MLB DFS action on Saturday, April 17, features 17 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 Rangers, Diamondbacks and more.
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MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Hitters and Stacks, Saturday, April 17th
Yahoo Stack of the Day: Texas Rangers vs. RHP Dean Kremer — 4.6 implied runs
RHP Dean Kremer is talented, though he has not faced many top-tier hitters. In 2019, he was promoted to Triple-A, though he made only four starts totaling 19.1 innings. With no MiLB action last year during the pandemic, Baltimore promoted Kremer to The Show where he posted 18.2 innings across four starts. Today, he will be going on short rest after an abbreviated 54-pitch outing against the Mariners on Tuesday.
Since he has just 44 innings above the Double-A level, we will need to rely on the various projection systems such as ZiPS, Steamer, etc., for a baseline. They have the 26-year-old Kremer with nearly a strikeout per inning, though his walk rate ranges from 3.8-4.3 BB/9. The power forecast is also concerning with a combined 1.6-1.9 HR/9 rate.
The nice thing about the Rangers is that they are very thin on brand names. Joey Gallo, of course, is someone everyone knows but after that Nate Lowe is likely the only other player even baseball fans are aware of in passing. On Yahoo, David Dahl is at the minimum salary of $7 and he should be a cornerstone of our lineups tonight. In addition to the aforementioned trio, we can look to Adolis Garcia, Nick Solak and Isiah Kiner-Falefa to round out our full stacks. Going with Texas as a main stack will allow us to have the salary cap flexibility to enjoy some top-shelf pitching options or some deluxe hitters in other games.
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Early Slate
Arizona Diamondbacks at RHP Erick Fedde – 4.2 implied runs
This was a coinflip as to which pitcher we should target in this game. RHP Luke Weaver has been mercurial with his results thus far in his career. Focus on the top half of the Nationals order and enjoy!
Now for the deeper analysis, let’s take a look at how to attack RHP Erick Fedde. First off, we should target anyone swinging the stick from the left side of the plate whenever Fedde is on the mound. In 413 career righty/lefty matchups, he is allowing a 1.32 HR/9 with an unsightly 20.9% HR/FB rate. Even more alarming that his pedestrian 13.8% strikeout rate is his 10.7% walk rate against opposite-handed hitters.
Kole Calhoun strikes out a ton, though he has very underrated power and he is definitely the player I have the most interest in from the Diamondbacks. David Peralta will be popular as the cleanup hitter, but we should definitely join in on the fun of rostering him. Former National Asrubal Cabrera likely will be near the top of the order and we can look to him and fellow switch-hitter Eduardo Escobar to round out our full stacks.
Just when you thought it was over, Fedde has been even worse from a power perspective to same-handed hitters allowing a 1.71 HR/9 rate in 468 batters faced. Carson Kelly is a good way to take care of our catcher requirements if he is in the lineup this afternoon.
Afternoon Slate
St. Louis Cardinals at LHP Matt Moore — 4.5 implied runs
Heading into his 10th MLB campaign, we know exactly what we are getting with LHP Matt Moore. Currently, he is in the “crafty lefty” phase of his career and will be mixing in his curveball and changeup in order to keep opposing hitters from sitting on his 92 mph fastball. The Cardinals will likely run out an all right-handed lineup with switch-hitters Tommy Edman and Dylan Carlson in the mix as well.
Newcomer Nolan Arenado will be joining Paul Goldschmidt and this duo is well noted for their career success against southpaws. Building off of them, we can then turn to Edman along with Paul DeJong and if he is in the lineup the venerable Yadier Molina is still getting it done in opposite-handed matchups. Volume against Moore is going to be key, so keep the Cardinals at the top of your list for full stacks in the afternoon contests.
Late Slate
Houston Astros at RHP Chris Flexen — 4.5 implied runs
With most of their key batsmen in the health and safety protocol, not many gamers will be looking to the Astros tonight. That is likely going to be a shortsighted approach as they have an excellent matchup against RHP Chris Flexen. After washing out with the Mets, Flexen went to the KBO to reinvent himself with the Doosan Bears. His solid season in Korea led to the Mariners taking a chance on him with their depleted rotation.
Though it is better than last year, Seattle still has holes in their starting rotation. Sadly, the bullpen is even worse. Look to Myles Straw leading off with his stolen base upside and likelihood of seeing a minimum five at-bats. Yulieski Gurriel will be in the heart of the order and the Cuban has proven himself worth of the cleanup role in the past. Carlos Correa and Michael Brantley are the other obvious options. Do not overlook Aledmys Diaz and Kyle Tucker for additional savings on the late slate.
Final Thoughts for the Saturday, April 17th MLB DFS Slate
There are two doubleheaders today after yesterday’s weather issues. Pay attention to the forecasts for Cincinnati, Kansas City and Boston leading up to first pitch. 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.
