael Brantley, Mike Yastrzemski, Nelson Cruz, J.D. Martinez, DJ Stewart, David Peralta, Dylan Moore, Jake Fraley
