#teams to stack

Daily Fantasy Baseball Advice – Teams to Stack 7/10/14 Late Games

It’s the last getaway day before the All-Star break.  As a disclaimer for today’s stacks – if you plan on using Clayton Kershaw without using a closer, stacking is not the way to go.  You just need to fill out each position with the best values possible.  However, there are still a few offensive stacks I like a lot, so let’s see what we can put together.  As I usually do, I’m avoiding the early…

Hopefully everyone’s baseball season is going smoothly so far!  I’m still raking it in from NBA (MLB slow so far), but stackable teams are starting to take better shape.  To me, there are four tremendous ones that stick out tonight.  I am also going to mention the Arizona/Cubs game as the wind blowing out makes for high upside.  However, rain/thunder remains an issue for that game, so I am not giving it a full write-up among my favorite teams to stack.

An intro to my article: Like I do with basketball, I am going to build on our already great writers’ work and present a different spin in order to give our readers as much knowledge as possible. With baseball, I have found reasonable success in the art of stacking, which involves heavily loading up on hitters from one team. I believe this helps a great deal in baseball as hitters can actually benefit a lot from one another. There are so many players in the player pool that it can be difficult to weed out the values, so I focus my efforts on teams rather than players. There are two things I target when searching for teams to stack each night:

1) Opposing pitcher – If the pitcher is weak, it makes sense to target a group of hitters they’re facing.

2) Splits – I believe splits (lefty/righty, home/away) are the most important stat when it comes to picking daily players. In this article you will see me picking a lot of specific-handed groups of players due to either their success, the pitchers’ failure, or both.

  Detroit Tigers hitters in general

I think Detroit will go crazy tonight.  John Danks is just not the same pitcher anymore, and his splits have neutralized so much where he can’t even handle LHB anymore.  I think all Tigers are in play, but I’m focusing most on Miguel Cabrera (a ridiculous .449 wOBA vs LHP), Ian Kinsler (.392 wOBA), Torii Hunter, and Victor Martinez.  I think Austin Jackson is also a nice option, and Alex Avila is a playable cheap option if he’s in the lineup tonight.

  San Francisco Giants right-handers

I love the COL-SF matchup tonight on both sides.  Jorge De La Rosa has terrible splits against RHB (.344 wOBA allowed), and the Giants have a ton of lefty mashers.  Buster Posey and his .419 wOBA against LHP leads the way in the hitters’ paradise that is Colorado.  Pablo Sandoval has very favorable splits as well (make sure he’s actually playing), and Hunter Pence (.370 wOBA) and Michael Morse (.355 wOBA) round out your stack nicely at low-ish prices.

  Colorado Rockies hitters in general

Like I said, I love this game from both sides of the lineup card.  Ryan Vogelsong has been horrid for the last year, with no success against either handed hitter.  Troy Tulowitzki is by far the best SS going tonight and hits same-handed pitching.  I also love Carlos Gonzalez again (as long as he’s in – he had some injury complaints recently), and Wilin Rosario has big HR upside against Vogelsong.  Charlie Blackmon is a nice choice leading off (price is rising), and Justin Morneau is on a tear right now.

  VALUE STACK – Cleveland Indians left-handers

They may not all be values on every site, but this stack is mostly very usable at not much sacrifice to your pitching staff.  They face Jeremy Guthrie who has allowed a career .365 wOBA and 1.45 HR/9 to LHB.  Jason Kipnis jumps out as the best option (.806 OPS vs RHP), and some of the lesser priced players I like include Asdrubal Cabrera, Nick Swisher, Michael Brantley, and Michael Bourn.  Just make sure you shop around and get the best bang for your buck.

Happy Easter everyone!  I hope you all have a safe and restful (and hopefully lucrative) holiday.  I’m heading out to festivities soon, but I wanted to at least give a brief insight into today before I go.  Moment of silence for the Yankees rotation – Ivan Nova apparently needs TJ surgery :(  Keep your eyes on the various Sunday lineups today.

An intro to my article: Like I do with basketball, I am going to build on our already great writers’ work and present a different spin in order to give our readers as much knowledge as possible. With baseball, I have found reasonable success in the art of stacking, which involves heavily loading up on hitters from one team. I believe this helps a great deal in baseball as hitters can actually benefit a lot from one another. There are so many players in the player pool that it can be difficult to weed out the values, so I focus my efforts on teams rather than players. There are two things I target when searching for teams to stack each night:

1) Opposing pitcher – If the pitcher is weak, it makes sense to target a group of hitters they’re facing.

2) Splits – I believe splits (lefty/righty, home/away) are the most important stat when it comes to picking daily players. In this article you will see me picking a lot of specific-handed groups of players due to either their success, the pitchers’ failure, or both.

Texas Rangers left-handers

Erik Johnson has only indicated a small sample size, but in that time he has been great against RHB (.241 wOBA allowed) and horrid against LHB (.445 wOBA allowed).  As I’ve said a lot this week, the Texas Rangers have some serious righty mashers, most notably in the form of Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo (both of whom have over a .400 wOBA vs RHP).  You also need to use Mitch Moreland, who disappointed us by getting a DNP this week against a crappy righty.  I also like Leonys Martin, who is hot right now.

