Happy Thursday, RotoBallers! This is John Brubaker once again dropping some of my favorite plays for tonight's slate. Like last week, we have a decent-sized five-game slate tonight on DraftKings and a six-game slate on FanDuel. While FanDuel is including a 6:40 pm EST game, DraftKings is running the standard main slate at 7:10.
We finally have a decent-sized slate on a Thursday which is great, and I'll be sharing both my cash and GPP plays for tonight's slate. The slate is six games on DraftKings and seven games on FanDuel. I'll do my best to select teams and players that are on both slates, but I will clarify if they're just on one.
This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings at 7:10 pm and FanDuel at 6:40 pm on 6/09/2022. The lineup picks will range from some elite players to mid-priced options, and value plays. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. It's also essential to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. Now that we got all of that out of the way, it's onto the picks!
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Gerrit Cole, NYY at MIN ($10,400 DK, $10,800 FD)
I'll start tonight's slate off with Gerrit Cole. While the Twins were able to get to Nestor Cortes yesterday, I can't see them doing the same against Cole tonight. Cole projects to have the best xFIP on the slate (2.66) as well as the best strikeout rate (32.6%). The only reason I don't have him as my bonafide top arm on tonight's slate is the potential offensive capability of the Twins. Nevertheless, outside of Correa and Sanchez, none of the Twins hit him particularly well. He'll be a cash play for sure, but I'll likely be lower than the field on him in GPPs while using Sanchez and Correa as one-offs.
Max Fried, ATL vs PIT ($9,500 DK, $9,800 FD)
While Cole isn't my top pitcher of the night, Max Fried is. While he projects a slightly higher xFIP (2.98) and lower strikeout rate (24.74%), his ability to minimize walks and hard contact while keeping the ball on the ground should lead him to a quality start and a win. The matchup is easier too, and none of the Pirates in their projected starting lineup (at least while I'm typing this) have seen him well.
Also consider: Shohei Ohtani, Konnor Pilkington
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Matt Olson - 1B, ATL vs. JT Brubaker ($5,300 DK, $3,600 FD)
As far as hitters go, I'll be starting with Matt Olson. Olson hasn't quite found the longball stroke yet this season but has still produced at a high level, leading the MLB in doubles. He has a projected 48.28% hard contact rate as well as a .763 wOBA + ISO against JT Brubaker's pitch types, whom he will be facing for the first time. His 42.85 player rating is among the top all infielders on this slate, just behind Jose Ramirez's 43.49 rating.
Andres Gimenez - 2B/SS, CLE vs. James Kaprielian ($4,200 DK, $3,600 FD)
While I just name-dropped Jose Ramirez, who I will be playing tonight, I'll be stacking him with Andres Gimenez. It's unfortunate that both DraftKings and FanDuel have caught on to Gimenez and raised his price, as he's been excellent for the Guardians this season. Hr projects a 35.43% hard contact rate as well as a .866 wOBA + ISO against James Kaprielian's pitch types. He grades out to a 40.00 player rating on my model, and I'll most likely look to fill him in the shortstop spot on what will likely be a thin slate at the position.
Ryan Mountcastle - 1B/OF (FD), BAL vs. Kris Bubic ($3,100 DK, $3,100 FD)
Tonight's a very light slate on the pitching end, and if you wanted to play both Cole and Fried we're gonna need some value bats. While I prefer Olson as my top first baseman on the board tonight, Ryan Mountcastle isn't a bad value pivot here. Mountcastle has seen lefties well since breaking into The Show, and projects to have a 41.03% hard contact rate and a .726 wOBA + ISO against Bubic's pitch types.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Aaron Judge - OF, NYY vs. Dylan Bundy ($6,000 DK, $4,600 FD)
I mean, duh. Judge is playing like the best player in the world right now, at least offensively. His price is reflecting that, sure, but it's not too difficult to jam him in some lineups, whether that be by stacking the Yankees (more on that later...), or simply using him as a one-off. He projects to a 46.58% hard contact rate against Twins righty Dylan Bundy, and sees Bundy's pitch types well -- projecting to a whopping 1.073 projected wOBA + ISO. He's just 5-19 against Bundy, but three of those five hits have been homers.
Cedric Mullins- OF, BAL vs. Kris Bubic ($4,700 DK, $3,100 FD)
Mullins grades out as the highest-rated outfielder on the slate, with a 60.06 rating. I feel like most people will opt for Baltimore's right-handed bats tonight, but Mullins has been hitting southpaws extremely well this season. While he doesn't project to an insanely high hard contact rate, coming in at just 29.07%, he absolutely RAKES Kris Bubic's pitch types. His 1.613 projected wOBA + ISO against Bubic is by far the highest on the slate. His ownership will ultimately depend how much exposure I'll give him in tournaments, but I'll most likely be over the field on him.
Oscar Gonzalez - OF, CLE vs. James Kaprielian ($2,200 DK, $2,400 FD)
I mentioned earlier about Andres Gimenez being a solid Guardians play, and Oscar Gonzalez is a perfect "pair" to make with him (unless you're making a full stack). It's likely Gimenez and Gonzalez will hit back to back, giving us some good correlation. Gonzalez projects to have just a 28.22% hard contact rate against James Kaprielian tonight but comes in with a projected .885 wOBA + ISO against his pitch types. It won't take much for him to provide value in your lineups, whether that's in cash games or tournaments.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Baltimore Orioles vs. Kris Bubic
While the Orioles don't hit lefties as well as they have in past seasons, it's hard not to stack against Kris Bubic at this point. Bubic comes into this one with a 9.33 ERA, and while he does have just a 5.58 xFIP, he's allowing 37.5% hard contact this season. The O's have just a .639 OPS and 86 wRC+ against southpaws on the year, I'll look for them to jump on Bubic early and build a solid enough lead to avoid the big arms in the back of Kansas City's bullpen.
Favorite Plays: Cedric Mullins, Ryan Mountcastle, Trey Mancini, Anthony Santander, Tyler Nevin
New York Yankees vs. Dylan Bundy
It may just be me, but as well as the Yankees have played this year, I feel like their offense has an on/off switch times. However, I project them to be ON tonight against veteran Dylan Bundy. Bundy does come into this start due to positively regress, given his 4.02 xFIP relative to his 5.57 ERA, he's still allowing 32.4% hard contact. It's hard to ask much of him tonight though against a Yankees lineup who lead the league in hard contact (32.6%) and wRC+ (121) against right-handed pitchers.
Also Consider: Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Guardians