After a dominant start to the 2024 MLB season with a 0.89 ERA over his first five starts of the season, Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray has allowed at least five runs in back-to-back starts and now his ERA has risen to 3.05 on the season. Gray and Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman may not be the most physically imposing starting pitchers with Stroman standing and 5-foot-7 and Gray at 5-foot-10, but they've carried a taller presence on the mounds of their careers. Stroman has a 3.33 ERA over nine starts with the Yankees this season and starts on Monday against the Mariners, so should daily Fantasy baseball players include either of these pitchers in MLB DFS lineups on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings?
Shohei Ohtani had his first walk-off hit with the Dodgers on a single in the 10th inning on Sunday and the two-time MVP has proven his move to the National League and any off-the-field distractions aren't affecting his performance. Ohtani leads the sport in OPS (1.080) and slugging percentage (.658), so should you include him in MLB DFS picks? Before locking in any MLB DFS picks for Monday,be sure to check out the MLB DFS advice, strategy and projections from SportsLine daily Fantasy expert Mike McClure.
McClure is a daily Fantasy pro who has won more than $2 million in his career. And when it comes to daily Fantasy baseball, McClure is at his best. Recognized in the book "Fantasy Football (and Baseball) for Smart People: How to Turn Your Hobby into a Fortune" as a top MLB DFS player, McClure's proprietary projection model simulates each game 10,000 times, taking factors such as matchups and recent results into account. This allows him to find the best values on every site.
On Saturday, McClure highlighted Royals SP Seth Lugo as his top-ranked starting pitcher on both sites. The result: Lugo struck out 10 batters over 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits with one walk, returning 47 points on FanDuel and 28.55 on DraftKings. Anybody who included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
Now, with the 2024 MLB season rolling, McClure has locked in his top MLB daily Fantasy picks for Monday, May 20. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
McClure's top MLB DFS picks for Monday
One of McClure's top MLB DFS picks for Monday is Astros third baseman Alex Bregman at $2,900 on FanDuel and $4,200 on DraftKings. Bregman reached base safely three times in five plate appearances on Sunday, including a double and scored a run in a 9-4 win over the Brewers. Bregman is hitting .333 with a 1.037 OPS with three home runs, eight RBI and eight runs scored over his last 11 games since May 9.
After a slow start to the 2024 MLB season for both Bregman and the Astros, things are trending toward the high expectations and previous success in Houston. The Astros are 9-2 over their last 11 games, which coincides with Bregman's increased performance. Houston had a four-game sweep over the Athletics followed by winning two of three games over the Brewers with Bregman's offensive performance as a key piece in those victories. Bregman has plenty of experience against Angels probable starter and left-handed pitcher Reid Detmers with 16 career plate appearances and although he only has two hits, he's drawn four walks for a .375 on-base percentage. McClure expects Bregman to continue his strong hitting against the Angels on Monday.
McClure is also targeting Brewers second baseman/third baseman Joey Ortiz ($3,500 on DraftKings and $2,800 on FanDuel). Ortiz enters on a six-game hitting streak and has also scored at least one run in each of those six games. The 25-year-old infielder has a slash line of .333/.391/.738 with an OPS of 1.129 over 13 games in May. He hit .455 last week, the seventh-best batting average in baseball, with two home runs, four RBI and seven runs scored over that span.
Ortiz still comes at a cheaper price point despite his strong May and coming off one of the best weeks in baseball. Ortiz was selected in the fourth round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Orioles and had 33 at-bats over 15 games after making his MLB debut last year. The Brewers acquired Ortiz in a package in exchange for star pitcher Corbin Burnes this offseason. Ortiz has proven ready for the majors and has taken advantage of his opportunity in Milwaukee. The Marlins are scheduled to start left-handed pitcher Ryan Weathers, who has allowed at least three runs in four of his last five starts, and McClure sees Ortiz as an asset to MLB DFS lineups at his price.See McClure's full MLB DFS player pool at SportsLine.
How to set your MLB DFS lineups for May 20, 2024
McClure is also targeting an undervalued player who is set to explode for huge numbers on Monday. The stars are aligning for him to return tournament-winning value and he comes at a price that won't break the bank. You can only see who it is, and get the rest of McClure's MLB DFS picks, here.
So what are the top MLB DFS picks for Monday?Visit SportsLine now to see DFS millionaire Mike McClure's complete player pool and picks for FanDuel and DraftKings, all from the DFS expert who has won more than $2 million.
