This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Baseball is back! Thursday marks the start of a full 162-game season, which is a welcomed sight after last year's abbreviated campaign. The start of the season also means we get to play DraftKings MLB DFS again.
Let's dive into the matchups and discuss some players to consider adding to your entries...
Pitchers
Since it's Opening Day, teams will be starting their respective aces. That leaves us with a lot of great options to choose from. With that being said, one that stands out is Yu Darvish ($10,400). He's coming off of a monster campaign with the Cubs in which he finished with a 2.23 FIP and a 0.96 WHIP. His strikeout rate checked in at 31.3 percent, which was a slight improvement from his career rate of 29.9 percent. Now a member of the Padres, he'll look to get off to a strong start against a Diamondbacks team that was light on quality hitting options coming into the season, and will now also be without one of their best power hitters in Kole Calhoun (knee).
Working our way down the salary scale, Kyle Hendricks ($7,700) is also an appealing target. He doesn't have nearly the strikeout upside that Darvish does, but he does a great job of keeping men off base, leaving him with a career 1.10 WHIP. His matchup is about as favorable as it gets versus the Pirates, who dealt away Josh Bell, leaving them with an even more lackluster lineup than the one they had last season that finished with the worst OPS (.641) in baseball.
If you're looking to take a chance on a cheap starter in tournament play, then Sandy Alcantara ($6,500) might be worth considering. He'll be facing the Rays at home, so he won't have to deal with the DH. While still not a huge source for strikeouts last season, he did post a 22.7 percent strikeout rate, which was an increase of almost five percentage points compared to the season prior. He also did a better job of keeping men off base, posting a career-best 1.19 WHIP.
Top Targets
The Padres' lineup is going to cause nightmares this season. Among the players who should cause pitchers considerable concern is Fernando Tatis Jr. ($5,700), who has a 150 wRC+ in his brief career. He has the potential to start things off on a high note facing Madison Bumgarner ($7,100), who allowed 2.81 HR/9 during his first season with the Diamondbacks. That contributed to him finishing with a 6.48 ERA that was backed by an even more unsightly 7.18 FIP.
Staying in that same game, Manny Machado ($5,700) is also a top target. He's always been a tough player to strike out, which has resulted in a career 16.7 percent strikeout rate. His first full season with the Padres in 2019 was a disappointment in terms of his batting average, but he bounced back to hit .304 in 2020, leaving him with a .391 wOBA. He also crushed left-handed pitching by recording a .250 ISO and a .400 wOBA against them.
Bargain Bats
The Orioles will receive a boost to their lineup with the return of Trey Mancini ($3,900), who missed all of 2020 following surgery to remove a tumor. He had been their best hitter, recording 35 home runs and 97 RBI in 2019. He's healthy now and should immediately jump back into the top part of their batting order. A matchup against Nathan Eovaldi ($6,300) awaits, but it's not a concern that he doesn't have a platoon advantage since he actually has a higher career wOBA against right-handed pitchers (.350) than he does lefties (.336).
Facing Max Fried ($7,500) is not ideal. However, with so many aces on the mound, a lot of hitters have bad matchups for this slate. Given his cheap salary, Alec Bohm ($3,100) should at least be on your radar. He hit well throughout the minors and made a mark during his debut in 2020, posting a .381 wOBA across 180 plate appearances in the big leagues. He did a good job of making contact given his 20 percent strikeout rate, as well.
Stacks to Consider
Red Sox vs. John Means ($6,000), Orioles: Xander Bogaerts ($5,400), J.D. Martinez ($4,300), Bobby Dalbec ($4,000)
Means couldn't follow up his strong 2019 campaign, finishing 2020 with a 4.53 ERA and a 5.60 FIP. He was done in by the long ball, allowing 2.5 HR/9. Bogaerts and Martinez are two of the Red Sox's top hitters to target, and Means' propensity for giving up home runs last season also makes Dalbec an intriguing option. He has shown plenty of power coming up through the minors and he mashed in 92 plate appearances with the Red Sox last season, finishing with a .338 ISO.
Dodgers vs. German Marquez ($6,800), Rockies: Mookie Betts ($5,900), Corey Seager ($5,600), Gavin Lux ($3,800)
Stacking hitters at Coors Field is usually appealing, but it's even more so for this slate. Not only are there loads of aces set to take the mound, but there will also be a few games dealing with cold weather, which could make for bad hitting environments. While Marquez is no pushover, his home ball park doesn't do him any favors. Betts is the key player to build any Dodgers' stack around after he finished with a 149 wRC+ and a .269 ISO in 2020. Seager also had a monster campaign, which included a 166 wRC+ versus righties.
Royals vs. Kyle Gibson ($5,300), Rangers: Whit Merrifield ($5,200), Andrew Benintendi ($4,000), Carlos Santana ($3,600)
Gibson's first season with the Rangers did not go well. His 5.35 ERA was supported by an equally-poor 5.39 FIP and he allowed a career-high 1.6 HR/9. He's historically had more problems slowing down left-handed hitters, allowing a .340 wOBA to them for his career, as opposed to a .318 wOBA to righties. That makes Benintendi and Santana viable options to target for a Royals stack. Despite not having the platoon advantage, Merrifield should be the anchor of any Royals' stack after another productive campaign in 2020 in which he batted .282 with nine home runs, 30 RBI, 38 runs scored and 12 stolen bases.
