2018 Midseason MLB Analysis - Starting Pitcher Risers and Fallers in K% As we reach the non-official midpoint of the MLB season, now seems like as good a time as any to take a look at some pitchers who've seen the most dramatic upticks or downslides in their strikeout percentages. We'll take a look at what could be causing the changes and whether their first half numbers could continue for the rest of the season. Also be sure to check out our MVP, Cy Young and Biggest Surprise picks for the first half. Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB optimizer and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! First time with MLB? Be sure to read our free MLB Ebooks on building lineups, general strategy and more. We've got you completely covered.   Biggest Risers Gerrit Cole - HOU 2018: 35.2 K% 2017: 23.1 K%  Diff: 12.1% The Astros made a splash in the offseason trading a haul of prospects (with Musgrove at the core) for Cole. The latter was coming off a solid season that saw him post just under a strikeout an inning with an xFIP right at 3.81. He was a solid major league starter with pedigree, but those numbers wouldn’t blow anyone away. This season? His numbers are blowing people away. He’s made such a tremendous leap with the strikeout stuff, completely outpacing his previous best K% season (24.3% back in 2015). It helps moving to one of (if not) the best analytics teams in all of baseball. The Astros and Cole have reconfigured his approach, essentially ditching the sinker and changeup (he threw them 18% and 11% of the time respectively last season) in favor of a slider and curveball combo to compliment the fastball. It’s not that he didn’t throw those pitches last season, it’s just that he’s throwing them more now. It’s working. He’s posting the second-highest K% in the majors behind Chris Sale (37.2%) and because of the new approach, I see the number sticking in this range. It’s always tough, from a projection standpoint to assume a single season’s gains are sustainable after a big sample size that would suggest otherwise, but I think it’s the case with Cole. According to FanGraphs linear pitch values, the slider and curveball have been devastating to opposing hitters and have only served to strengthen the fastball. It’s all working and it sure seems like Cole will stick with the elite tier of strikeout guys in the majors. Patrick Corbin - ARI 2018: 30.4 K% 2017: 21.6 K% Diff: 8.8% Speaking of players using a...

DFSR's Daily Fantasy MLB Podcast for FanDuel & DraftKings Tuesday 6/27/17 The DFSR crew of James Davis and Doug Norrie break down a full Tuesday in baseball with a ton to talk about. They start with Max Scherzer and how high his ownership will be considering the price. He’s clearly the best pitcher on the slate with his K rate and season stats. The Cubs haven’t been all that good this season, though some of that is BABIP-related. They also discuss plenty of other arms like Luis Severino, James Paxton, Justin Verlander, Kenta Maeda and Drew Pomeranz in the starting pitcher two slot on DraftKings. For the stacks the discuss just how garbage Hector Santiago has been this season and how the Red Sox are coming rather cheap for such a good matchup. Then there’s the Blue Jays, Indians and Reds. All of this and more on a full Tuesday in baseball for DraftKings and FanDuel. Be sure to subscribe...

DFSR's Daily Fantasy MLB Podcast for FanDuel and DraftKings - Tuesday 4/20/17 DFSR’s Doug Norrie and James Davis take to the baseball podcast to discuss a smaller evening slate in the majors with only seven games on the docket. They start off talking pitching and comparing/ contrasting the four big arms going here. Noah Syndergaard and Stephen Strasburg both stand out in the upper tier and we can make a case for both in cash games. Then in the $9K range we have James Paxton and Carlos Martinez. Paxton’s been amazing to start the season and hasn’t allowed a run yet. Meanwhile, Martinez has had electric K stuff but struggled with the walks. On the offensive/ stack side of things the guys discuss the Orioles going against Scott Feldman in Great American Ballpark and the Royals facing off against Andrew Cashner in Arlington. All of this and more. Be sure to subscribe...

Daily Fantasy MLB Weather Report 7/19/16 We’ve got Mark Paquette from MLB DFS Weather bringing you daily reports on today’s baseball slate. He’ll point out the where the sun is shining, any trouble spots around the league and where the wind may be in your favor. Be sure to to also give him a Twitter follow at @mlbdfsweather A quieter night weatherwise than last night. Sure, there was only 1 delay last night (a delayed start in COL) but there were a handful of games that I was watching carefully. Tonight does not seems as busy as STL and COL will be the pair of games I will have to watch the closest. WSH, KC and maybe PHI will need to be watched as well but should be...

Daily Fantasy MLB Weather Report 6/5/16 We’ve got Mark Paquette from MLB DFS Weather bringing you daily reports on today’s baseball slate. He’ll point out the where the sun is shining, any trouble spots around the league and where the wind may be in your favor. Be sure to to also give him a Twitter follow at @DFSWeatherMark Now’s your chance to get DFSR Pro with MLB Optimal Lineups, Projections and Player Cards. Or try a free trial of our base package with projections for every player. While the seasons overlap, you'll get access to our tools for the NBA and NHL as well! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! First time with MLB? Be sure to read our free MLB Ebook on building lineups, general strategy and more. We've got you completely covered. Check out last night's MLB Picks to get you started Brief Summary: PPD Threats: None Delay Threats: CLE(40%), DET(50%), BAL(35%), PHL(40%), PIT(35%), BOS(25%) Good Hitting Environments: CLE, BAL, PHL, DET, BOS, TEX Poor Hitting Environments: MIA, SD, LAD Forecasting Analysis:                                                           KC at CLE A line of tstorms associated with a cold front will approach during the game. 1 PM simulated radar: Looks like an in-game delay threat for sure! LOW CHANCE OF A PPD, MODERATE CHANCE OF AN IN-GAME DELAY                                                   CHW at DET The same line of tstorms mentioned above will affect DET about an hour or so earlier. By 2-3 PM these tstorms should be out of the Motor City's hair. LOW TO MAYBE MODERATE CHANCE OF A PPD (SINCE THIS GAME MAY NOT START DRY); MODERATE CHANCE OF SOME TYPE OF DELAY(S)                                              NYY at BAL, MIL at PHL Tstorms, some severe, will rattle the mid-Atlantic region today. I will lump these 2 games in because they start at the same time and of how close they are to each other. 1 PM simulated radar: So they both should start dry. Whenever a game starts, they do everything in their power to finish it, or at least go the 5 innings they need it to become an official game. Seems like things do not get real nasty this far east until around 4 PM: Hopefully, by this time, both these games are over or very close to being done. There is some risk that tstorms could pop up at any time this afternoon to cause a delay earlier than 4 PM. LOW PPD RISK, MODERATE TO HIGH DELAY RISK ESPECIALLY LATER IN THE GAME                                                     ...