This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
There are 12 games starting at 7:00 p.m. EDT or later on Friday…at least as of right now. Due to postponements potentially arising, it's possible the schedule could change. There are also questions about starting pitchers based on rescheduling etc. It's tricky to make these recommendations right now, but I have picks for you nevertheless.
PITCHING
Dustin May ($9,1000) is the obvious pick to me for starters. He's shown why he was considered an elite pitching prospect, as he has a 2.79 ERA through six starts. Meanwhile, you could make the argument that the Rangers have the worst offensive in the majors. I mean, right now they have a .337 slugging percentage. That would be a barely passable on-base percentage.
Corbin Burnes' name reminds me of Corbin Bernsen, who played a baseball player in Major League. I trust Burnes more on the mound, though. He's got a 2.96 FIP and has remained an elite strikeout pitcher, fanning 12.30 hitters per nine innings. If anybody's offense is worse than Texas', it's Pittsburgh's. In his last start, against the Pirates, he fanned seven in 5.1 innings.
Kyle Hendricks' ($9,200) fastball won't wow you, and neither will his strikeout rate, but he still gets it done. To start the year he has a 3.36 FIP in line with his career 3.47 FIP. You don't have to worry about too much contact from the Reds. They have the lowest batting average in the majors.
TOP PICKS
Starling Marte ($4,800) has had more than 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in each of his last two seasons. In his first season with the Diamondbacks, the former Pirate is hitting .318, and while the power isn't there yet, he has five stolen bases. Tyler Anderson had a 3.45 ERA (4.71 FIP), but he's got an extreme home/road split. At home, Anderson has a 0.61 ERA. On the road, though, his ERA is 5.94, and this game is taking place in Arizona.
Mike Yastrzemski ($5,400) is hitting like Carl Yastrzemski this season. He's slashed .293/.410/.612 through 31 games. That's even with playing his home games in San Francisco. Friday's he in Arizona, where all that heat helps the ball travel. Yaz is also likely to face Luke Weaver on the mound, and he's allowed 2.96 homers per nine innings.
VALUE PLAYS
Willy Adames ($3,200) didn't get on base as well last season as he did in his rookie campaign of 2018, but he hit 20 homers, so he still brought fantasy value. This year, he's hitting at a career-best level, as the 24-year-old has a .374 OBP and a .521 slugging percentage. Adames is facing Miami's rookie pitcher Sixto Sanchez, who allowed two home runs in five innings against Washington in his first career start.
Hunter Dozier's ($4,000) batting average has dropped from his 2019 .279 average, but his OBP has jumped up to .387, which has more than balanced things out. His power has dropped a bit, but he had 26 homers in 139 games last year. The outfielder is scheduled to take on Reynaldo Lopez of the White Sox. Even if you chalk Lopez' 13.50 ERA to a small sample size, he had a 5.03 FIP in 2019.
STACKS
Rockies vs. Zach Davies: Charlie Blackmon ($5,800), Trevor Story ($5,700), Daniel Murphy ($4,200)
Davies has a respectable 3.03 ERA, but he's taking advantage of the friendly confines of Petco Park. While he has a 1.32 ERA at home, his road ERA is 4.09. Now he's pitching at Coors Field. It turns out Blackmon isn't likely to hit .400, but he has a 1.063 OPS at home since 2018. Story has had more than 30 homers and over 20 stolen bases in each of his last two seasons, and he has nine homers and eight stolen bases so far in 2020. Murphy has been struggling against his fellow lefties, and on the road, but at home against a righty like Davies he should be just fine.
Angels vs. Nick Margevicius: Mike Trout ($6,100), Anthony Rendon ($5,300), David Fletcher ($4,800)
Margevicius had a 5.62 FIP for the Padres in 2019. This year, he may have a 4.42 FIP, which isn't good, and that's with not starting three of his six outings. Margevicius also has given up 1.88 home runs per nine innings in his career. Is Trout putting up the kind of numbers we expect in 2020? No, but this is the man with the career .997 OPS who's the best player in baseball. I have no worries. Rendon, meanwhile, has been exactly what was hoped for, as he's slashed .316/.442/.541 in the first year of his big new contract. Fletcher didn't show a lot of power last year, but he had a .290 average, and this year his average is up to .321.
Brewers vs. Derek Holland: Keston Hiura ($5,100), Orlando Arcia ($2,500), Manny Pina ($4,500)
This is like a value stack in a way. You can stack Brewers and still have plenty of salary left over. As you may have noticed, I didn't include Christian Yelich. He's been struggling, and he's a lefty like Holland, so I figured I'd skip on Yelich today. That being said, Holland is on pace to have an ERA over 6.00 for the third time in four seasons. He's allowed a .271 batting average to righties since 2018. That's why I have three righties who provide upside as my stack options.
Hiura usually serves as Milwaukee's designated hitter, which makes sense given he had a .938 OPS with 19 homers in 84 games last year. He already has seven home runs and three stolen bases this season. Arcia hit 15 homers with eight stolen bases last season, and he has a .250 batting average in 2020, which is good for him. Finally, I have a catcher recommendation in Pina. He had a slugging percentage over .400 last season, and the same is true to start this season. For a catcher, that's noteworthy.
