This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
My last article went well outside of one dud, but that one irks me. I actually had Hunter Brown as one of my pitcher recommendations and he went on to have one of the worst starts all season. That can happen when you recommend volatile pitchers, but we have some safer options today. With that in mind, let's get started with my pick for NL Cy Young!
Pitching
Tyler Glasnow, LAD vs. WAS ($11,000)
The Dodgers always make major splashes in the offseason, and getting Glasnow seemed to be a neglected acquisition. One reason people overlook Glasnow is because he has trouble staying on the field, but he's an ace whenever he's healthy. That was crystal clear when he struck out 14 batters across seven scoreless innings in his most recent outing. A gem like that is less surprising when looking at his statistics, posting a 3.02 ERA and 0.99 WHIP since 2019. All of that makes him tough to fade against a woeful Washington offense, ranked 23rd in wOBA and 25th in runs scored. That's why Glasnow is the biggest favorite of the season, entering this game as a -375 favorite!
Sonny Gray, STL at OAK ($8,500)
Gray made his name in Oakland and you know he wants to show out in front of the 147 fans that will be there. Gray generated a 2.88 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in his first three seasons with the A's and has a 2.86 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over the last three years. Those averages are strikingly similar, which is sensational since Sonny threw five scoreless innings in his St. Louis debut last week. Our favorite part about this is the matchup with Oakland, ranked 28th in wOBA, 29th in runs scored and last in K rate. All of that has Gray coming into this matchup as a -180 favorite!
Top Targets
Mookie Betts, LAD (vs. Parker) $6,400
Mookie is always one of the best options on the board but he's impossible to avoid in a matchup like this. We'll get into Parker's numbers later on, but it also gives Betts the platoon advantage from the right side. Mookie has a .402 OBP, .633 SLG and 1.035 OPS against lefties over the last three years! That's terrifying for Parker when looking at Mookie's early-season stats, sporting a 1.200 OPS through the opening 17 games.
Pete Alonso, NYM (vs. Perez) $5,300
The Polar Bear goes on these home run barrages every year, and he's in the middle of one right now. He's got four homers over his last five fixtures, posting an OBP above .600 in that span. That's beyond scorching hot, and we definitely want to take advantage of that since he faces a subpar southpaw here. Alonso has a 1.298 OPS against lefties this year, while Martin Perez has a 4.40 ERA and 1.44 WHIP throughout his 12-year career!
Bargain Bats
Joc Pederson, ARI (vs. Brown) $3,900
It's hard to believe that Joc Jams is sitting below $4,000. This guy has always been a beast against right-handers, registering a .359 OBP, .485 SLG and .844 OPS against them over the last three years. That's right on par with his career splits, and it always has Pederson batting in the heart of this Arizona lineup. A matchup with Ben Brown is far from concerning, with the Cubs righty posting a 5.33 ERA and 1.54 WHIP at Triple-A last season and a 6.10 ERA and 1.45 WHIP so far that year.
Gavin Sheets, CWS (vs. Lugo) $3,300
To say this White Sox lineup is shorthanded would be an understatement, playing without Luis Robert, Yoan Moncada and Eloy Jimenez. That has crushed this offense, but it's forced Sheets into an everyday role as their three-hole and cleanup hitter. That alone is promising from such an affordable player, especially since he has a .457 OBP, .690 SLG and 1.147 OPS against right-handers this year.
Rowdy Tellez, PIT (vs. Houser) $3,200
Here we are with another platoon player! Tellez has always killed right-handers, totaling a .436 OBP and .860 OPS against them this season. That OPS isn't far off of his career average, and we love it since Pittsburgh bats him between fourth and sixth in these circumstances. Getting to face Adrian Houser is the icing on the cake, with Houser accruing a 4.46 ERA and 1.43 WHIP over the last three years.
Stacks to Consider
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Washington Nationals (Mitchell Parker): Mookie Betts ($6,400), Freddie Freeman ($5,800), Teoscar Hernandez ($4,900)
We initially had this LA stack against Patrick Corbin, but switching to Parker doesn't sway us away from them. This is simply the best lineup in baseball and they shouldn't have any problems exploiting this rookie in his MLB debut. He had a 4.28 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in 113.2 innings at Double-A last year and has tallied a 7.53 ERA and 1.67 WHIP in four starts at Triple-A since then. That makes the call-up hard to understand, but it has the Dodgers as the highest-projected lineup on this share!
We already discussed why we want to use Betts because he's going to be the tablesetter atop this lineup. We prefer Freeman to Shohei Ohtani because Freeman has been just as good against lefties as righties throughout his career. In fact, Freddie had a 1.008 OPS against left-handers last year! Hernandez is undoubtedly the best value of the bunch, homering in five of 18 games this year en route to a .275 AVG and .869 OPS. He's also got a .892 OPS against southpaws since 2022 and should get plenty of RBI opportunities behind all of these MVP candidates.
Atlanta at Houston Astros (Spencer Arrighetti): Ronald Acuna ($6,500), Matt Olson ($6,000), Michael Harris ($4,700)
We hate to recommend teams like LA and Atlanta, but both are tough to fade on this slate. They are easily the two best lineups in baseball, and both clubs have unbelievable matchups. ATL gets a matchup with Arrighetti, who allowed seven runs to the Royals in his debut last week. Surrendering 10 baserunners across three innings is embarrassing, but it's not a shocker when you see his 4.35 ERA and 1.37 WHIP at Triple-A.
We could use almost any offense against a guy like Arrighetti, but Atlanta is amazing. Acuna doesn't need much explanation because he was the leading scorer in fantasy last season. He'll hit atop this lineup while Olson should be in his typical cleanup spot. Olson has a .384 OBP, .604 SLG and .991 OPS since the start of last year, with even better averages against right-handers (1.058 OPS). Harris is the only affordable player, providing a .309 AVG, .532 SLG and .882 OPS against righties since his call-up.
