Three MLB Stacks to Target: Friday, May 17th
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.
Saint Louis Cardinals (6.4 implied run total)
The Cardinals are the premier team to target on Friday night as they travel to hitter-friendly Globe Life Park in Arlington. St. Louis will square off against Opener Jose Leclerc and long reliever Adrian Sampson. Sampson has had a difficult start to the season as he’s already given up seven HRs in 36 innings pitched and is the owner of a 5.25 ERA (5.14 SIERA).
Matt Carpenter ($3,200) and Paul Goldschmidt ($3,900) are the Cardinals top options. Both guys have struggled a bit this season but this is a perfect spot for them to break out of their slumps. Marcell Ozuna ($4,100) has been the Cardinals best hitter this season and arguably has the highest upside on the team as he’s already slugged 13 HRs on the year. Paul DeJong ($3,900) has also had a strong year offensively and is a good way to round out your four-man Cardinals stack. If digging a little deeper, Kolten Wong ($3,100), Dexter Fowler ($2,900), Jose Martinez ($3,200), Yadier Molina ($2,900), and Yairo Munoz ($2,000) can all be used in tournaments as a way to differentiate your Cardinals stack.
Los Angeles Dodgers (5.4 implied run total)
The Dodgers are one of the trickier stacks to figure out on Friday night. Anthony DeSclafani has been dominant against right-handed hitters this season (.243 wOBA) but continues to struggle mightily against left-handed hitters (.380 wOBA this season; .359 wOBA for his career). The Dodgers have a ton of left-handed power bats but my concern is that the Reds have three left-handed relievers in their bullpen and Dave Roberts has a quick pinch hit trigger. With that said, I’m still interested in stacking Dodgers lefties in tournaments but understand there’s pinch-hit risk for guys like Joc Pederson ($3,100) and Max Muncy ($2,800).
While Pederson and Muncy do have pinch hit risk both have tremendous power against right-handed pitching and both are underpriced for the matchup at HR-friendly Great American Ballpark. Cody Bellinger ($4,500) is the top Dodgers option in terms of raw projection but is also the most expensive option. Justin Turner ($3,500) doesn’t have the platoon advantage but hits right-handed pitching well and doesn’t carry the same PH risk as some of his teammates. Corey Seager ($2,900) hasn’t shown a ton of power as of late but has an accessible price tag and can be used in four-man stacks.
Texas Rangers (5.3 implied run total)
While the Cardinals are likely to be one of the higher owned stacks of the night, the Texas Rangers may go a bit overlooked despite their high implied run total. People don’t like stacking against good pitchers and Mikolas qualifies as one as he’s been solid in terms of run prevention the last couple of seasons. The biggest knock against Mikolas is that he doesn’t miss any bats (16.1% strikeout rate), which can be troublesome if he’s not hitting his spots and generating soft contact.
Willie Calhoun ($2,100) is likely to be the highest owned Rangers hitter as he’s racked up two HRs and six hits in his first two games since being called up to the Big Leagues. Joey Gallo ($4,000) is always an elite tournament option due to his power and Friday is no different. Shin-Soo Choo ($3,800) and Nomar Mazara ($3,100) are adequately priced and are strong options – Choo has flashed more power over the last two seasons with a .214 ISO against right-handed pitching. Rougned Odor ($2,500) will look to carry over his power stroke after hitting two HRs in Kansas City yesterday. Asdrubal Cabrera ($3,100), Danny Santana ($3,200) and Ronald Guzman ($3,000) are the remaining Rangers hitters I would consider stacking and all are projected to be less than 3-percent owned.