Three MLB Stacks to Target: Friday, May 31st
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 (7.6 implied run total)
Edwin Jackson, now pitching for his 14th Major League team, will toe the rubber against the Colorado Rockies in Coors. The Rockies have the highest implied run total we have seen this season against Jackson, who has allowed 14 earned runs in 14 innings pitched this season and has already given up five HRs. Colorado will be the most heavily owned stack of the night but it’s tough to avoid grabbing exposure to a team in such a good spot.
Trevor Story and Nolan Arenado are the highest priced Rockies but also two of the best plays on the entire slate. David Dahl, Daniel Murphy, Ryan McMahon, and Raimel Tapia will all have the platoon advantage against Jackson who has allowed some gaudy numbers to left-handed hitters (.343 wOBA) throughout his career. I am less inclined to use Chris Iannetta (or Tony Wolters) in stacks on FanDuel where a catcher isn’t required but he will be the lowest owned Rockies player by a wide margin.
Cleveland Indians (5.8 implied run total)
Cleveland gets a park upgrade as they travel to Chicago to take on Dylan Covey and the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. I didn’t think it was possible but Covey has actually been worse this season with a massive 6.97 SIERA. Covey has proven incapable of missing bats (11.2% strikeout rate) and has already given up five HRs in just 26.1 innings pitched this season.
Similar to the Rockies, the Indians’ top options Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez are SS and 3B eligible. Ramirez has struggled mightily this season which makes him a fine fade at high expected ownership if you’re looking to differentiate your Cleveland stacks. Jason Kipnis is likely to be the highest owned Indians hitter and is a strong option at a weak second base position. Carlos Santana and Jake Bauers both have power upside while Oscar Mercado, Leonys Martin and Greg Allen have more upside on the basepaths.
Texas Rangers (5.4 implied run total)
Texas disappointed on Thursday night in a posh matchup against Jakob Junis but will get the chance to redeem themselves against Danny Duffy. The Rangers have fared much better against right-handed pitching this season which has me a little hesitant to go heavy on them in my MLB lineups. Guys like Joey Gallo, Nomar Mazara, and Shin-soo Choo who are typically the Rangers top targets are left-handed and won’t have the platoon advantage against Duffy. Despite not having the platoon advantage, Joey Gallo still has tremendous HR upside and is likely to see very little ownership on tonight’s slate which makes him an ideal multi-entry tournament option. Elvis Andrus, Hunter Pence, and Logan Forsythe are the Rangers top right-handed hitters to target.