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.
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are in an eruption spot tonight. According to FanGraphs, among pitchers with at least 110 innings, Patrick Corbin has had the highest ERA (7.02), 1.41 higher than the second-highest mark. Corbin has also had the third-highest homers per nine innings (1.71) among the same group. So, he's toast.
The veteran lefty has been at his worst against righties. Corbin has been tattooed for a .539 slugging and .397 wOBA by 411 right-handed batters this year. Chicago's upside is also elevated by relievers on the Washington Nationals. Washington's relievers have had the seventh-highest ERA (4.32) this season. As a result, the Cubs should feast tonight.
Nick Madrigal ($2,600) is a nifty punt atop the order. However, my favorite options from the Cubs pack a punch. Specifically, I love Willson Contreras ($3,500), Patrick Wisdom ($2,900), Seiya Suzuki ($2,900), and Nelson Velazquez ($2,300). Since 2019, Wisdom and Contreras have had a .262 ISO and .269 ISO against lefties. Meanwhile, this year, Suzuki and Velazquez have had a .205 ISO and .375 ISO against southpaws.
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins don't have as ideal a matchup as the Cubs, but Zack Greinke is still a favorable draw. In 19 starts, Greinke has had a 4.29 ERA. Sure, that's an eye-catching mark to stack against. However, Greinke's 5.27 Expected ERA (xERA), 4.52 xFIP, and 4.74 SIERA are inviting numbers to stack against.
Greinke has also been giving to lefties and righties. He's coughed up a .333 wOBA to lefties and a .320 wOBA to righties in 2022. Additionally, the Kansas City Royals' bullpen has been lousy, owning the third-highest ERA (4.67) this year.
Since Greinke has had just a 13.5 percent strikeout rate this year, I'm inclined to lean into Minnesota's most power-packed hitters since they can exploit his pitch-to-contact approach. As a result, Carlos Correa ($3,100), Jorge Polanco ($3,200), and Byron Buxton ($3,700) are the standout picks. Since last year, Correa has had a .203 ISO against righties, bested by Polanco's .235 ISO, and headlined by Buxton's .325 ISO.
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees were blanked last night. They'll have a chance to redeem themselves against another lefty tonight. That's great since they lead MLB in wRC+ (126) and ISO (.220) against southpaws this season.
Sadly, the southpaw they're opposing is a challenge. In 15 starts, Jeffrey Springs has had a 2.92 ERA and 3.26 xFIP. In addition, the Tampa Bay Rays' bullpen has been outstanding, carrying the seventh-lowest ERA (3.37) into tonight. Thus, the Yankees aren't a safe stack.
But, of course, their upside is undeniable. So, the Yankees are an attractive GPP stack, especially since they shouldn't be chalky. Aaron Judge ($5,100) is the top dog in the offense, but Gleyber Torres ($3,100) is a high-upside pick in his own right. Since 2019, Torres has had a .348 OBP, .228 ISO, and 133 wRC+ against lefties.
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.