MLB DFS & Player Props Picks: Sunday (5/12)

Sunday slates are always challenging, but we love that almost every team plays simultaneously. We typically have every team starting between 1 ET and 4 ET, with one Sunday Night game not making the cut. That gives us many players to talk about, but it makes for a difficult player pool to dissect. With that in mind, let’s dive into this Sunday MLB DFS slate! Here are my top MLB DFS picks and player prop bets for Sunday’s baseball action.

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Today’s MLB DFS & Player Props Picks

Sunday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings

Zack Wheeler (PHI) at MIA
Wheeler was one of the top pitchers in season-long leagues, and he genuinely looks like the frontrunner for the NL Cy Young. The Phillies ace has scored at least 21 FanDuel points in all eight starts this season, compiling a 1.64 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 11.5 K/9 rate. That’s scary for Miami in a pitcher’s haven like Marlins Park, with Miami ranked 29th in OBP and wOBA. We’ve also seen Wheeler record a quality start in four straight matchups with the Marlins, which is why he’s a -250 favorite.

Seth Lugo (KC) at LAA
Lugo has quietly had a fantastic season in KC, collecting a 1.92 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. He’s also scored at least 28 FD points in all but one start and struck out 22 batters across his last three outings. He should keep that form against a lackluster LA lineup that plays without Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and Anthony Rendon. The last time he faced them, Seth scored 37 FanDuel points!

Bailey Ober (MIN) at TOR
Starting a pitcher in Toronto used to be a terrifying endeavor, but that hasn’t been the case this year. The Blue Jays rank 24th in OPS and 26th in runs scored, doing even worse against the right-handers. That’s scary with how Ober has been obliterating his opponents, obtaining a 2.55 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, and 8.7 K/9 rate since getting blown up in the opener.

Bryse Wilson (MIL) vs. STL
People have been sleeping on Wilson, and it’s hard to understand why. He’s been dominant since moving into the rotation, registering a 2.40 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. He’s also scored 37 and 40 FD points in his two most recent outings and shouldn’t struggle with St. Louis. The Cardinals rank 27th in wOBA, and 29th in runs scored.

Suggested Lineup Stacks

Cleveland Guardians (vs. Michael Soroka)

• Road (Guaranteed Rate Field)
• Game Total/Moneyline: 8.5 Runs/CLE -165

The Guardians have been a sneaky offense all season, ranked eighth in runs scored. They’ve also been much better against righties, with Jose Ramirez, Josh Naylor, and Andres Gimenez all having the platoon advantage from the left side. That’s bad news for Michael Soroka, who has a 6.37 ERA and 1.54 WHIP since the start of last season.

Minnesota Twins (vs. Alek Manoah)

• Road (Rogers Centre)
• Game Total/Moneyline: 8.5 Runs/MIN -140

The Twins have been a difficult lineup to trust, but they’ve been feeling it over the last few weeks. They’ve averaged over six runs per game over the last three weeks, ripping off a 13-game winning streak in that span. That’s hard to overlook against a gas can like Manoah, who allowed six runs in his debut last week while generating a 6.21 ERA and 1.77 WHIP since the start of last season.

Core Studs

• We had Ramirez in yesterday’s article, and we’re going back to him for all the same reasons. The All-Star has scored at least 18 FanDuel points in five of his last six games and should continue to slice this subpar Chicago pitching staff. It puts J-Ram on his more favorable left side, and he gets to face a pitcher with a 6.34 ERA and 1.59 WHIP!
• Witt was the third player in MLB history to reach 50 homers and 90 steals through his first 350 games! That’s a testament to how absurd this guy is, ranked as a top-three position player in that span. We love that since he faces a struggling southpaw, Patrick Sandoval is sporting a 4.85 ERA and 1.49 WHIP.
• It’s hard to fade Bohm with he way he’s blasting baseball right now. The Phillies third baseman has a .406 OBP and .949 OPS for the year but has a .459 OBP and 1.109 OPS against lefties this year. That’s not far off of his .954 OPS against them since 2022! Bohm has obliterated Garrett throughout his career, compiling a 1.217 OPS against him in 12 at-bats.
• O’Neill shocked St. Louis fans when he had 34 homers and 15 steals a few years ago, and we’re finally seeing flashes of that stud right now. The slugger has a .393 OBP and .999 OPS through the opening month of the year. He also gets the platoon advantage against MacKenzie Gore, generating an ugly 1.47 WHIP. That’s scary since O’Neill has a 1.156 OPS against lefties this year.

Value Plays/Punts

• There are a few cheap Twins we love on this slate, but Larnach is one of the best values out there. He’s got a .345 AVG, .393 OBP, and .938 OPS in a breakout campaign. Most of that damage has come against righties, batting in the Top 5 of the order when they face one. If Manoah is going to keep throwing meatballs, these Twins should throttle him.
• Raleigh is one of the best power-hitting catchers in baseball, hitting 27 and 30 homers in the last two seasons. He’s also got a .470 SLG in that span and is in the middle of one of his home run binges. Cal has homered in four of his last eight outings, posting a .760 SLG in that span. We love that since he gets the platoon advantage against Ross Stripling‘s 5.14 ERA and 1.57 WHIP.
• Kepler and Larnach are a great two-man stack. Kepler has always been in the heart of the Twins lineup when they face a right-hander, with Kepler collecting a .390 OBP and .952 OPS this season. Almost all those at-bats have come against righties, which is incredible since he has a 1.353 OPS across his last 11 outings.
• It’s tough to find White Sox players we want to recommend, but Pham has been scorching since joining the team. The journeyman just signed with them three weeks ago but has a .340 OBP and .840 OPS since then. He’s also crushed lefties throughout his career, which is bad news since Logan Allen has a 6.41 ERA and 1.55 WHIP from the left side.

Sunday’s Top 3 Underdog Fantasy and PrizePicks Player Props

Bailey Ober: 4.5 Strikeouts – Higher

Toronto has been terrible against right-handers, which won’t bode well against a hot pitcher like Ober. He’s cleared this total in three of his last four starts, recording a 9.1 K/9 rate last season.

Trevor Larnach: 0.5 Total Bases – Higher (x0.85)

If we like Larnach for DFS against Manoah, we have to believe he will get over 0.5 bases. This underrated hitter is hitting .345 this season and should get at least 3-4 at-bats to get one hit!

Jose Ramirez: 1.5 Total Bases – Higher

We already talked about how great this matchup is, and it’s hard to overlook that J-Ram has cleared this total in five of his last six games!

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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.