MLB DFS action on Friday, April 16, features 14 games across three 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 Athletics, Orioles and more.
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MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Hitters and Stacks, Friday, April 16th
Yahoo Stack of the Day: Baltimore Orioles at RHP Michael Foltynewicz — 4.1 implied runs
Tonight, the Orioles are coming in with very favorable salaries on Yahoo. The Rangers’ new ballpark has a roof, so there will not be any precipitation speculation. Finally, the matchup against Michael Foltynewicz is one worth targeting every time he takes the mound.
Foltynewicz has always been susceptible to left-handed power, with a career 1.51 HR/9 rate with a 9.3% walk rate. However, the wheels really came off the wagon beginning with the 2019 season, with same-handed hitters figuring out Foltynewicz and posting a 1.97 HR/9 with a 230% HR/FB rate over 273 plate appearances. Atlanta saw enough after just one start in which he allowed a trio of round-trippers in 3.1 innings, after which he was released by the team.
In his two starts this year, Foltynewicz has been incredibly lucky against San Diego and Toronto. Through 11 innings he has allowed just six hits, though three of those were home runs. Fortunately for Foltynewicz, there was only one duck on the pond combined for those three longballs.
Trey Mancini is an absolute steal on Yahoo for $13, and he should be closer to $18 for this matchup. Anthony Santander is not a household name by any stretch, but he is arguably the best all-around player on Baltimore. D.J. Stewart and Cedric Mullins are somehow the most expensive options, which should keep the popularity in check tonight even though they will be in good lineup spots. Finally, look to journeyman Maikel Franco, who has solid pop against pitchers of either handedness. The Orioles make for a nice secondary or contrarian stack, and the salary cap relief they provide can be used to upgrade other areas.
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Main Slate
Cleveland Indians at RHP Jeff Hoffman – 4.8 implied runs
Though Cleveland will lose the designated hitter with this series being in a National League park, tonight’s matchup against Jeff Hoffman is one to target. In his final 37.2 road innings while with the Rockies, Hoffman allowed a 2.39 HR/9 and 12.2% walk rate, culminating in a 6.21 ERA. While everything was going his way in his Reds debut against St. Louis, with five innings of one-run ball and an uncharacteristic six strikeouts on 77 pitches, Hoffman came back to reality in his last start. The Diamondbacks knocked him around in Arizona with nine baserunners, three runs and just two strikeouts in 4.1 innings.
Focus on the power hitters tonight, with Jose Ramirez and Eddie Rosario leading the way. Since moving to the American League, Franmil Reyes has played in the field just four times in 122 games. Now, it is unclear what Cleveland would have done with Reyes under National League rules since there was a universal DH last year. Keep in mind that he played in the outfield in his two-plus seasons in San Diego, so it would not be a complete shock to see him in the lineup. However, do not count on this.
Lefties Josh Naylor, Jake Bauers and Ben Gamel are likely to be in the outfield tonight, so that may relegate Reyes to pinch-hitting duties only. That trio is cheap, and they are in the mix if looking for a full stack with Cesar Hernandez.
Late Slate
Oakland Athletics vs. RHP Jose Urena — 5 implied runs
In his last start, Jose Urena survived five walks thanks to some timely outs, a double play and allowing just two extra-base hits. Urena is often playing with fire, as he allows a lot of hard contact and has little in the way of strikeouts. The main reason he survives is with a ground-ball rate of nearly 50% versus the last 625 batters he has faced. All it will take to upset the apple cart is some timely hit sequencing with runners on base and/or his 1.60 HR/9 coming back to bite him.
Oakland boppers Matt Olson and Mitch Moreland are a little dinged up, though they are expected to play tonight. They will be in the middle of the order for the Athletics and provide some power upside at two different salary levels. Mark Canha, Matt Chapman and Ramon Laureano have all had great success against same-handed hurlers. Over the last two-plus seasons, each member of this power trio has posted ISOs over .2190 and above-average walk rates. Catcher Sean Murphy is worth targeting on all slates where the DFS sites require a backstop.
Four Detroit relievers combined for 102 pitches last night, and five combined for 95 pitches on Wednesday. It looks like a southpaw should see work out of the bullpen, as they have seen the lightest workload over the last two games. Of course, Urena could also be asked to take one for the team.
Final Thoughts for the Friday, April 16th MLB DFS Slate
The games in New York, Boston and Kansas City all have potential precipitation issues. Coors Field is looking like it will be bitterly cold with a chance of snow flurries. Make sure to have up-to-date forecasts when building rosters for tonight. 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.
