DFS MLB Baseball Picks for May 21, 2021

We’ve got a massive 15-game slate for Friday. TGIF. There are a smorgasborg of options today. You want to pay up for aces? There are three. Coors Field is on the slate so good times. Stephen Strasburg and Ketel Marte are returning from injury. There’s a punt pitcher and plenty in the mid-range. On slates this big, there are multiple paths to victory so it should be a fun one. I usually pay up for one or both pitching slots. Today? I’m paying down at both spots and fitting in all the high-priced bats. It will definitely be an interesting day for sure. BOS, BAL, NYM, MIA, PIT, DET, LAD, SF, and SEA are projected for fewer than four runs. No teams are projected for at least five runs or fewer than three runs. ARI/COL haven’t had their lines posted yet.

All clear on the weather front. 

Here’s our 50-50 MLB DFS lineup for 5/20/21 (using DraftKings Values)

Salary Remaining          $000

Mike Minor ($7,500)

Minor is a slightly-above average pitcher. The FIP is 4.53 while the swinging strike rate is 10.2 percent. He’s struck out 44 batters in 43 innings while walking 17 and serving up seven home runs. This is all about the matchup, as the Tigers are 1^st in strikeouts and 30^th in ISO against left-handed pitching.

Will Smith ($4,100)

Smith is such a good hitter. It’s too bad he catches and doesn’t play every day. The walk rate is 12 percent while the strikeout rate is only 14.3 percent. He has four home runs and one stolen base on the season. The slash is .264/.368/.473 with a .209 ISO. The matchup against Alex Wood isn’t the greatest as he has a 2.75 FIP and has allowed only two home runs on the season. That said, Smith will likely bat cleanup and the Giants bullpen has the third-highest FIP, if they can get there.

Josh Bell ($3,600)

We are stacking against Jorge Lopez, who has a 5.69 FIP and has allowed eight home runs in 34 innings. Bell bats third in the order and has four home runs on the season. The slash is only .173/.243/.337 but the BABIP is a low .200 so he’s going to get hot at some point. Why not today?

Trea Turner ($6,000)

Turner bats leadoff for our Nationals stack. He has 10 home runs and eight stolen bases, so multiple paths to fantasy goodies. The ISO is .239 while the slash is a robust .327/.368/.566. He’s one of the best players in the game and the DK price reflects that. 

Juan Soto ($6,100)

Full stack of the Nationals today. Soto is also one of the best hitters in the game, which is why the price tag is above $6,000. The plate discipline numbers are ridiculous – 15.7 percent walk rate and 11.6 percent strikeout rate. He has four home runs and one stolen base on the season. The ISO is only. 149, though. He has a career .252 mark so he’s going to heat up at some point. 

—— Paywall ——

Here’s our full 50-50 MLB DFS lineup for 5/20/21 (using DraftKings Values)

Salary Remaining          $000

Tyler Ivey ($4,800)

Ivey is the key today. He’s one of the best pitching prospects in the Astros organization. He sits in the 92 mph range and can pump it up to 95 when he reaches back. The spin rate is high on his pitches and he works both up and down in the zone. He also has somewhat of a funky delivery so he could be effective as it will take batters some time to get used to him. In his last start in Triple-A, he only went 4.2 innings but threw 83 pitches. The Rangers are 3^rd in strikeouts and 16^th in ISO against right-handed pitching.

Kolten Wong ($4,500)

Wong has two home runs and three stolen bases on the season. He’s always had good plate discipline as the walk rate is 8.3 percent while the strikeout rate is only 14.4 percent. He doesn’t have crazy power but enough to bop it over the fence from time to time. The ISO is .128 on the season. The slash is .274/.348/.402 and he bats leadoff. Jeff Hoffman has a 4.52 FIP while the Reds bullpen has the eighth-highest FIP in the league. 

Starlin Castro ($3,700)

Full on Nationals stack.  Castro doesn’t have much power, as the ISO is .093 on the season and .133 for his career, but he doesn’t strikeout often and bats in the .270 range. If the guys ahead of him get on base, he could have plenty of RBI opportunities and, if the stack performs as we want, then he could get an additional plate appearances.

Ketel Marte ($5,300)

Marte just returned from an injury that kept him out or much of the season. He hit 32 home runs and stole 10 bases two seasons ago. He struggled last year but was hot to start this season. He’s in Coors Field and will likely bat second. Yummy.

Kyle Schwarber ($4,400)

The final piece to our stack. Schwarber bats cleanup and has six home runs on the season. The strikeout rate is high at 28.1 percent but the ISO is a healthy .198. He’s a true feast or famine batter but when he eats, it’s buffet style.

Alternative Moves…

Ramon Laureano – OF ($4,600 DK) – Laureano has had a great start the season, clubbing 10 home runs and stealing eight bases. The strikeout rate is high (27.2 percent) and the batting average is meh (.243) but the ISO is .257 and the power/speed combo is undeniable. Now, Jose Quintana has struck out 41 batters in 25.1 innings but the FIP is 4.2 and he’s walked 19 batters. Against righties, the slash is .338/.432/.488. In his career, Laureano has a .285/.344/.494 slash with a .209 ISO against lefties.

Trevor Bauer – P ($11,900 DK)       

If you’re going with Bauer, just pay down at some of the more expensive bats. Hopefully you keep the National stack though. Bauer has a 13 percent swinging strike rate and has struck out 77 batters in 57.1 innings. The Giants have pop as evidenced by the .179 ISO and 19 runs they put up yesterday. They also strikeout the most against right-handed pitching, so there’s risk but plenty of upside. 

Go win your lineup and tell us how you did. Twitter (@FantasyDFSX) is a good place for that.