Three MLB Stacks to Target: Friday, May 24th
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.
Colorado Rockies (6.5 implied run total)
A poor left-handed pitcher against the Rockies in Coors? Yes, please. John Means has been solid for the Orioles this season posting a 2.68 ERA over 43.2 innings pitched but a closer look at his peripherals aren’t encouraging. Despite his low ERA, Means has had difficulty generating soft contact (14%), hasn’t missed many bats (18.8% strikeout rate), and has generally just run pure in terms of run prevention (80.3% strand-rate, .234 batting average on balls in play, 4.64 SIERA). Hard balls in play are not exactly a recipe for success in Coors so it’s unsurprising to see the Rockies with the highest implied run total on the slate.
The two most important pieces (and the most expensive) to a Rockies stack are Nolan Arenado ($4,700) and Trevor Story ($4,600). The remaining players are much more affordable, especially if Charlie Blackmon is unable to suit up with a calf injury. Both Ian Desmond ($3,500) and Mark Reynolds ($3,100) have strong numbers against left-handed pitching for their careers and provide a bit of pop. Raimel Tapia ($3,000), Chris Iannetta ($3,200), David Dahl ($3,500), and Brendan Rogers ($3,100) are the lower-owned options, of which Dahl is my favorite despite not having the platoon advantage. It’s notable that Baltimore only has two lefties in their bullpen, one of which threw 16 pitches yesterday (Paul Fry), so not having the initial platoon advantage isn’t the end of the world as hitters will likely see 2+ at bats against right-handed pitching.
Minnesota Twins (5.4 implied run total)
The Twins are coming off a road trip where they posted some monster offensive numbers, including yesterday’s encore where they put up 16 runs and slugged 8 HRs against the Angels. Minnesota gets another favorable matchup on Friday night as they host Reynaldo Lopez and the White Sox. Lopez is the owner of a 4.99 SIERA this season and a career-low 27.7% ground ball rate. That low of a ground ball rate can mean HR-city if Lopez isn’t hitting his spots and the White Sox righty has already given up 11 long balls in 56 innings pitched this season.
Despite their recent offensive explosions, Twins hitters remain extremely affordable. Eddie Rosario ($4,100) and Jorge Polanco ($4,300) are the only hitters priced north of $4K. All three of Max Kepler ($3,600), C.J. Cron ($3,700), and Miguel Sano ($3,500) have a ton of power and have accessible price tags. Nelson Cruz ($3,700) is also affordable and may go overlooked if he’s activated from the IL in time for Friday’s game.
Oakland Athletics (5.3 implied run total)
The recipe for offensive success for the A’s remains simple – face a left-handed pitcher. While Oakland has struggled against righty pitching this season, they have teed off against southpaws with the league’s fourth-highest wRC+ (118) and second-best ISO (.225). As their .225 ISO suggests, Oakland has a ton of power against LHP littered throughout their lineup. Chad Pinder ($2,600), Matt Chapman ($3,700), Stephen Piscotty ($3,100), and Mark Canha ($2,800) all have ISO’s north of .200 against left-handed pitching since the start of 2018 and are the top Oakland targets. Matt Olson ($3,000) is likely to see low ownership because he doesn’t have the platoon advantage and represents a strong way to differentiate your Oakland stacks. Marcus Semien ($3,500) doesn’t quite have the same amount of power as the other players mentioned but is one of the stronger shortstop options available on Friday’s slate.