Welcome to MLB DFS Quick Hits for FanDuel & Draft Kings Contests for Thursday, August 20th, 2020
We have a smaller 8 game slate tonight that locks at 7:05 PM EST. There are aces galore tonight with one, in particular, you’ll see in most lineups. There are some nice offenses to pick from as well tonight so there’ll be no shortage of bats. In these DFS quick hits, you’ll see my:
Pitching Plays – My top two pitching plays of the night. The opposing team’s effectiveness against pitcher’s handiness, K rate, and wRC+ are just a few of the items considered here.
Happy Hitters – One corner infielder, middle infielder, and two outfielders who should be smiling at the end of the night. Hitter’s platoon splits, ISO, and wOBA are just a few of the items considered here.
Let’s Get Weird – I will give one hitter and one pitcher lesser owned that MIGHT have a chance to boom but an equal chance to bust. In other words, a dart throw that could set you apart in GPP’s. Your decision if you want to live dangerously.
Let’s dive right into today.
Top MLB DFS Plays for 8/20
Pitching Plays
- Shane Bieber ($10,600 DK / $12,000 FD) – No duh. 4-0 with a 1.34 ERA and 54 SO’s in just under 35 IP. The Pirates strike out 25% of the time against right-handers and have a dreadful 53 wRC+ against right-handers. He’s worth paying up for if you can afford him. He’s a cash game staple for today.
- Dinelson Limet ($8,500 DK / $9,400 FD) – He’s one of the guys I truly believe has broken out this season, throwing his slider this year over a whopping 50% of the time! This is important because the Rangers rank 25th as a team against the slider. The Rangers also rank 3rd from the bottom with a .124 ISO against right-handers. A great pivot play.
Happy Hitters
- Corner Infield: Mitch Moreland ($4,800 DK / $ 3,300 FD) – This due RAKES against righties, with a 218 wRC+ and an insane .556 ISO. Asher Wojciechowski (that took longer to look up than type) is giving up 2.4 HR/9 this year and a career 5.61 ERA. I expect Mitch to dong tonight.
- Middle Infield: Jake Cronenworth ($2,500 DK / $2,400 FD) – Jake is definitely worth getting in your lineup today. See the pun I did? Ok, anyway, he is facing Kyle Gibson who is ranked towards the bottom of every 2020 MLB percentile ranking on Baseballsavant. He has a 1.0 BB/K ratio and a .176 wRC+. His teammate who shares the middle infield with him will overshadow him, but don’t sleep on Jake.
- Outfielder #1: Jesse Winker ($3,400 DK / $ 2,700 FD) – We don’t question when someone gets the hot hand. We just ride it. A 0.9 BB/K rate and a blistering .499 wOBA. In his last 7 games, he’s 13/20 with 5 HR’s! This is a great matchup for Winker as he’s always done well against right-handers. Maybe he’ll wink after he homers?
- Outfielder #2: Anthony Santander ($4,300 DK / $3,400 FD) – Another player who is crushing the cover off the ball. Santander is not as complete a hitter as some may think, hitting only .167 against off-speed pitches this season. Good thing he’s going against Nathan Eovaldi, who throws LOTS of fastballs. Santander is hitting .352 against fastballs and Eovaldi’s hard-hit percentage and exit velocity are some of the worst among starting pitching. Great opportunity for the salamander here.
Let’s Get Weird
- Yusei Kikuchi ($5,700 DK / $6,500 FD) – This is getting REALLY weird. I would play this to be contrarian for sure, in a day when many will see Dodgers in this matchup and stack up. When you look closer at the numbers, the Dodgers are actually one of the worst teams against Left-Handed pitching. They are hitting .209/.292/.345 as a team against lefties and have a 79 wRC+. He has alternated good and bad starts this year so play carefully with this one.
- Renato Nunez ($4,200 DK / $3,200 FD) – I’m not always a fan of batter vs pitcher history, however, I’m making an exception here with this bold call. Nunez is OWNING Eovaldi, going 6/9 with 2 HR’s against him in his career. There’ll be a lot of offense in this game and Nunez could be a big part of it.
Make sure to follow me on twitter @DMendy02 and tag me if I helped you win some cash. Good luck!
If you’re also into the season-long thing, check out the top players to buy and sell in dynasty leagues.
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