It’s Friday, and the weather is nice outside. And yet, here I am, sitting at my desk, inside, listening to a Gregory Alan Isakov/Sylvan Esso cover of a Mazzy Star song from the 90s. You know the one, because there’s only ever been one Mazzy Star song.
It would be nice to have a desk outside, but my building faces west, so the sun would blast directly into my face once the afternoon/evening rolls around. The glare off the screen would be Simply Unbearable. Perhaps it’d be worth it just to spend more time outside, enjoying the lovely conditions. Who’s to say?
There’s baseball happening tonight, so let’s talk about it. The Dodgers are playing in Colorado, so we’ll have to deal with that nonsense all weekend. There are a handful of aces through which to sort, and there isn’t much cheap pitching to help us afford to stack LA. What to do? Guess we’ll figure it out on the fly together.
Top MLB Daily Fantasy Picks – Best Pitcher Plays for Friday
- Logan Gilbert ($9,500, vs. TEX)
- Jacob deGrom ($9,200, at SEA)
- Tyler Glasnow ($8,900, at COL)
- Joe Ryan ($8,700, vs. CIN)
- Cam Schlittler ($8,500, vs. KC)
- Jose Soriano ($8,200, vs. SD)
- Ranger Suarez ($8,100, vs. DET)
- Michael Soroka ($7,900, vs. TOR)
So, there’s some good pitching in this Rangers-Mariners game. This isn’t the first Gilbert/deGrom slate we’ve had this year, though it may be the last. It may also not be the last, because we’re very early in the season. There’s a pretty good chance it won’t be the last, I guess, so I was probably getting a little over my skis.
Both pitchers are terrific, and I’ll be heavily invested in both. Gilbert is an excellent combination of strikeouts (27.2%) and low walks (4.3%), and he’s always been better in his cushy home ballpark. Texas is a neutral matchup otherwise (21.9% Ks, .168 ISO, 10% barrels vs. RHP). Gilbert’s flyball lean generally doesn’t hurt him in this ballpark, and he’s the overall SP1, all things considered.
DeGrom is old, but the numbers (34.9% Ks, 4.8% walks) remain outstanding. The Mariners’ bats have also really scuffled to begin the season (23% Ks, .166 ISO) relative to expectations. I assume they’ll come around, because they’re good, but let’s hope it doesn’t start tonight. I’d play Gilbert over deGrom if I were only choosing one, simply because I’m less afraid of the Rangers’ bats than I am of the Mariners’. Or maybe I’m more unafraid of the Rangers. Either way. Playing both pitchers together is viable. I’d rank deGrom 3rd overall in terms of priority on this slate.
That’s because I have Joe Ryan ranked second. He’s $500 cheaper than deGrom for a home matchup against the Reds. Ryan continues to be very splitsy with some occasional power trouble against lefties. That’s why this is a good matchup. The Reds only have a couple of LHBs in the projected lineup – TJ Friedl and Elly De La Cruz. They’re also striking out a ton (23.8%) without much power (.136 ISO). Ryan’s numbers from 2025 were similar to deGrom’s. Even in a worse park for pitchers, I’ll side with the cheaper Ryan. Just a fantastic play in all formats.
Next up, I like Jose Soriano at $8,200 at home against the Padres. San Diego is an annoying, high-contact (18.8% Ks) opponent getting a park boost heading into Anaheim, but it’s not a particularly imposing group. Soriano just looks like an ace this season. The strikeout rate (32%) may not be sustainable, but I wouldn’t be shocked if it is. He’s always been able to keep the ball on the ground (61.4%). Soriano’s main weakness is his occasionally erratic control, which could get him into some hot water in this matchup. The price tag is appealing, especially given the slate’s premium bats worth paying for. He’s just too cheap for the skills.
Tyler Glasnow projects pretty well for a pitcher in Coors. The issue is, I’m not sure we need to bother. Why play a guy in Colorado when you don’t have to? Yes, it’s the Rockies, so he’ll rack up some Ks, but he’s another guy with a history of sketchy control. I suppose $8,900 is a discount, so he’s in the pool, I just wouldn’t say he’s a priority. The Rockies have done some striking out (26.2%) again this season, but they’ve also played the majority of their games on the road so far.
Cam Schlittler at home against the Royals? He’s off to a flying start (37% Ks, 50% groundballs, 1.2% walks), while the Royals haven’t flashed any power this season (.139 ISO, .298 wOBA). This bunch doesn’t hit the ball on the ground much, but you can argue Schlitty is a little too cheap. He’s playable. I’d just rather play Soriano or find the extra $200 for Ryan.
