Stacks are an integral part of daily fantasy baseball. They can push a team to the top of a GPP by driving upside. However, they're also viable in cash games, namely smaller (two-person or three-person) stacks that mitigate the volatility of a full four-person stack.
This article is your home throughout the 2022 Major League Baseball season for the day's top stacks. The primary goal is to identify the highest-scoring upside stack. Still, game theory will play a role in contrarian stacks making the cut as GPP options. Nevertheless, chalky stacks will make appearances in this space, too.
Beyond my analysis in this space, I strongly suggest numberFire premium members using our DFS Sharpstack tool and hitting heat map tool. The DFS Sharpstack helps plug stacks into optimized lineups, allowing you to change parameters and lock or exclude players and teams. Meanwhile, the heat map offers a one-stop-shop for the opposing starting pitcher, implied total, park factor, and other notable goodies.
Now, let's look at the top stacks on today's main slate.
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees can take out their frustration from blowing yesterday's game on a washed-up lefty tonight.
Mike Minor has had a 6.63 ERA in seven starts in 2022. In addition, according to FanGraphs, in 253 and 1/3 innings since 2020, Minor has been drilled for a 5.40 ERA and 1.74 homers per nine innings. Thus, this year isn't a fluke. Instead, it's a continuation of ineptitude.
The righty-laden Yankees are in an enviable spot, facing a lefty who struggles with righties. Since last year, Minor has allowed a .341 wOBA to 686 right-handed batters. He's also coughed up 33 homers. Further, Cincinnati's bullpen has had the highest ERA (5.35), more than a half-run higher than the next-worst mark.
The Bronx Bombers are the top stack tonight, and they're an excellent option to max out at four hitters. Aaron Judge ($4,200) and Giancarlo Stanton ($3,800) are the lock-button top-two options. However, Gleyber Torres ($3,000) and Josh Donaldson ($3,100) are excellent selections, too. Since 2019, Torres has had a .232 ISO against southpaws, and Donaldson has had a .261 ISO.
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres have scored only nine runs in their first two games of the series at Coors Field. Thankfully, they have another chance to enjoy the luxurious hitting conditions tonight.
Moreover, Chad Kuhl and the Colorado Rockies' bullpen are desirable matchups. Kuhl has allowed at least four runs in back-to-back starts and four of his last six. In those games, he's had a 5.40 ERA and 5.24 xFIP. Colorado's bullpen is also a tire fire. They've had the second-highest ERA (4.74) this season.
Manny Machado ($4,500) is always the most exciting option in a Friars' stack. However, he's not a must-use option. Instead, it's appealing to use lefties, such as Jake Cronenworth ($3,700), Eric Hosmer ($2,900), and Nomar Mazara ($2,900). Since last year, Kuhl has allowed a .477 slugging and .359 wOBA to 377 left-handed batters. As a bonus, dumping Machado from this stack makes it affordable enough to use with the Yankees and an ace.
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a possibly sneaky and contrarian GPP stack in a stellar matchup. Spenser Watkins has had a 4.15 ERA in 11 starts totaling 47 and 2/3 innings that don't scream to stack against it. However, his 5.37 xFIP and 12.6% strikeout rate are much more stack-friendly numbers.
Watkins has also been a punching bag for all hitters since last year. Since 2021, the young righty has allowed a .343 wOBA to lefties and .400 wOBA to righties. Additionally, the righties have teed off for a .583 slugging. Thankfully, the Cubs have a few righties with top-shelf power.
Patrick Wisdom ($3,400) has had a .260 ISO against righties since last year. Rookie Christopher Morel ($3,300) has touched up righties for a .234 ISO. Beyond Wisdom and Morel, gamers can get creative filling out their stack. The Cubs aren't a necessary target in cash games, but they're a sweet GPP option.
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.