MLB DFS action on Tuesday, April 27, features 15 games across six slates with giant contests on Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel. Before locking in MLB DFS picks and lineups, make sure to check out Awesemo’s daily fantasy baseball top stacks, picks, rankings and projections. Let’s dig into some MLB DFS picks and daily fantasy baseball stacks, including the Angels, Yankees and more.
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MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Hitters and Stacks, Tuesday, April 27th
Yahoo Stack of the Day: New York Yankees at LHP Bruce Zimmerman — 5.5 implied runs
Everyone was shocked yesterday when Matt Harvey managed to hold the Yankees to just one run over six innings on the way to a 4-2 Orioles victory. Today is a new day, and the New York lineup will still be loaded with sluggers. On Yahoo only Aaron Judge ($17) and Giancarlo Stanton ($16) are more expensive than D.J. LeMahieu, who has a $13 salary. The other key batsmen are all below this trio and can be deployed with impunity tonight.
Game-time temperatures will be in the upper-70s with a 5- to 9-mph breeze blowing out to centerfield. Lefty Bruce Zimmerman is in his age-26 season, and though he has just 28.2 innings in The Show, he has already allowed six home runs, 1.33 WHIP and a 5.34 ERA. Looking at the prominent projection systems, most have him with a K/9 between 7.1 and 7.4, a shaky BB/9 between 3.7 and 4 and a HR/9 between 1.6 and 1.9. These rates do not portend positive performance moving forward.
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Evening Slate
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at RHP Michael Foltynewicz — 5.0 implied runs
Counting his lone start last season after he was summarily dismissed by Atlanta, Michael Foltynewicz has allowed 11 home runs in his last five starts. The walks have been down and the strikeouts are solid with one per inning, but that is because batters are swinging at all the juicy pitches and putting most balls in play. Among his 11 home runs allowed in his last five starts, six have gone to batters swinging the stick from the left side of the plate, and the other five are attributed to same-handed hitters.
Mike Trout is back from his bruised elbow caused by an errant pitch that kept him out last weekend. He is second in the league with a .426 average and already has six home runs. Shohei Ohtani has seven home runs and three stolen bases. After what seemed like a multi-season slump, Justin Upton has surprised everyone with a quick five home runs while hitting for a .304 average, and Albert Pujols has five dingers as well, along with his first stolen base since the 2019 season.
Finally, look to Anthony Rendon, who is getting healthier by the day. David Fletcher and Jose Iglesias do not do much with the bat, but they do get on base and score, which makes them viable connectors in full stacks. Jared Walsh has shown flashes of power upside with eight extra-base hits in his first 20 games. The Angels can be mixed and matched in any number of stacking strategies given the number of MLB DFS picks available tonight.
Late Slate
San Francisco Giants vs. RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez — 4.5 implied runs
There are three pitchers to target against on the late slate. The Chase Field roof is scheduled to be open, which will improve hitting conditions. Rolling with the Padres’ power bats against right-hander Merrill Kelly is a savvy option. The crowd will be drawn to the Dodgers and their All-Star lineup against righty Jeff Hoffman. In his four seasons in Colorado, Hoffman allowed similar power numbers while on the road.
The Giants are a team worth focusing on against right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez. Last night the Giants did a number on lefty Austin Gomber and the bullpen, with 12 runs on 12 hits. Though, only four went for extra bases and Buster Posey hit the lone home run. The projected San Francisco lineup is mostly a below-average strikeout crew with good plate discipline. Austin Slater is the only regular with a strikeout rate greater than 24% against right-handed hurlers over the last two-plus seasons.
While Mike Yastrzemski is likely out through the weekend with a strained oblique, the Giants will still be rolling out a lineup full of capable hitters, even if they do not have flashy names. Across his last 432 batters faced, Gonzalez has a 11.6% walk rate, a 16.2% strikeout rate and a meager 8.1% swinging strike rate.
Look to the top of the order on all slates for some differentiation with Brandon Belt, Evan Longoria, Buster Posey and Tommy La Stella. Alex Dickerson is coming at a dramatic discount on FanDuel and DraftKings, and he should see a promotion in the batting order filling in for Yastrzemski. On the late slate, the venerable Brandon Crawford provides additional salary relief with the chance at an extra-base hit or a stolen base.
Final Thoughts for the Tuesday, April 27th MLB DFS Slate
There are no weather concerns today, and there is a nice mix of aces and gas cans in search of a match. Keep in mind that salaries and scoring formats differ across the various fantasy sites, and a home run play on Yahoo may be a below-average MLB DFS pick on DraftKings or FanDuel.
