This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
I'm excited about this slate. Monday tends to be a travel day for most teams, but we have 22 teams in action. That's about as big as it gets on a Monday, but a few of them are before the main slate. There are still nine games making up the main card and plenty of great pitchers, so let's start there!
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Pitching
Michael King, SD vs. LAA ($9,500)
King was a key piece to the Juan Soto trade nearly two years ago, and it looks like San Diego got a steal. The Padres decided to make King a starter, with the righty collecting a 2.80 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 2024. He's been even better this season, providing a 1.71 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 9.6 K/9 rate since the opener. King's splits are even more stupendous at home, which is amazing since the Angels rank 24th in runs scored, 25th in OPS, 26th in wOBA and 29th in K rate. That's why King is a -220 favorite in this game.
Tyler Mahle, TEX vs. COL ($9,200)
Mahle was a talented, oft-injured pitcher during his time with Cincy, but something has clicked this season. The righty hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of his eight starts, maintaining a 1.48 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. We don't expect him to preserve those absurd averages, but they're unlikely to go up against a team like Colorado. The Rockies rank last in runs scored, xwOBA, and K rate, with Mahle entering this matchup as a -290 favorite.
Colin Rea, CHC vs. MIA ($6,800)
Rea has been an underrated pitcher all season, and he should cruise in a matchup like this. Let's start there because Miami is either 28th or 29th in runs scored, OBP, OPS and xwOBA since the start of last season. Meanwhile, Rea is registering a 2.43 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in a breakout season. It's difficult to find that from such an affordable player, especially since Rea enters this magical matchup as a -250 favorite.
Top Targets
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Pete Crow-Armstrong, CHC ($4,900) vs. Cal Quantrill
PCA was considered a glove-first player when he was called up, but he's proving all of the doubters wrong. Crow-Armstrong has a hit in 19 of his last 24 fixtures, generating a .311 AVG and 1.092 OPS in that span. That's why Chicago has moved him up to the leadoff spot, and he's flirting with a .900 OPS against righties this season. It's hard to understand why PCA is still below $5K with all of that in his favor, and we'll talk about this fantastic matchup further in the Stacks To Consider section.
Paul Goldschmidt, NYY ($4,100) vs. Emerson Hancock
Goldy is at the back end of his career, but the seven-time All-Star might be on his way to an eighth nod if he continues to play like this. He's revived his career hitting behind Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger, posting a .349 AVG and .889 OPS this season. That's the form that made Goldschmidt a $5K player in the past, and it looks even better since has has an OPS above 1.050 on the road this season. The Hancock matchup couldn't be sounder, and we'll dive into that later.
Bargain Bats
Vinnie Pasquantino, KC ($3,300) vs. Ryan Gusto
Pasquantino has earned this dirt-cheap salary with his poor form, but the power hitter is starting to turn things around. The first baseman has scored double-digit DK points in six of his last 11 outings, providing a .333 AVG and .909 OPS in that span. His hard-hit metrics have always backed that sort of profile, and we have to assume this is the start of a hot run. We're not worried about the matchup with Gusto either, who amassed a 4.42 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in the minors while throwing just 27.2 innings in the majors. Bobby Witt ($6,100) and Maikel Garcia ($4,500) are solid pairings with Vinnie P.
Joc Pederson, TEX ($2,600) vs. Chase Dollander
There's no question that Pederson should be this cheap, but seeing anyone with this sort of potential at $2,600 is worthy of a punt play. He had an average below .100 through his first 30 games but has a .625 OBP and 1.534 OPS in five games since then. That resurgence was inevitable because we're talking about a guy who had a .392 OBP and .923 OPS against righties last year. Joc always bats third against righties, and we definitely want to use him against a Rockies rookie with a 7.71 ERA and 1.64 WHIP. With how cheap Pederson is, Corey Seager ($5,100) and Adolis Garcia ($4,000) are easy to squeeze into your lineup if you want to stack Rangers.
Stacks to Consider
Chicago Cubs vs. Miami Marlins (Quantrill): Kyle Tucker ($6,300), Seiya Suzuki ($5,600) and Crow-Armstrong ($4,900)
I didn't think much of Chicago's lineup coming into the season, but they've completely changed my mind. The Cubs ranks seventh in OBP and first in runs scored. That's beneficial against a gas can like Quantrill, compiling a 7.11 ERA and 1.67 WHIP this year. He's also got a 5.31 ERA and 1.52 WHIP over the last three years, with the Cubs projected to score five runs in this game.
If we stack the Cubbies, Tucker has to be the first player in our lineup. The MVP candidate is on pace for a 35-35 season, providing a .387 OBP and .932 OPS. He's also got the platoon advantage against Quantrill, flirting with a 1.000 OPS against righties. As for Suzuki, the outfielder has a .276 AVG, .567 SLG and .903 OPS across his last 32 outings.
New York Yankees at Seattle Mariners (Hancock): Aaron Judge ($6,500), Ben Rice ($5,000), Trent Grisham ($4,500) and Goldschmidt ($4,100)
We could use the Yankees against anyone but they're difficult to fade against Hancock. They rank first in OBP and second in runs scored, projected to score nearly five runs in this game. That's bad news for a pitcher like Hancock, posting a 5.70 ERA and 1.56 WHIP this year.
It feels like a cheat code to recommend a guy like Judge. The superstar could be en route to a Triple Crown, collecting a .486 OBP and 1.258 OPS this season. Those are absurd averages, but the rest of these guys are also good pairings. Rice is amid a breakout season, accruing a .355 OBP and .905 OPS. Grisham is also off to one of the best starts of his career, tallying a .366 OBP and .978 OPS this year.
