Chris Sale has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since making his MLB debut in 2010. His biggest obstacle as of late has been staying healthy, but for daily Fantasy baseball players, long-term health doesn’t matter. He’s healthy now and when he is, he’s one of the top options in the MLB DFS player pool. Sale is second in baseball in WHIP (0.91) and eighth in ERA (2.71) over his 16 starts this season.
Sale is facing the Diamondbacks on Monday in his first season with the Braves and Arizona is averaging nine runs per game over its last five contests, so is Sale worth the high price he’ll cost to be included in MLB DFS lineups? If you spend up on Sale as your pitcher, who are some values in the MLB DFS player pool to fill MLB DFS picks in Monday’s limited schedule? 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 identified Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene as one of his top pitchers in the MLB DFS player pool as one of his top MLB DFS picks. The result: Greene tossed seven shutout innings, scattering three hits with two walks and seven strikeouts, returning 46 points on FanDuel and 26.75 points 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, July 8. 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 Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz at $6,300 on DraftKings and $4,200 on FanDuel. De La Cruz was named to his first All-Star team this weekend as his speed and athleticism separate him from many of the sport’s other top players. The 22-year-old leads baseball in steals (43) and leads the National League in triples (six). His 43 stolen bases are 14 more than the next-highest player and he is one of only three players with at least 15 home runs and 20 stolen bases this season.
De La Cruz has an .804 OPS this season, which is nearly 100 points better than his rookie year (.710) last season. He already has eight more stolen bases in eight fewer games this year with his .339 on-base percentage (compared to .300 last year) helping him create more opportunities to swipe a bag. De La Cruz was one of the top prospects in baseball before his promotion last year and the 6-foot-5 shortstop has already proven the ability to play with MLB’s best. Ryan Feltner is the probable starter for the Rockies and he has a 5.60 ERA in 17 starts this season, making this a strong matchup for De La Cruz.
McClure is also rostering Twins infielder/outfielder Willi Castro ($4,800 on DraftKings and $2,900 on FanDuel). Castro went 1-for-4 on Sunday after going 3-for-5 with a double, RBI and two runs scored on Saturday. The 27-year-old has reached base safely in six of his last seven games while hitting .271 this season, his best batting average over four seasons while playing at least 90 games. He also has his best on-base percentage (.357) and slugging percentage (.438) over that span for a .796 OPS.
The White Sox are scheduled to start right-handed pitcher Chris Flexen against the Twins on Monday and the 30-year-old has struggled over the last few seasons. He had a 6.68 ERA, including a 7.18 ERA over 16 starts, last season and he opened this year with a 6.41 ERA over his first five starts. Flexen has a 5.08 ERA entering Monday and he has especially struggled against left-handed hitters. Castro is a switch hitter and left-handed batters have a .913 OPS against Flexen this year, which is more than 200 points higher than his OPS allowed to right-handed hitters. See McClure’s full MLB DFS player pool right here.
How to set your MLB DFS lineups for July 8, 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.
