DFS MLB Baseball Picks for May 28, 2021

We’ve got a 12-game slate for Friday. There are a ton of weather concerns today so the pool was limited for me today but I think it worked out. For the first time this season, I went for the two highest-priced pitchers on the slate as I didn’t like the lower-priced ones. In addition, I did not actively seek out a stack like I normally do. Instead, because I was so price conscious, I picked and chose the bats, but some mini-stacks developed anyways. I love when that happens. CLE, ATL, NYM, DET, KC, BAL, LAA, and SF are projected for fewer than four runs. CHW and BOS are projected for at least five runs while DET is projected for fewer than three runs. SF/LAD have not had their lines released yet.

MIL/WAS, MIA/BOS, ATL/NYM, and BAL/CHW all have weather concerns. 

Here’s our 50-50 MLB DFS lineup for 5/28/21 (using DraftKings Values)

Salary Remaining          $100

Gerrit Cole ($11,200)

Cole is one of the best pitchers in the game. The FIP is 1.71 while the swinging strike rate is 15.5 percent. He has 92 strikeouts in 64.2 innings and has only issued eight walks. Now he gets a Tigers team that is 2^nd in strikeouts and 22^nd in ISO against right-handed pitching. Yummy.

Carson Kelly ($4,400)

Kelly is one of the best hitting catchers in the league and will likely bat fifth in the order. He has six home runs on the season with a .318/.466/.568 slash. The ISO is .250 while the walk rate is 19.5 percent with a 16.9 percent strikeout rate. Now he gets to face Johan Oviedo who has a 6.07 FIP in 15.2 innings. He’s walked nine while serving up three home runs.

Pavin Smith ($3,300)

Smith will likely bat second in the Diamondbacks lineup. He has four home runs and one stolen base on the season. The walk rate is only 5.4 percent but he had double-digit walk rates in every minor league season. The strikeout rate is only 16.8 percent and the ISO is a respectable .141. He’s been much better against right-handed pitching this season with a .291/.331/.433 slash compared to .186/.250/.2 against lefties.

Adalberto Mondesi ($2,800)

Mondesi has played two games since missing the entire season so far. The strikeout rate is always high and he doesn’t walk often, but Mondesi has double-digit home run power and he’s one of the fastest players in the league. The price is too cheap for his upside. Now he gets to face Randy Dobnak, who has an 8 percent swinging strike rate and served up four home runs in 20.1 innings. 

Adolis Garcia ($3,500)

Yes, the strikeout rate is 28.8 percent but he has 16 home runs and five stolen bases on the season! The disrespect is making me angry! The slash is .288/.324/.619 and the ISO is .331. The BABIP is .313 so it’s not like he’s been getting super lucky. Garcia has also been successful against both righties and lefties. 

Here’s our full 50-50 MLB DFS lineup for 5/28/21 (using DraftKings Values)

Salary Remaining          $100

Walker Buehler ($10,400)

Buehler throws high-90s and has a 12.6 percent swinging strike rate. The FIP is 3.35 since he’s allowed eight home runs in 58.1 innings. The 59 strikeouts are good but a little disappointing considering his stuff. Regardless, he usually starts off slow to start then picks it up towards the end of the season. He gets a Giants team that is 1^st in strikeouts against right-handed pitching. They are 8^th in ISO so there is some risk but I like the upside here.

Josh Rojas ($3,600)

Rojas is another piece of the Diamondbacks who is cheap and isn’t a zero. The ISO is .194 and the slash is .299/.362/.492. He has five home runs and two stolen bases on the season. I went over Johan Oviedo earlier. 

Josh Donaldson ($4,000)

Donaldson has a .306/.419/.500 slash with a .194 ISO against left-handed pitching this season. Kris Bubic is a lefty who hasn’t allowed a home run yet. He’s due! Against righties, the K-BB rate is 0 percent while the FIP is 3.71.  

Andrew Benintendi ($3,400)

Benintendi bats third in the lineup for the Royals and gets to face off against Randy Dobnak. I went over Dobnak earlier. Benintendi has an 8.9 percent walk rate and 18.3 percent strikeout rate. The ISO is only .104 but he has a career .158 number. The slash is a more than respectable .282/.344/.387. He has five home runs and six stolen bases.

Justin Upton ($3,300)

Upton has 10 home runs and two stolen bases on the season. He’s been the leadoff hitter for the Angels over the last three games. The slash is ugly at .204/.277/.430 and the strikeout rate is 32.7 percent. That said, the ISO is .225 and Upton can go on epic heaters.

Alternative Moves…

Kyle Lewis – OF ($3,400 DK) – Lewis doesn’t have eye-popping numbers. He has four home runs and two stolen bases while the slash is .243/.344/.369 with a .126 ISO. He bats cleanup, though, and gets to face Jordan Lyles, who has a 5.11 FIP and has allowed 10 home runs and issued 18 walks in 50 innings.

Ian Anderson – P ($9,700 DK)         

Anderson has a 3.31 FIP and an 11.8 swinging strike rate. He’s struck out 53 batters and allowed only four home runs in 51 innings. He has walked 21 batters, though. That said, he faces a Mets team that, while they don’t strike out often, are are one of the most inept offenses in the league – 29^th in ISO against right-handed pitching.

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