This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
The first slate of April already bears some resemblance to a midseason MLB DFS slate. As it's the sixth day of the season, some teams have already rolled their rotations over to their aces, while many are using their fifth starter. That offers a more typical spread of good and bad pitching matchups than we've seen up to this point this season.
Pitching
Logan Gilbert, SEA vs. DET ($10,600)
Gilbert is the most expensive pitcher on a slate which includes a pair of Cy Young winners in Chris Sale and Corbin Burnes, but for good reason. While those two have to face two of the league's best lineups in the Dodgers and Yankees, Gilbert gets to face a Tigers lineup which finished a mere 21st in team wRC+ last season. More importantly, he gets to face them at T-Mobile Park, a venue which decreases scoring far more than any other park in the league. It's no coincidence that GIlbert's strikeout and walk rates are both two points better at home than on the road for his career.
Shane Smith, CWS vs. MIN ($6,300)
Smith is the cheapest pitcher on the slate for his MLB debut, and he's also one of the best values available according to our FanDuel MLB Lineup Optimizer. A Rule 5 pick out of the Brewers' organization, Smith struck out 29.6 percent of opposing batters in the upper minors last season while walking 7.6 percent, leading to a 3.05 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. While his control had been shakier in previous seasons, he's always had plenty of strikeouts. That gives him a respectable floor Tuesday especially when paired with the cold weather in Chicago, which should help him keep runs off the board.
Top Targets
Kyle Tucker, CHC @ ATH ($4,200)
It's far too early to say just how hitter-friendly the Athletics' temporary home in Sacramento will play, but the Cubs' managed 18 runs there yesterday, which suggests it won't be particularly hard to score there. Of course, it might not be hard to score against the Oakland pitching staff at most parks, and Tucker hardly needs a park-factor boost to be worth adding to your lineup. He'll get the platoon advantage against Luis Severino, who threw six shutout innings in his season debut but hardly looked to be at his best, working around four walks.
Corbin Carroll, ARI @ NYY ($3,700)
Carroll is a strong choice even when he doesn't get the "left-handed hitter at Yankee Stadium" boost, so he's an even stronger choice today. He'll also get the platoon advantage against Will Warren, an interesting fantasy sleeper but far from a proven option, having struggled to a 10.32 ERA and 1.90 WHIP in his 22.2-inning debut last year. Warren's reliance on a sweeper means he's prone to larger platoon splits, which should benefit Carroll and the rest of Arizona's lefties.
Bargain Bats
Jack Suwinski, PIT @ TB ($2,500)
It doesn't take much for a $2,500 leadoff man to be interesting, especially a lefty who gets to play at Steinbrenner Field, a clone of Yankee Stadium. Suwinski seemed to break out with 26 homers, 13 steals and a .793 OPS in 2023, but he found his way back in the minors last year after struggling to a .588 OPS. He has a role again this season after posting a 1.022 OPS in spring, and while he has just two hits in 11 at-bats, his 3:2 K:BB indicates he's seeing the ball well in the very early going. He'll get the platoon advantage against Shane Baz, whose 3.06 ERA last year came with a 4.33 SIERA.
Nick Maton, CWS vs. MIN ($2,100)
If you like cheap leadoff men, here's an even cheaper one. Maton hasn't found much success to this point in his big-league career, slashing .205/.304/.361 in 522 trips to the plate split across five seasons, but he had a strong .834 OPS at Triple-A last year and simply couldn't find his way back to the big leagues in a crowded Orioles organization. He'll get the platoon advantage Tuesday against Simeon Woods Richardson, who had a 4.17 ERA and 4.51 SIERA last season.
Best Stack
Cardinals vs. Kyle Hendricks: Lars Nootbaar ($3,300), Brendan Donovan ($2,900), Alec Burleson ($2,800)
I'm happy for the 35-year-old Hendricks that he managed to find a major-league contract, and I'm happy for us that we get to stack against him. While he's always been a soft-tosser, he actually struck out an above-average number of batters at his peak and had a career 20.8 percent strikeout rate through 2020, his age-30 season. That dipped to 16.9 percent over the next three years and then 15.3 percent last season. Unsurprisingly, his ERA jumped all the way to 5.92. The stack I've gone with here includes the Cardinals' first three hitters in the lineup, all of whom will get the platoon advantage against the veteran righty.
