FanDuel MLB DFS Pitching Primer for Tuesday 5/21/24

Nailing the pitcher slot is the first step to having success in MLB DFS on FanDuel.

While it's possible to cash if you get a bad outing from a starter, it's markedly easier to do so when you get a good or excellent showing from your pitcher, and it's darn near impossible to take down a contest without a big score from your hurler.

Weighing the importance of a pitcher's skill, salary, matchup and park factors is the game within the game in MLB DFS. This piece is your home for a breakdown of the top pitching options on today's main slate.

All betting references come from the MLB odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. All stats come from FanGraphs and Baseball Savant unless noted otherwise.

MLB DFS Pitcher Picks

Top Options

Yusei Kikuchi, Toronto Blue Jays ($10,500)

The matchup is sublime for Yusei Kikuchi on Tuesday ahead of a clash with the Chicago White Sox at home. The left-handed hurler for the Toronto Blue Jays may not have elite chase rate (27.3%) or whiff rate (24.5%) metrics, but he ranks in the 73rd percentile in strikeout rate (26.3%) through his first nine starts in 2024.

Along with his impressive strikeout numbers, Kikuchi is producing career-best marks in SIERA (3.14), xFIP (3.04), and walk rate (4.8%). Despite pitching just 4.1 innings in his last outing, Kikuchi racked up nine Ks versus the Baltimore Orioles, giving him seven-plus Ks in five of his nine appearances.

At the same time, the White Sox are recording the eighth-highest strikeout rate (24.2%), worst wOBA (.252), worst wRC+ (60), and worst ISO (.099) against left-handed pitching. FanDuel Research's daily projections currently has Kikuchi finishing with the most FanDuel points (37.1) among pitchers on the main slate.

Clarke Schmidt, New York Yankees ($9,900)

Targeting the Seattle Mariners has been a fruitful strategy to begin the campaign, so why would we stray away from that with Clarke Schmidt getting the nod for the New York Yankees at home? Schmidt is sitting in the 75th percentile in whiff rate (29.4%) and 76th percentile in strikeout rate (27.0%) while posting six-plus strikeouts in six of his last seven starts.

The form is also ideal for Schmidt, who has registered 48-plus FanDuel points in back-to-back starts, allowing a combined zero earned runs and a combined 14 Ks in those two contests. New York's rotation has been stellar sans Gerrit Cole thus far with Schmidt logging a career-best SIERA (3.39), xFIP (3.52), and swinging strike rate (12.2%).

The Mariners have been far from pristine against right-handed pitching, tallying the highest strikeout rate (28.9%), eighth-worst wOBA (.300), and 12th-worst ISO (.140) in that split. Marcus Stroman recorded 41 FanDuel points versus Seattle's strikeout-prone lineup on Monday, and there's no reason to believe Schmidt isn't primed for a similar -- or even better -- performance.

Next Men Up

Alec Marsh, Kansas City Royals ($8,700)

There is seemingly a decent-sized gap between the high-salary pitchers and the mid-salary pitchers on Tuesday's main slate. Nevertheless, it's tough to ignore what we've seen from Alec Marsh of the Kansas City Royals in recent outings.

Even though Marsh is in the 42nd percentile in xERA (4.11) and 29th percentile in xBA (.262), he's posted 33-plus FanDuel points -- with six-plus strikeouts -- in three of his last four starts. What makes Marsh a viable option versus the Detroit Tigers is the fact he's permitting just a .219 wOBA, .245 SLG, and 0.86 WHIP to left-handed bats, compared to a .384 wOBA, .545 SLG, and 1.55 WHIP to right-handed bats this year.

Detroit's projected lineup has three left-handed hitters in the first five spots of their batting order, and there's a chance we see them deploy five or six lefties. The upside is undoubtedly there for Marsh as the Tigers also have the seventh-highest strikeout rate (24.1%) when going up against right-handed pitchers.

Gavin Stone, Los Angeles Dodgers ($8,300)

Gavin Stone isn't an overly exciting pitcher to insert in your lineup, but he's been getting the job done in recent starts. The 25-year-old starter for the Los Angeles Dodgers is ranked in just the 11th percentile in strikeout rate (15.8%) with fewer than five Ks in five of his eight times on the bump this season.

Although the Arizona Diamondbacks aren't a team we typically target for strikeouts often with the 12th-lowest strikeout rate (21.1%), they do have the 5th-worst wOBA (.298), 6th-worst wRC+ (92), and 5th-worst ISO (.133) versus right-handed pitchers. Additionally, Stone has scored 31-plus FanDuel points in four consecutive starts.

Los Angeles is also letting Stone pitch deep into games he's given up one earned or fewer in his last four outings, and he's accrued three wins and four quality starts in that span. Taking pitchers on the Dodgers isn't the worst idea when they tend to be favored -- especially at home -- with a daunting lineup that can provide plenty of run support.

Value of the Day

Aaron Brooks, Oakland Athletics ($7,300)

On Tuesday, Aaron Brooks will be making just his second start in the majors since 2019. Brooks made his season debut for the Oakland Athletics his last time out, pitting him against the Houston Astros on the road.

The 34-year-old journeyman would respond by striking out five batters and allowing three earned runs in seven innings en route to putting up 31 FanDuel points. Brooks will now make his home debut this season versus the Colorado Rockies, who have the fourth-highest strikeout rate (26.3%), 10th-worst ISO (.136), and fourth-worst wRC+ (82) versus right-handed pitching.

Brooks is far from a safe play as he hasn't pitched much in the majors in recent years, and we don't have much of a sample size to go off of this season. On the other hand, he's pitching at Oakland Coliseum -- which has the lowest home-run park factor (71) among ballparks in 2024 -- and he doesn't need to do much to provide value.

Quick Mound Visits

Garrett Crochet ($10,000) is always an intriguing option as he possesses plenty of strikeout upside with a dominant 33.7% strikeout rate. The concerns with Crochet are the fact he's proven to be susceptible to having forgettable outings at times -- allowing five-plus runs in three starts -- and the Blue Jays boast the second-lowest strikeout rate (17.7%) against southpaws.

Kyle Bradish ($9,100) would be a much better option if he was consistently pitching deep into games. While Bradish is in the 80th percentile in strikeout rate (27.9%), and the St. Louis Cardinals own the 10th-highest strikeout rate (24.0%) to righties, he has yet to pitch more than five innings in 2024. There's also a chance weather is an issue in the Baltimore Orioles-St. Louis Cardinals matchup on Tuesday.

Cristian Javier ($8,500) bounced back after surrendering seven earned runs to the Tigers by recording a season-best eight Ks and allowing zero earned runs to the Athletics in his last start. Even though the Los Angeles Angels have been swinging a hot bat in recent contests, they still have the ninth-highest strikeout rate (24.0%) against right-handed pitchers.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.