Danny Duffy (SP, KC) - Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups

Brady Grove profiles Kansas City southpaw staple Danny Duffy as a potential waiver wire acquisition of value for fantasy baseball leagues in Week 7 of the 2020 MLB campaign.

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues

ROSTERED IN: 26% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Danny Duffy has put in a ton of work for the Royals over the years as both a starter and occasional reliever, and after a couple of seasons where he appeared to be losing his touch, Duffy is back to some good old Danny Duffy business and, from a Fantasy Baseball perspective, might be looking better than ever. Through his first seven starts, the World Baseball Classic alum has netted a 4.11 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 2.6 BB/9, and a career-high K/9 for the already strikeout-seeking lefty of 10.3.

The 1.4% drop in walk rate and 7.1% jump in strikeout rate would be exciting enough for those interested in Duffy, but "Bear" has made improvements in several key areas across his 35.0 IP for 2020 that make his success all the more reliable and worth betting on. While his BABIP is low at .244, it is exactly what you would expect when Duffy increases his grounder rate to 37% with a subsequent drop in his line drive rate down to 18.5%, which is paired with his 35.9% hard contact rate (down 3.2%) and a 19.6% soft contact rate, his best mark since his first MLB season in 2011.

He has slightly altered the way he deploys his pitching repertoire (less slider, more curveball and changeup), and the slight difference has made a big impact, with a 1.7% increase in outside swing rate and a 9.5% drop in his outside contact rate, leading to more whiffs and lesser quality of contact in whole. He still gives up a lot of dingers at 1.5 HR/9, and Kansas City might not give him ample run support in any given start, but if Danny Duffy is keeping free trips to first base at a minimum and fanning six to eight batters in an average 5.0 inning start, his ownership rate should be stories higher than 26%, even if the Royals don't win a single game for the rest of the season.