Three MLB Stacks to Target: Friday, May 10th
Stacking has become a common strategy used in tournaments on FanDuel. The concept is simple – roster multiple players from teams with the best MLB odds to score the most runs.
This article will take a closer look at the three teams on FanDuel’s main slate with the highest implied run totals.
Los Angeles Angels (6.4 implied run total)
The Los Angeles Angels have one of the highest implied run totals that we have seen this season as they travel to hitter-friendly Camden Yards to square off against the terrible Dan Straily and a poor Orioles bullpen.
Mike Trout ($4,600) is not only the best option on the Angels but the best overall play on the slate. Trout will be heavily owned but rightfully so. Shohei Ohtani ($3,500) is back playing and has a ton of power upside. Tommy La Stella ($3,100) also gives you a little bit of pop as he has nine home runs on the season and hit two more yesterday. If looking to finish off a full 4-man Angels stack you’re left with Kole Calhoun ($3,400), Brian Goodwin ($3,200), and Albert Pujols ($2,900). I listed them in order of preference. I don’t have much interest including either Jonathan Lucroy or David Fletcher in my stacks and am lukewarm about rostering Andrelton Simmons.
Interesting Angels side note: Andrelton freaking Simmons is tied for the league lead in hard-hit balls (95+ mph) this season. Don’t get overly excited as Simmons has an xWOBA of just .275, which is remarkable considering his number of hard-hit balls.
Boston Red Sox (5.9 implied run total)
The Boston Red Sox have a huge implied run total, are home facing off against a poor pitcher in Erik Swanson and still may not be heavily owned simply due to the size of the slate and a large number of strong hitting options. Swanson has been adequate for the Mariners through 23.2 innings pitched this season but hasn’t missed many bats (16.7% strikeout rate) and has had difficulty generating soft contact (15% soft-hit rate). Not missing bats and allowing a lot of hard-hit balls is not exactly a recipe for success, especially when pitching at Fenway against a potent Red Sox offense.
The top Red Sox hitters are unsurprisingly the most expensive in Mookie Betts ($4,400) and J.D. Martinez ($4,000). Currently, our ownership projections at RotoGrinders have Martinez being the higher owned option (12% vs 9%) of the two. Boston’s remaining outfielders in Andrew Benintendi ($3,900) and Jackie Bradley ($2,200 are arguably the next best options in terms of point-per-dollar projections. Mitch Moreland ($3,700) and Rafael Devers ($3,300) can both give you a little bit of pop and are projected to be two of the lowest owned Red Sox hitters – I like playing one or both of them if you’re looking to stack Boston hitters but are looking for a way to differentiate a bit. Xander Bogaerts ($4,200) is one of the top shortstop options on the slate but he’s also priced like it which should help to keep him relatively low-owned.
Colorado Rockies (5.7 implied run total)
The Rockies hung 12-runs and racked up 14-hits when they squared off against a below-average lefty at Coors yesterday. They’ll get to take on another below-average lefty on Friday as they host Eric Lauer and the Padres. Nolan Arenado ($4,800) and Trevor Story ($4,600) are expensive but are absolutely elite options as they are the top plays at their respective positions. It will be important to pay attention to the Rockies lineup. Both Mark Reynolds ($3,000) and Ian Desmond ($3,400) drew the start yesterday and will likely slot into the Rockies lineup again with a southpaw on the mound. Both guys have strong career numbers against left-handed pitchers and make for good point-per-dollar options. Charlie Blackmon ($4,300) is unlikely to see heavy ownership due to the lefty/lefty matchup and strength of the outfield position. I love using Blackmon in tournaments because of his low expected ownership despite leading off in an awesome run scoring environment. Garrett Hampson ($2,500) is the cheapest Rockies hitter and is fine to include in your stacks if looking to save a little salary somewhere.