MLB DFS Top Stacks: Saturday, August 19
Taylor Smith walks you through the top stacks for the upcoming MLB main slate. Should we eat the chalk? Which team is a good pivot? Where can we find leverage? Find out below!
MLB DFS is complex. Most articles on MLB DFS picks are about the individual players most likely to succeed on any given day, but the MLB DFS picks most likely to succeed aren’t always the MLB DFS picks we should be most likely to play.
In this space, we will look at the MLB DFS process over the MLB DFS picks. And we’re looking at teams over individual players, using the features of the RotoGrinders Top Stacks tool. We’ll still look at the player projections available in LineupHQ. Still, we’ll be more focused on collective ownership, optimal scores, and matchups of full stacks within the context of game selection and leverage.
DraftKings and FanDuel have slightly different slates tonight, with DK including Game 2 of the ARI/SD, MIA/LAD, and TB/LAA doubleheaders. One thing they have in common is the Coors Field game, however, and that’s where I’d expect most of the stack ownership to congregate. There are still plenty of ways to get different enough to get to the top, though, especially if you decide to take an underweight approach to the CHW/COL affair.
This has the makings of a fun slate, so let’s dive right in.
Chalky Coors – White Sox at Rockies
The White Sox underwhelmed last night in their Coors Field debut, while the Rockies piled up 14 runs in a slate-breaking performance. These two teams have the highest implied run totals again tonight with Kyle Freeland (COL) and Jesse Scholtens (CHW) on the mound. In fact, these are the only teams with totals north of 5 on this slate.
Freeland has been a popular punching bag all year, and with good reason. Any strikeout stuff he had has long since dried up (14.3%), while his 38.8% groundball rate is also the lowest of his career. Without the groundballs, his only positive attribute as a pitcher is control. Freeland has allowed 23 homers through 23 games with a 5.26 SIERA. Just grim stuff all around.
Of course, you can also use “grim” to describe the state of the White Sox lineup. Tim Anderson is suspended and Eloy Jimenez is on the paternity list, which leaves Luis Robert as the lone headliner in an otherwise thin offense. Make no mistake though- this is about as good of a spot as you can possibly dream up for Robert. He’s torched lefties to the tune of a .416 wOBA with a 19.6% barrel rate on the year. Freeland has allowed a .380 wOBA to righties as well.
The saving grace here is that the rest of the White Sox stack is affordable. Lenyn Sosa is min-salary on both sites, while Elvis Andrus and Trayce Thompson grade out as solid values from the right side. Andrew Vaughn (.198 ISO) has been Chicago’s biggest right-handed power threat aside from Robert against southpaws.
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