Wednesday is a travel day, which means all sorts of slates and start times on DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo. And as always, Stokastic tools are a great help in identifying today’s MLB DFS Top Stacks, key pitchers and MLB DFS picks. Let’s dig into the player projections and popularity for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo lineups. Luis Castillo is a top pitching option, though limited by weather concerns, and DraftKings is offering a strong discount dandy in LHP Gavin Williams against Oakland’s pathetic offense.
MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Pitchers and Top Stacks
MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Pitchers
Main Slate Pitching Target: RHP Luis Castillo at New York Yankees — 3.4 implied runs
First Pitch: 7:05 p.m. ET
- DFS Salary: DraftKings $10,100 | FanDuel $10,600 | Yahoo $54
Wednesday’s main slate looks like it will come down to RHPs Luis Castillo, Shohei Ohtani and Yu Darvish as the trio to target as SP1s. Ohtani is at home but in a tough matchup against the Dodgers, and Darvish is on the road in San Francisco. However, Darvish has been struggling this season while also allowing six or more runs in two of his last four starts.
For the late slate, it is a coinflip between Ohtani and Darvish, with their respective salaries making things relatively even. This duo is fine for tournaments on the featured slate, though for those looking for “safety,” Castillo is the preferred play.
Through 14 starts, Castillo has put together his best campaign yet, with a 2.73 ERA and 1.02 WHIP that are both career highs, and his 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings are behind only the 11.4 he produced in the 2020 pandemic-shortened season. Only twice this season has Castillo ceded more than three runs, and he has allowed two or fewer on nine occasions.
Even without Aaron Judge, it is never fun taking on the Yankees. However, the projected New York lineup has six players who have struck out 24% or more of the time against right-handed pitching this season. Plus with the Yanks rolling out RHP Jhony Brito tonight, the Mariners are actually -170 road favorites. Keep an eye on the weather, as there could be additional risk with this game for the later innings.
Main Slate Secondary Pitching Target: RHP Gavin Williams vs. Oakland Athletics — 3.6 implied runs
First Pitch: 7:10 p.m. ET
- DFS Salary: DraftKings $5,700 | FanDuel $11,000 | Yahoo $52
Cleveland is calling up rookie RHP Gavin Williams today for a spot start against the Oakland Athletics. Williams was selected in the 30th round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of high school, though he elected not to sign with Tampa Bay and spent four seasons pitching for East Carolina University. He was then the 23rd player chosen in the 2021 MLB Draft by Cleveland, and after pitching at Double-A and Triple-A this year, he is being rewarded with a cup of coffee tonight.
Williams is a top-5 prospect for the Guardians and just inside the top 75 of most industry publications. It should be no surprise he received these lofty rankings with his eye-popping strikeout numbers, and tonight will be a good litmus test to see if he is ready for The Show or needs a little more seasoning down on the farm. Currently Williams is only in the DraftKings player pool, though there is a chance he will be added to FanDuel and Yahoo later today.
Early Slate Pitching Target: LHP Andrew Abbott vs. Colorado Rockies — 3.8 implied runs
First Pitch: 12:35 p.m. ET
- DFS Salary: DraftKings $8,200 | FanDuel $10,400 | Yahoo $44
For those of you in season-long leagues with daily transactions, go check your waiver wire to see if rookie LHP Andrew Abbott is available.
According to the first run of the Stokastic Top Pitcher Tool it looks like well-known RHPs Kevin Gausman and Zac Gallen are receiving more popularity so far in their respective road matchups against the Marlins and Brewers. This duo is absolutely deserving of this attention and should be well represented in your tournament portfolios for the early action.
Abbott is an intriguing option who will be making only his fourth big league start. Teammates RHP Hunter Greene and LHP Nick Lodolo were the more heralded prospects, but both are currently on the injured list. In his 17.2 innings, Abbott has not seen his strikeout production transfer to The Show, and he has some control issues that came along with him to the tune of 4.58 walks per nine innings. However, he has done a fine job limiting power, ceding only one double thus far.
For as bad as the Rockies are against right-handed pitching, they are even worse against southpaws, and this season they have a 58 wRC+ across 464 plate appearances for the active hitters on their roster. That means they are creating runs 42% less efficiently than league average, and this dreadful level of production makes even the Athletics and Tigers seem like a team filled with Mike Trout-caliber hitters by comparison.
MLB DFS Picks: Top Stacks
Main Slate Target: Minnesota Twins vs. RHP Garrett Whitlock — 4.6 implied runs
First Pitch: 7:40 p.m. ET
The Seattle Mariners would be the preferred play, but with some inclement weather in the Bronx, let’s take a look at the Twins in a home matchup against RHP Garrett Whitlock. While he has been solid since returning from an elbow issue, Whitlock has been on the injured list twice already this season, with a hip injury costing him the first part of the season. This is the 27-year-old righty’s first season as a full-time starter, and including his nine starts last year, this is just the 17th time he has taken the mound in this capacity.
Power has been an issue, particularly with lefties — so we will want to focus on Joey Gallo, Max Kepler, Alex Kirilloff and Edouard Julien. Last night Kepler and Byron Buxton each launched one out of the park, and they both profile well against Whitlock’s pitch mix. Veteran Carlos Correa can be used to round out full stacks, while inconsistent rookie Royce Lewis is a fine differentiation option.
Early Slate Target: Cincinnati Reds vs. RHP Connor Seabold — 5.7 implied runs
First Pitch: 12:35 p.m. ET
Between the putrid Colorado pitching staff and the offensive friendly Great American Ballpark, the Stokastic Top Stacks Tool has flagged the Reds as an offense to target for the third consecutive day. After looking competent, including holding his former Boston teammates to just one run in a “Remember Me?!” game last Monday, RHP Connor Seabold was back to his old ways, allowing nine runs in three innings against the Braves in Atlanta. In his last nine starts, Seabold has suffered three multi-home run games, and during this stretch he is allowing 2.1 per nine innings.
In the early action we can look to Cincinnati batsmen swinging the stick from either side of the plate against this bringer of home runs. TJ Friedl, Joey Votto and Jake Fraley all enjoy the platoon advantage, while Spencer Steer and Jonathan India handle themselves well in righty-righty matchups. Switch-hitting phenom Elly De La Cruz is the straw that stirs the drink, and he is a must play this afternoon if he is in the lineup. Tyler Stephenson, Matt McLain and Will Benson can be sprinkled in for differentiation.
Final Thoughts for Wednesday, June 21 | MLB DFS Picks
Washington has rain all day, so this could be a tricky game to get in — though with the Nationals facing Arizona tomorrow and St. Louis heading off to London for a weekend series, they may try to force something. New York looks like there will be rain, but the veracity of the coverage is unknown at this time. Finally, Philadelphia is also a venue to monitor.
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