Friday, May 21, brings all 30 teams into action on the main slate. From the Midwest to the East Coast, game-time temperatures will be in the upper-70s to low-80s. There is also a game in Coors Field with a total that is currently 11 runs and climbing. Let’s get into the top MLB DFS picks for hitters and stacks for Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel.
Be sure head over to the Awesemo MLB DFS home page for all the best written daily fantasy baseball content, including daily article like Spotlight Pitchers, MLB DFS Tournament Strategy and MLB Cheat Sheets for all the major DFS sites.
AWESEMO $1,000 YAHOO FREEROLL TONIGHT
Regular Awesemo user? New to Yahoo Daily Fantasy or just a regular member? We’ve got a FREEROLL tonight for all our valued Awesemo customers.
As well promo code AWESEMO10 is LIVE again today-only (worth 2K YSRP= $10) for ALL users.
Yahoo is providing a $1k freeroll exclusive to Awesemo supporters. Users can use THIS LINK to join.
MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Hitters and Stacks, Friday, May 21st
Yahoo Stack of the Day: Milwaukee Brewers at Cincinnati Reds — 4.7 implied runs
It is going to be much warmer across most of the country compared to what it had been for the first several weeks of the season. Today Jeff Hoffman will be taking the mound for the Reds, which is a bonus for the Brewers. The Milwaukee offense has been struggling this season, with the current hitters contributing a lowly 83 wRC+, which is the third lowest in the league. One changing variable will be Christian Yelich once again anchoring the lineup. Though he is hitless in his first two games since returning from the injured list, it was nice to see him steal a base last night. On Yahoo, with an $18 salary, he compares quite favorably to the other stars considering his matchup and the game conditions tonight.
This is the first season that Hoffman is not saddled with Coors Field as his home park. However, in his final two years with the Rockies, he had a 2.43 HR/9 and a 5.68 xFIP across 37 innings on the road compared to a 2.32 HR/9 with a 5.24 xFIP in 54.1 innings at home.
Lefties Omar Narvaez ($15) and Dan Vogelbach ($9) are not going to break the bank and have excellent power upside. Lorenzo Cain ($12) is never going to knock the cover off the ball, but he should be on base a couple times tonight, and that will increase the synergistic upside of stacks. Avisail Garcia ($12) and Travis Shaw ($10) are discounted power options in a game where the scoring should be plentiful.
Coors Field Extravaganza — 11.0 implied runs
Colorado Rockies vs. RHP Seth Frankoff — 6.2 implied runs
Seth Frankoff survived in his last start, allowing just two runs across 4.2 innings against the Nationals. The four walks were expected but still concerning, and the four strikeouts were a bit of a surprise. Tonight will be just his fifth appearance in The Show. Gamers are going to want to load up on Rockies tonight.
Arizona Diamondbacks at RHP German Marquez — 5.0 implied runs
While German Marquez is actually a very good pitcher, he has been struggling this season. A lot of this has to do with six of his nine starts being at home, and while he survived the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Mets and Phillies, allowing just eight earned runs, in his last two starts the Giants and Reds nailed him for a dozen earned runs. On the positive side, he has allowed only five home runs this season, with just two coming at home.
Marquez’s pitch mix remains in line with what it was over the last three seasons, and his fastball is only a half mile per hour slower at 94.9 on average. While this is not a sure thing for the Diamondbacks, their salaries are appealing for their key batsmen. Ketel Marte should be in the lineup after returning from the injured list yesterday. Targeting him and fellow switch-hitter Eduardo Escobar provides a duo that will have the platoon advantage in their favor all night. Veteran David Peralta can still get it done with the bat, and Pavin Smith is an interesting option if he is leading off since he should get five plate appearances and possibly six if his teammates can get on base and extend innings. With every team in action, gamers do not need to force Arizona bats into lineups, so if they are picking up a lot of popularity, pivot to other MLB DFS picks elsewhere since Marquez is likely to snap out of his unlucky stretch at any given time.
Late Slate
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. RHP James Kaprielian — 4.6 implied runs
Oakland acquired James Kaprielian back in 2017 as part of the return package for Sonny Gray. It wasn’t until 2019 that Kaprielian was able to take the mound for the Athletics in the minors. Since turning pro, he has been plagued by injuries, including forearm, flexor-tendon and shoulder issues. In his last outing, he held his own against the Red Sox, allowing just one run over five innings in Fenway Park while tallying half a dozen strikeouts. However, when he takes the mound tonight the first player up will be just the 41st batter he has faced in the majors. There are just enough question marks and injuries in his past that gamers should wait to see results before they stop picking on him.
It will be interesting to see how much of the field goes to the Angels on the main slate with Mike Trout on the shelf. The trio to target will be Shohei Otani, Anthony Rendon and Jared Walsh. On the late slate, consider Kurt Suzuki on sites where catchers are required. Also look to David Fletcher and Jose Iglesias as part of a “wrap-around” stack for some correlation. While neither is exciting from a power perspective, they do a decent job of getting on base.
Final Thoughts for the Friday, May 21st MLB DFS Slate
With every team in action on the main slate, popularity should be spread out, with the exception of Coors Field. This should make for a fun tournament setting to plant flags with several teams and not have to go completely overboard to gain leverage on the field. As always, 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.
