Saturday, Aug. 22, get your EARLY slate stacking advice courtesy of Awesemo.com right here. Bonus time, MAIN slate advice follows for the 7:05pm ET action on DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo and SuperDraft. Before you lock in your MLB DFS lineups and MLB DFS picks, make sure to check out check out Awesemo’s DFS baseball MLB rankings and projections.
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For Saturday’s MLB Live Before Lock Show click here
Greetings, Gamers! We have a solid three game slate beginning at 4pm ET. Then at 7pm ET we get a glorious ten-gamer, so be sure to tune in to Live Before Lock.
Similar to last year, I will be providing a review of one stack for each of the day’s slates. Some of these short-slate options will be good for the full-game set, others will be more contrarian and better suited for the mini-game sets.
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MLB DFS Afternoon-Slate Picks
Milwaukee Brewers at LHP Derek Holland – 5.4 implied runs
For those of you that are new to Daily Fantasy Sports aka DFS, it is all about the math. Yes, that is not fun, but it is the world we live in today. Saturday’s early three-game slate say roster Max Scherzer and then look to Brewers bats. The less than obvious move is next…
With regards to the early slate on DraftKings, the key is to move down in buy-in levels and allow yourself the chance to shine in the large field tournaments. Of course the second step is much more difficult as you will now need to differentiate your rosters. The best leverage option is to run right into the teeth of the most popular opposing pitcher, however, that is not the most strategic option.
Our purposes need us to be both savvy and spendthrift and most gamers are not willing to check both boxes. Leave them behind and realize what feels so wrong, is also going to likely be the best contrarian path to success. While it will feel chalky on the two-pitcher sites, looking to the Brew Crew on the early slate is a solid option. The key is going to be “spending up” on Christian Yelich in a lefty/lefty situation… the rational is behind the paywall.
MLB DFS Main-Slate Picks
Cleveland Indians vs. LHP Matthew Boyd – 5.4 implied runs
Friday’s “main” slate stack recommendation was also Cleveland. The analysis covered how RHPÂ Michael Fulmer was in over his head. Though he “only” gave up one home run with five earned runs, we are back in the mix on Saturday. Only in the wildness of 2020 would we need to apologize for Friday’s recommendation my friends.
The best part about Cleveland is that we typically have four unique position players at the top of their lineup who are switch-hitters. Over his last 1,300 righties faced, Boyd has allowed a 1.81 HR/9 with a 39.8 HH%.
We all are fully aware that Jose Ramirez, Cesar Hernandez and Francisco Lindor are the trio to target first. Carlos Santana is a smooth option and Franmil Reyes packs some light-tower power. Jordan Luplow is someone to consider in tournaments for the home run upside with just two or three at bats.
Related MLB DFS Content
- Spotlight Hitters
- MLB Cram Session Part 1
- MLB Cram Session Part 2
- MLB Cram Session Part 3
- Top MLB DFS Stacks, Quick Hits
- The MLB Strategy Show Live Before Lock
MLB DFS Late-Slate Picks
Arizona Diamondbacks at LHP Tyler Anderson – 4.8 implied runs
Poor LHPÂ Tyler Anderson has to go from spending his first four season in Coors Field, to now pitching in Coors Field West. Oh wait, you have not heard my theory about how the Oracle Park renovation was just a cover story? Well draw up a chair dear reader and enjoy the trip down the rabbit hole that follows.
The Giants have now played a dozen games at home this season. On average, 12.75 runs are being scored in each contest. San Francisco is averaging 7.5 while their opponents are averaging 5.25. These are some eye-popping figures to say the least. Here are the specific stadium changes I have covered in my articles previously:
This offseason, the bullpens in Oracle Park were moved away from territory into center field to facilitate a change in terrace seating. This effectively brought in the fences six to nine feet and shortened “Triples Alley” as well.
Here are the 2020 Oracle Park dimensions (courtesy of BallParkDigest):
Left-Field Foul Pole: Stays at 339 feet
Left-Center Field: 399 feet (down from 404 feet)
Center Field: 391 feet (down from 399 feet)
Right-Center Field (Triples Alley): 415 feet (down from 421 feet)
Right-Field Corner: Stays at 309 feet
Look, it was just a six-game sample size, but some increase in offense was the desired result of the change. Keep in mind that this park has been the best pitchers park FOR YEARS, but wouldn’t it be just a little fun to be in on any potential changes before The Masses?
Just how crazy is EMac?
The weather will be favorable for pitchers with a game time temperature in the mid-60s. However, it just does not feel like the same “jam in the pitchers” scenario that we have grown so accustomed to in years past. Why such an uptick in runs? Is it the ballpark changes, crummy pitching, more 2020 randomness or just a quirky small sample size? My oddball theory is that MLB is using “juiced” balls to boost the offenses in San Francisco similar to how humidors are utilized in Colorado and Arizona to keep offenses somewhat in check.
Back to the task at hand, yes RHPÂ Zac Gallen is very viable as a “cash game” pitching option. Though I cannot endorse LHPÂ Tyler Anderson in a similar fashion.
Across the last 724 righty/lefty matchups, Anderson is allowing a 1.58 HR rate with a .212 ISO. Against fellow lefties, it has been even worse. Since 2018 they have hammered him with a 2.23 HR/9 and a .247 ISO.
Starling Marte and Ketel Marte (no relation) and Eduardo Escobar lead the way as some of the best options on the entire full-slate. For some stacking or late-slate differentiation consider Carson Kelly, Christian Walker, Nick Ahmed and Kevin Cron (yes, he is C.J.’s brother).
As always, you can reach out to me in Awesemo.com Premium Slack or on Twitter @EMacDFS if you have any questions or want to discuss anything MLB DFS related.
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