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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on August 20th, 2019. Joel Bartilotta's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
After a meager nine-game slate on Monday and some light weather, we’re back to a full slate here on Tuesday with very few weather issues. In fact, we have one doubleheader, so it’s going to be a wild day of baseball.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/20/19. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays.
Be sure to also check out all the Vegas Odds for today's slate. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like FanDuel, and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @Bartilottajoel
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Michael Pineda, MIN vs. CWS ($8.900)
I’ve been on Pineda all season and I don’t understand why he doesn’t get more credit. This might be a bold statement but Pineda is posting ace-like numbers for his career. In fact, the Minnesota right-hander has a 3.51 career xFIP to pair with a 24 percent K rate. His consistency has been incredible recently, allowing three runs or fewer in 14 of his last 15 starts. He’s been particularly good even more recently, pitching to a 2.94 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 8.7 K/9 rate over his last 10 starts. The matchup may be the best part about using Pineda though, as he faces a White Sox team who ranks 26th in K rate, 28th in runs scored, 24th in OBP, 27th in OPS and 25th in xwOBA. That’s why Pineda enters this game as a –220 favorite with this potent offense behind him.
Aaron Sanchez, HOU vs. DET ($6,800)
Sanchez might be the best per-dollar play on the board. Since joining the Astros, he’s been a different pitcher. Over his last five starts, Sanchez is pitching to a 4.00 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 10.3 K/9 rate. That’s the stud that we saw between 2014-16, who generated a 2.86 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. Facing the Motor City Kitties is only a bonus, with the Tigers ranked bottom-three in K rate, runs scored, OBP, OPS and xwOBA. Not to mention, Sanchez enters this game as a –360 favorite.
DraftKings DFS Infielders
Carson Kelly – C, ARI vs. COL ($4,100)
Kelly is always my top catcher on the board anytime he faces a lefty. So far this season, Kelly is posting a .384 AVG, .481 OBP, .765 SLG and 1.246 OPS against left-handed pitching. Those ridiculous numbers look even more intriguing against a guy like Kyle Freeland, who’s pitching to a 7.09 ERA and 1.61 WHIP this season. Kelly is raking right now too, hitting four doubles and nine homers over his last 93 at-bats.
Rhys Hoskins – 1B, PHI at BOS ($4,400)
Hoskins is hard to fade anytime he faces a left-hander, especially a bad one. We get just that with Brian Johnson, as the Red Sox lefty is pitching to a 6.45 ERA and 2.01 WHIP this season. That’s truly scary in a place like Fenway Park, particularly when you see that Hoskins has a .455 OBP and 1.021 OPS against lefties for the year.
Max Muncy – 2B, LAD vs. TOR ($4,600)
It’s always a difficult task to choose a decent second baseman but Muncy is always one of the safest options on the board. The reason for that is because he has a .380 OBP, .554 SLG and .934 OPS since joining the Dodgers last year, which is complemented by an ISO just shy of .300. Muncy is feeling it right now too, collecting four homers and 10 RBI over his last seven games. Not to mention, he gets the platoon advantage against Sean Reid-Foley and we’ll go over that more in our shortstop write-up.
Nolan Arenado – 3B, COL at ARI ($5,400)
Arenado always sees a price drop when he leaves Coors Field but this is definitely one of the situations where we can capitalize on that mistake. The reason for that is because he faces a lefty who is due for some major regression. In fact, Alex Young’s 5.15 xFIP is really frightening considering he has a 9.72 ERA and 2.16 WHIP over his last two starts. We haven't even discussed Arenado’s absurd splits, with the potent righty tallying a .371 AVG, .450 OBP, .734 SLG and 1.184 OPS against southpaws since 2017. In addition, Arenado has eight homers in his last 12 games, if you needed more incentive.
Corey Seager – SS, LAD vs. TOR ($4,000)
We foreshadowed our love for the Dodgers in our Muncy recommendation and Seager may end up being the best value on the team. The reason for that is because of this matchup, with Seager and the Dodgers facing Redi-Foley's unsightly 5.14 xFIP and 1.57 WHIP. Those are ugly numbers, particularly against a hot hitter like Seager. Over his last 12 games, Seager has seven doubles and three homers while posting a .355 OBP, .524 SLG and .879 OPS against right-handers for the year.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Mike Trout, LAA at TEX ($5,500)
I feel like recommending Trout is a bit of a scapegoat but he’s probably the best option on the board. Let’s begin with his recent form, with Trout collecting 19 homers, 35 runs scored and 39 RBI over his last 36 games en route to a .436 OBP, .809 SLG and 1.235 OPS. Those are eye-popping numbers but it’s even more difficult to overlook this stupendous matchup. Not only does Trout get to hit in a friendly ballpark like Globe Life Park, he also gets the platoon advantage against Joe Palumbo and his 11.00 ERA and 1.78 WHIP.
Ian Desmond, COL at ARI ($4,100)
Much like Arenado, Desmond is much better with the platoon advantage in his favor. In fact, Desmond has a .302 AVG, .619 SLG and .976 OPS against left-handers this year. That’s huge against a pitcher who has a WHIP north of 2.00 over his last two starts and it’s incredible just how low this Desmond price is. He finally had a good week last week too, providing a .421 OBP over his last five games heading into this matchup.
Franmil Reyes, CLE at NYM ($3,600)
I wanted to get in the Franimal because he has too much potential to be priced below $4,000. We’re talking about a guy with a .494 SLG and .255 ISO, much thanks to the 29 dingers he’s hit this season. What makes him an enticing option here is that he gets the platoon advantage against Steven Matz, who’s pitching to a 4.59 FIP and 1.35 WHIP this season. Since joining the Majors last year, Reyes has a .360 OBP, .533 SLG and .892 OPS against left-handers.