Ranger Suarez has been Major Ass (at ease, sergeant) so far for the Red Sox. He’s always been more of an average strikeout pitcher who gets most of his outs on the ground. The groundballs (45.5%) are down, and tonight he’ll face the Tigers at home. Detroit was powerful (.204 ISO, .361 wOBA) vs. LHP last season, but they’ve hardly faced any lefties to begin ’26. This is really just a case of not needing it. If Suarez were cheaper than $8,100, I’d have more interest, but he is, in fact, $8,100.
Michael Soroka looks excellent so far for Arizona (33.8% Ks, 8.8% walks). I don’t really trust the Ks, and he’ll probably see that K-rate decline tonight at home against the low-strikeout Blue Jays (17.5% Ks vs. RHP). Toronto’s lineup is pretty watered-down these days, but again, I don’t think we’re getting enough of a discount from Soriano for Soroka to stand out much.
SP Rankings
- Gilbert
- Ryan
- deGrom
- Soriano
- Glasnow
- Schlittler
- Suarez
- Soroka
Best Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks – Top MLB DFS Stacks for 4/17
- Dodgers (at Tomoyuki Sugano)
- White Sox (at Aaron Civale)
- Yankees (vs. Michael Wacha)
- Blue Jays (at Michael Soroka)
- Diamondbacks (vs. Eric Lauer/opener)
- Cardinals (at Peter Lambert)
So, the Dodgers are in Coors, and they’re facing the low-strikeout Tomoyuki Sugano. It’s worth noting it’ll be in the 30s tonight in Denver with some wind blowing in. It’s still Coors, but these are hardly ideal hitting conditions. The flip side is it’s the Dodgers against a guy who posted a sub-16% strikeout rate last season. Sugano does have good enough control to occasionally limit damage, and there’s a slight groundball lean (47.9%).
It doesn’t really matter. Sugano still allowed a .228 ISO and a 13% barrel rate to lefties last year. If you can’t fully stack the Dodgers, I’d start with the lefties – Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Tucker, Freddie Freeman, and Max Muncy. If Dalton Rushing randomly cracks the lineup, include him, too. Will Smith and Andy Pages are still outstanding righties, while I’d rank Teoscar Hernandez below the other headliners.
The exorbitant salaries make it difficult to fully stack LA, especially without any viable cheap pitching. There are some affordable secondary stacks to help you make it happen, though.
The White Sox stand out the most in that regard, IMO. They only have an implied total of around 4 runs tonight in Sacramento, but it’s still a great park for huntin’ dongs. They’ll face White Sox legend Aaron Civale, a middling right-hander who’s allowed quite a bit of power to hitters from both sides over the past couple of seasons. Civale’s lack of strikeouts makes it an awesome spot for Munetaka Murakami and Colson Montgomery from the left side, while Miguel Vargas, as always, is the headlining right-handed bat. Andrew Benintendi, Sam Antonacci, Luisangel Acuna, Tristan Peters, and Edgar Quero are all under $3,000. I love it.
The field will pay up for the Dodgers, which means they won’t pay up for the Yankees at home against Michael Wacha. Wacha has re-emerged as a decent pitcher for some reason, but he still won’t miss many bats. This is really just a chance to stack New York at no ownership, which we rarely get. Wacha has had a staunch reverse split over the years, so it’s a stellar matchup for Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Still good with chasing the power of Trent Grisham and Ben Rice in full stacks, while Jose “Joe Man” Caballero is cheap with stolen base upside.
The Blue Jays are missing some key hitters, but the stack is cheaper as a result. LHBs have kinda torched Soroka over the past couple of years. Bodes well for Nathan Lukes, Daulton Varsho, and Jesus Sanchez near the top of the order, while you’ll always toss Vladimir Guerrero Jr. into full stacks.
The DBax will take on an opener before Eric Lauer likely enters. Lauer is a flyball pitcher who’s been beatable with hitters from both sides. That keeps Corbin Carroll in play against the LHP, while Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo, and Nolan Arenado are the primary right-handed options.
I doubt the field will have much interest in the Cardinals, but the Astros’ pitching staff has been a traveshamockery so far this season. Tonight they’ll start Peter Lambert, who was not even good enough to stick with the Rockies. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2024. LHBs have a .399 lifetime wOBA against him, while RHBs are at .364. Good? Not at all. The Cardinals aren’t a great offense, but Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson are capable power bats, while Nolan Gorman and Ivan Herrera have flashed some pop in the past. JJ Wetherholt hasn’t been good so far, but he is a highly rated prospect. Houston’s bullpen is also dreadful. Per the likely ownership, the Cardinals might be my favorite stack on the entire slate.
Want more winning DFS plays like this? Get our daily core plays, leverage spots, and strategy sent straight to your inbox.
Leave a Reply