DFS MLB Baseball Picks for May 19, 2021

We’ve got a 12-game slate for Wednesday. I identified the pitchers I wanted right away and the double stack fit perfectly. Hope that means good times are coming. MIA, PHI, PIT, and KC are projected for fewer than four runs. BOS and TOR are the only teams projected for at least five runs. No teams are projected for fewer than three runs. TB/ BAL, NYM/ATL, WAS/CHC, NYY/TEX, CLE/LAA, and ARI/LAD haven’t had their lines posted yet.

Some rain is expected in the MIL/KC game but doesn’t look serious.

Here’s our 50-50 MLB DFS lineup for 5/19/21 (using DraftKings Values)

Salary Remaining          $000

Max Scherzer ($10,000)

Scherzer has a 15.9 percent swinging strike rate with 68 strikeouts in 51.1 innings. He has allowed eight home runs but only issued eight walks. He now gets a Cubs team that has some power but is 7^th in strikeouts against right-handed pitching.

Luis Torrens ($3,200)

We are attacking Tarik Skubal and the Tigers bullpen today. It wasn’t so successful last week but we get right back onto the horse. Skubal has allowed 11 home runs with 17 walks in 33 innings. All 11 home runs have been served up to righties. The Tigers bullpen has the highest FIP in the league. Torrens has two home runs on the season. He has a .126 ISO but is a career .085 ISO batter. He’s not a world beater by any stretch of the imagination but the matchup is good and I like to have the catcher in the stack.

Luke Voit ($5,200)

We are also attacking another lefty in Hyeon-Jong Yang. He hasn’t officially been named the starter yet but he is expected to pitch on Wednesday. This is his first season in MLB after spending his entire career in the KBO. So far in 16 innings, the FIP is 4.88 and the swinging strike rate is 11.4 percent. He’s given up three home runs to righties and the FIP is 5.54 against them. Voit has only 25 plate appearances on the season due to an injury. The ISO is .130 and the strikeout rate is 36 percent. In his career, he’s posted a .251 ISO and 26.5 percent strikeout rate. He just needs to get into the groove. In his career against left-handed pitching, Voit has a .262/.337/.541 slash with a .279 ISO.

Gio Urshela ($4,800)

Urshela has five home runs and one stolen base on the season. The .344 BABIP is fueling a .291 batting average so expect regression in that area. That said, the strikeout rate is elevated at 21.9 percent while the ISO is low at .165. Over the last two seasons, those numbers have been .192 and .219. In his career against lefties, the slash is .272/.316/.415 with a .143 ISO.

Aaron Judge ($5,900)

All rise! He has 12 home runs in 157 plate appearances. The slash is .291/.395/.587. The walk rate is an impressive 14 percent. In his career against lefties, the slash is .275/.433/.562 with a .287 ISO. The slash against righties is almost identical so he’s going to mash regardless. There’s a reason he’s priced at $5,900.

Here’s our full 50-50 MLB DFS lineup for 5/19/21 (using DraftKings Values)

Salary Remaining          $000

Corey Kluber ($7,800)

Kluber has an impressive 13.4 swinging strike rate after posting a 5.6 percent number last season. He has 41 strikeouts in 41.1 innings. Now, he has walked 19 batters so that’s no bueno, but he’s only served up four home runs. Now he gets a matchup against a Rangers team that is 3^rd in strikeouts against right-handed pitching.

Dylan Moore ($2,700)

Moore has five home runs and eight stolen bases on the season. The strikeout rate is 32.1 percent but the walk rate is 11.9 percent. The ISO is a healthy .190 but the slash is a miniscule .172/.276/.362. There’s a modicum of hope as the BABIP is only .217. Against left-handed pitching, Moore has a career .224/.324/.436 slash with a .212 ISO. He bats sixth in the order.

Miguel Andujar ($2,700)

Andujar bats eighth in the order so that’s a bummer. He’s sub-$3,000 though and is part of the Yankees right-handed stack against Yang. In 25 plate appearances, he has yet to hit a home run and the slash is .120/.120/.120. Symmetry! In his career, the slash against lefties is .254/.295/.459 with a .206 ISO. He’s going to get it going at some point. 

Mitch Haniger ($4,500)

Hangier has 12 home runs on the season! The slash is .269/.324/.571 with a .278 BABIP so he could see a few upticks in the percentage points. The career slash against lefties is .274/.351/.483 with a .209 ISO. He bats second in the order so that’s juicy.

Kyle Lewis ($3,200)

Lewis bats cleanup for the Mariners. He has three home runs on the season with good plate discipline numbers. The walk rate is 12.6 percent while the strikeout rate is 22.1 percent. The ISO is only .133 but he’s a career .194 ISO batter. 

Alternative Moves…

J.D. Martinez – OF ($5,700 DK) – Martinez is good at this baseball thing. He’s clubbed 10 home runs on the season and is sporting an 11.5 percent walk rate and 21.3 percent strikeout rate. The slash is a robust .342/.420/.605, although it’s fueled by a .396 BABIP. Regardless, he’s a professional hitter. Against righties this season, he’s batting .361 and has hit eight of his 10 home runs against them. Ross Stripling has reverse splits as he’s more effective against lefties than righties. All his home runs have been served up to righties and the slash is .371/.420/.661 against them, albeit in 13.2 innings.

John Means – P ($9,400 DK)  

Means has been fantastic to start the season. The FIP is 2.91 while the swinging strike rate is 15.4 percent. He’s struck out 53 batters in 52 innings while allowing five home runs and 10 walks. The BABIP is a low .182 and the LOB percentage is 100 percent, so he’s had a ton of good fortune. That may not come today, though, as the Rays are 2^nd in strikeouts and 22^nd in ISO against left-handed pitching.

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