Each day here on numberFire, we'll be providing you with four potential offenses to stack in your daily fantasy lineups. These are the offenses that provide huge run potential on that given day based on matchups and other factors.
After reading through these suggestions, make sure to check out our daily projections. These can either let you know which players to include in each stack, or which guy best complements said stack.
Another great tool is our custom optimal lineups, which are available for premium subscribers. Within the tool, we've added the option to stack teams -- you choose the team you want to stack, show how many players you want to use within the stack, and the tool will create a lineup based on this that you can then customize.
Now, let's get to the stacks. Here are the teams you should be targeting in daily fantasy baseball today.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays are facing a left-handed, fly-ball pitcher. If you need more explanation than that, then we should evaluate our friendship.
Okay, so part of this may also have to do with Henry Owens' 4.46 SIERA. Lil homie is coming off of a game in which the New York Yankees pounded him for seven runs in 1 1/3 innings, which doesn't exactly fit the definition of ideal. So let's ride -- yet again -- with the bats that have brought so much Gucciness into our lives this season.
At some point, we should probably talk about the pricing on Josh Donaldson. He has almost gotten to the point where, not only is he priced above a bunch a pitchers, but he would almost not even be a punt at that position. How does that happen? Anyway, you can still do a Blue Jays stack without him. The boost that hitters in front of a batter who is in the top 10 in the league in wOBA receive is larger than you may expect. This is also true for those behind him as they will have higher RBI totals. Sure, it would be great to have Donaldson, but the Jays have enough quality hitters to make up for it, especially when you factor in what Donaldson adds to their value.
Tampa Bay Rays
This is another game in which a young, left-handed pitcher who has struggled this season is facing a team that kills lefty pitching. The Rays may not be as sexy or have as high of a ceiling as the Jays, but they come at a much lower price, and they can still bop it.
Over his past five outings, Matt Boyd has struck out 11 batters, walked 10, and allowed 7 home runs. Not great, Bob!. This has brought his xFIP to 5.35 through his first 37 2/3 innings in the majors. He's still only 24, so this isn't some sort of condemnation of his future, but 2015 is probably not a year of which he'll have fond memories.
Yesterday, the Rays were also facing a lefty, and they stuck Mikie Mahtook into the two hole. He doesn't have much Major League experience, but between all levels, he has a .279/.331/.457 slash against lefties this year. He ended up going 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored, so it paid off for those who used him at minimum price. If he hits in the two hole again today, you can consider him. However, he was pinch-hit for later in the game when a righty was on the mound, so that's a considerable risk, and his numbers still don't blow you away. It's hard to pass up that salary at the top of the order in a plus matchup, but just know that it does come with a good deal of risk.
San Francisco Giants
I could really go either way with this one as both the Giants and the Arizona Diamondbacks are good stack candidates. However, the tie-breaker here was wRC+. You're getting the Giants -- who rank eighth in wOBA despite playing in a pitcher's park -- out of the black hole and into the launch pad that is Chase Field. Their wRC+ against righties (107) easily bests the Diamondbacks at 95. The Diamondbacks aren't a bad option, but I'll have more Giants, personally.
Last year, Chase Anderson really had a solid rookie campaign, posting a 3.78 SIERA in 114 1/3 innings. He has cut down on his walks and increased his ground-ball rate this year, so why has his SIERA soared to 4.31? His strikeouts have been slashed down to just 6.07 per nine innings from 8.27 per nine in 2014. The Giants have the fifth-lowest strikeout percentage in the league against righties, so no reprieve is on the horizon. Because of this, I'm fine with using the Giants as either a cash-game or tourney stack.
In the transition from San Francisco to Arizona, there are certain players who will benefit more than others. Although Chase Field hasn't been a great park for home runs this year, its expansive outfields still benefit fly-ball hitters. Marlon Byrd, Brandon Crawford, and Brandon Belt all have fly-ball rates of 36.0 or higher coupled with above-average hard-hit rates. All three have dong potential tonight and at least one or two should be a part of a Giants stack.
Kansas City Royals
I was digging Kyle Gibson hardcore earlier in this year. It looked as though he had figured out how to rack up strikeouts, something that had eluded him over the course of his career to that point. Unfortunately, those new-found ways appear to have slipped away in the second half, to the point where he is once again a stack candidate. My inner Twins fan weeps.
Since the All-Star break, Gibson has made nine starts. He has allowed at least five runs four separate times. His strikeouts are back down to 6.62 per nine innings, while his walk rate has jumped up to 3.40 per nine. Those are numbers that are very much conducive to targeting in fantasy, especially when he's facing the team that ranks fourth in wOBA against right-handed pitchers.
Because the Royals are a team that doesn't possess a whole lot of power, you have to make sure you're looking for the higher-upside plays as opposed to just those near the top of the order. For example, the last time they were (almost) at full health and facing a righty, Eric Hosmer hit fourth with Kendrys Morales fifth, Mike Moustakas sixth and Salvador Perez seventh. Those are four of their top five guys in isolated slugging against righties, with Alex Gordon -- who hadn't yet returned from the disabled list -- being the other. When a team does this, a) UGH WHY, but b) I'm not opposed to a mid-order stack in tourneys. It's risky because if the three-hitter records the final out, you're missing out on three to five additional plate appearances. The upside, though, is pretty significant, as they should also see lower ownership. It's not something I'd do often, but in certain situations, it may be the best option.