3 Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks for Tuesday 8/10/21
Stacks are the backbone of cashing daily fantasy baseball lineups. Correlation drives upside, creating the potential to place high or even win GPPs when your selected stacks explode offensively.
This column will do the digging and the dirty work to determine which stacks are worth rostering each day. Scoring upside will fuel the stacks that get the nod. Sometimes that will lead to chalky selections, but contrarian stacks will get their fair share of love too.
In addition to utilizing the touted daily stacks in handbuilt lineups, numberFire premium members can throw these highlighted stacks into an optimized lineup using our DFS Sharpstack tool. Our hitting heat map tool is also available to premium members looking for more stacking options. It provides valuable info such as implied total, park factors, and stats for identifying the quality of the opposing pitcher.
Let's take a look at the top stacks on today's main slate.
St. Louis Cardinals
A look at where the St. Louis Cardinals rank against lefties this year won't knock your socks off. In fact, according to FanGraphs, they rank 19th in weighted runs created plus (97 wRC+). However, five of their lineup mainstays against lefties have recorded a mark north of a 125 wRC+ in 2021.
As for the lefty in question they're facing, that's the underwhelming Steven Brault. The 29-year-old lefty made his season debut on August 4, lasting four innings. In 11 appearances (10 starts) spanning 42 and 2/3 innings in 2020, he spun a highly respectable 3.38 ERA. Still, don't be fooled, as his 12.4 percent walk rate, 21.3 percent strikeout rate, and 5.07 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) are more insightful regarding the quality of his work.
The veteran lefty has faced 1,097 righties in his career, ceding a .339 weighted on-base average (wOBA) to them. Not coincidentally, my favorite options on the Red Birds are either right-handed hitters or switch-hitters who will face him as righties.
Tommy Edman ($2,900) and Nolan Arenado ($3,700) are my favorite options. The former has a .242 isolated power (ISO) and 126 wRC+ against lefties this season. Arenado's been even more destructive against lefty offerings, with a .349 on-base percentage, .303 ISO, and 153 wRC+. Tyler O'Neill ($3,500) and Dylan Carlson ($3,400) represent the remaining two hitters who complete my favorite four-person stack.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays acquired Nelson Cruz before the trade deadline, adding another established lefty-killer to a lineup in need of one. As a result, they're a better lineup than being tied for 21st in wRC+ (94) against lefties this year would suggest. Also, unsurprisingly, Nelly and his .391 on-base percentage, .210 ISO, and 154 wRC+ against lefties this year is one key cog I suggest rostering from this stack.
Cruz is always in the mix whenever a lefty takes the hill, and he and his teammates get a boost tonight from the opposing lefty, Eduardo Rodriguez, who's struggling mighty this season. E-Rod has a bloated 5.33 ERA in 21 starts. Sure, his 3.49 SIERA indicates bad luck has had a hand in his struggles. However, my favorite options have the bona fides to use even with the expectation of eventual regression dropping E-Rod's ERA.
Randy Arozarena ($3,700) is presently on the COVID injured list, but a return tonight is possible because he didn't test positive and was merely identified as a close contact. He has a .361 on-base percentage, .253 ISO, and 147 wRC+ against lefties this year.
I'm also enamored with rookie Wander Franco ($3,000). The switch-hitting infielder hasn't made a seamless transition to the Majors, but he's hammered lefties, recording a .373 on-base percentage, .269 ISO, and 160 wRC+.
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants boast a top-five offense against righties. Specifically, they're tied for fifth in wRC+ (109). Additionally, they rank first with a .201 ISO. Zac Gallen isn't the caliber of pitcher to dissuade me from stacking San Francisco.
He has a 4.62 ERA and 4.14 SIERA in 13 starts lasting 62 and 1/3 innings. Further, this will be the Giants' second look at him in less than a week and the fourth matchup with him this year. Gallen hasn't fared well in this National League West showdown, allowing 10 earned runs in only 10 and 1/3 innings, resulting in an 8.71 ERA.
San Francisco's stackable from top to bottom. But my favorite options are LaMonte Wade Jr ($2,900), Brandon Belt ($2,800), and Brandon Crawford ($3,200). Belt's 140 wRC+ is the lowest in the trio. Crawford's .249 ISO is the lowest in the group. In summary, they're knocking the cover off the ball. Additionally, they all project to claim a top-four lineup spot.
Joshua Shepardson is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Joshua Shepardson also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username bchad50. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
