Sunday, June 6, wraps up the weekend with an enticing set of matchups. Let’s get into the top MLB DFS picks for pitchers and stacks for Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel.
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MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Pitchers and Top Stacks, Sunday, June 6
Yahoo Stack of the Day: Miami Marlins vs. RHP Chad Kuhl — 4.3 implied runs
Looking to target Chad Kuhl with lefties is rarely a bad starting point any time he takes the mound. Across his last 153 righty/lefty matchups, Kuhl has allowed 1.75 homeruns per nine innings and a whopping 16.3% walk rate. The top priority is Corey Dickerson ($11), who has above-average power and is no stranger to the hitting environment in PNC Park, having spent the better part of two seasons with Pittsburgh.
Kuhl is not particularly effective against same-handed hitters, with a below-average 18.7% strikeout rate and 1.50 homeruns per nine innings. This opens the door for Adam Duvall ($14) and Jesus Aguilar ($14), who both can mash against same-handed hurlers. Finally, there is a strong likelihood that rookie Jose Devers will be leading off today. While he has only one home run in 738 minor league at-bats, he has 37 stolen bases, which would project out to around 25 in a full major league season.
Mid-Afternoon Slate
Kansas City Royals vs. RHP Bailey Ober — 4.9 implied runs
Today marks the second career start for Bailey Ober. While he stands at an imposing 6-foot-9 and had above-average strikeout success in the low-minors, this is very deceptive. Ober’s fastball is not fast at all, topping out in the 87 to 88 mph range with a mid-80s average.
He will turn 26 next month and profiles best as a multi-inning reliever who should not go through the order more than once in a game. If hitters are able to get comfortable with his unorthodox combination of height, delivery and mediocre speed, he is going to be in trouble. In his debut against the White Sox Ober threw 82 pitches across four innings, allowing two homeruns, four runs, six baserunners and struck out four.
Even without Adalberto Mondesi, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, the Royals have a nice combination of contact, speed and power through most of their lineup. Andrew Benintendi and Carlos Santana have been solid additions, with both giving protection to leadoff man Whit Merrifield. Merrifield leads the league in stolen bases and Kansas City is second overall in that category. Salvador Perez is locked in right now and will either be behind the dish or serving as the designated hitter. Finally, Hunter Dozier and Jorge Soler provide cheap power upside, though both have massive strikeout rates, landing them in the tournament-only bucket.
Late Slate
San Diego Padres vs. RHP Marcus Stroman — 4.1 implied runs
After the Padres faced Jacob deGrom last night, Marcus Stroman is going to seem like a walk in the park. Stroman leans on his elite 55.0% groundball rate with a hint of strikeout upside that can appear from time to time against lesser batters. While he does not cede much power, he does allow a 75% contact rate, which means there will be a lot of balls in play. This bodes well for a lineup like San Diego, which does not have many easy outs.
The usual suspects will be the primary targets: Fernando Tatis Jr, Manny Machado, Eric Hosmer, Tommy Pham and Wil Myers. Depending on where they land in the batting order, Jake Cronenworth and Jurickson Profar are also solid differentiation options with the luxury of being in this loaded lineup, which is leading to opposing pitchers giving them better offerings than they would typically see.
Spotlight Pitchers
Top Target: RHP Corbin Burnes vs. Arizona Diamondbacks — 3.0 implied runs
While Corbin Burnes has been saddled with a hefty salary of $11,000 on DraftKings and FanDuel, neither site includes the Coors Field game on their Sunday main slate, so there is no need to advocate salary for those lineups. The Diamondbacks are coming into this matchup with a miniscule 3.0 implied run total. While the roof is slated to be open in Milwaukee today with afternoon temperatures in the mid-80s, that is the only real knock against Burnes.
Since 2019, Burnes has faced 674 batters and has an outstanding 2.90 xFIP, 35.6% strikeout rate and a solid 47.3% groundball rate. The conversion to full-time starter has clearly been a successful endeavor, and his 13.9 strikeouts per nine innings and 0.73 baserunners per inning have been a lethal combination for opposing batsmen.
Secondary Option: RHP Sandy Alcantara vs. Pittsburgh Pirates — 3.8 implied runs
The DFS salary algorithms are certainly not aligned in their assessment of Sandy Alcantara today. On Yahoo he is a gimme at $39, particularly with the Rockies game included on their main slate. With eight quality starts in 12 appearances this season and going six-plus innings in 10, Alcantara is an excellent pivot away from Burnes on FanDuel. When it comes to DraftKings, Alcantara is appropriately calibrated for his matchup with the Pirates. Even with the return of Ke’Bryan Hayes and Gregory Polanco finally showing signs of life, the Pirates still have a below-average offense against right-handed pitchers.
Wild Card: RHP Dane Dunning vs. Tampa Bay Rays — 4.5 implied runs
There is absolutely no reason to turn to Dane Dunning on Yahoo or FanDuel, though on DraftKings he is one of the cheapest pitchers who is not an opener, and from a salary-per-pitch perspective there is utility in his discounted 75 to 80 pitches. The other alternative would be Ober, discussed above. Literally any outcome is in play with Dunning today in a tricky matchup against Tampa Bay. In his five most recent starts he has tallied 8.9 DraftKings points at the Rockies, -3.0 at the Angles, 22.5 against the Yankees, 1.0 at the Astros and 25.9 against the Mariners. Plus, he Rays have a league-leading 116 wRC+ this season against right-handed hurlers.
Final Thoughts for the Sunday, June 6 MLB DFS Slate
The weather is warm once again, and outside of a couple aces, the pitching is suspect. This should lead to a very exciting tournament environment with several viable strategies. As always, be mindful 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.
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