  Cincinnati Reds hitters in general

Cubs pitcher Carlos Villaneuva has pretty neutral splits, but an incredible propensity for giving up homeruns (over 1.5 HR/9 to both handed hitters).  In Wrigley Field when the wind is blowing out (as it is right now), this can be a boon for hitters on the other team.  I love Joey Votto and Jay Bruce, and I think you can get big homerun upside cheap from righties like Ryan Ludwick and Todd Frazier.

  Colorado Rockies left-handers

Today they get the Roberto Hernandez (the artist formerly known as Fausto Carmona) and his terrible splits vs. LHB.  In his career, he has allowed a .355 wOBA and an .812 OPS to lefties.  I’ve been calling for a huge Carlos Gonzalez big day all weekend, and I am again.  I also like Charlie Blackmon a lot, and Troy Tulowitzki is fairly safe as he hits same-handed pitching well, especially at home.

  VALUE STACK – Tampa Bay Rays right-handers

They are actually not really a value on sites like Draftstreet that price for splits, but you can get very cheap upside most everywhere else.  Vidal Nuno takes on a tough lineup against LHP, led by Evan Longoria, who owns a .391 wOBA and .263 ISO against LHP and has been heating up lately.  I also like Wil Myers who seems to be waking up too.  Cheap options in this game who hit lefties well are Logan Forsythe, Yunel Escobar, and Sean Rodriguez.  I’d be careful with Rodriguez since he’s likely to be pinch-hit for if this game gets into the bullpen.

Yesterday was ridiculously high-scoring.  The Rockies and Rangers paid off handsomely, and the A’s and Angels killed it as well.   Unfortunately the Philly side of that game didn’t go as smoothly, but I’m dipping back into that well tonight.  Remember, value stacking is even tougher on a short night.

An intro to my article: Like I do with basketball, I am going to build on our already great writers’ work and present a different spin in order to give our readers as much knowledge as possible. With baseball, I have found reasonable success in the art of stacking, which involves heavily loading up on hitters from one team. I believe this helps a great deal in baseball as hitters can actually benefit a lot from one another. There are so many players in the player pool that it can be difficult to weed out the values, so I focus my efforts on teams rather than players. There are two things I target when searching for teams to stack each night:

1) Opposing pitcher – If the pitcher is weak, it makes sense to target a group of hitters they’re facing.

2) Splits – I believe splits (lefty/righty, home/away) are the most important stat when it comes to picking daily players. In this article you will see me picking a lot of specific-handed groups of players due to either their success, the pitchers’ failure, or both.

  Colorado Rockies hitters in general Roll ‘em out again!  They went nuts at home against a lousy righty yesterday and get another one tonight.  Kyle Kendrick allows a .356 wOBA to LHB and a .319 wOBA to RHB.  Carlos Gonzalez was actually one of the weaker Rockies yesterday, but I’m calling him the top overall hitter again tonight.  Tulowitzki rakes both handed pitching, so he’s a must too.  Your lineup should be rounded out with Charlie Blackmon, Justin Morneau, and Wilin Rosario.   Milwaukee Brewers right-handers The Brew Crew is one of the most right-hand heavy lineups in the league, so any anytime they face a lefty you have to give them a look.  Wandy Rodriguez allows a .326 wOBA to righties, and Milwaukee has some true lefty mashers: Ryan Braun – .448 wOBA, .306 ISO (those numbers are insane – I changed my mind he’s my top overall play) Jonathan Lucroy – .388 wOBA, .222 ISO Aramis Ramirez – .387 wOBA, .264 ISO Carlos Gomez – .326 wOBA, .188 ISO You also have very cheap values who also mash lefties in the form of Jean Segura and Khris Davis.  This is as good as any other team tonight.   San Francisco Giants right-handers Eric Stults is a decent pitcher, but he struggles against RHB (.337 wOBA allowed), and the Giants have a lot of good righties in their lineup.  Leading the charge is Buster Posey, who owns a .419 wOBA and a .252 ISO vs LHP.  Rounding out your stack should be cheaper players like Pablo Sandoval, Hunter Pence, and the switch hitting Angel Pagan.   VALUE STACK – Philadelphia Phillies hitters in general Yes, this is deja vu, and they did not work out yesterday.  Today is a new game, and they face another garbage RHP (Jordan Lyles – career .350 wOBA vs LHB, .340 wOBA vs RHB).  You should load up on Phillies tonight, led by the power lefties of Ryan Howard and Chase Utley (price shop for him).  I also love Carlos Ruiz cheap, as he hits same-handed pitching very well, and you can find great value in Ben Revere and Cody Asche.  Wipe the slate clean, and lock and load your Phillies tonight.

It’s Friday in the baseball world!  Yesterday the Texas and Seattle stacks treated us well.  I hope the pitchers you all complemented them with came through, as that should have been a recipe for success.  Today I am absolutely going back to the well for Texas, as you will see explained in further detail now.  Good luck, and don’t forget to search for freerolls today!

An intro to my article: Like I do with basketball, I am going to build on our already great writers’ work and present a different spin in order to give our readers as much knowledge as possible. With baseball, I have found reasonable success in the art of stacking, which involves heavily loading up on hitters from one team. I believe this helps a great deal in baseball as hitters can actually benefit a lot from one another. There are so many players in the player pool that it can be difficult to weed out the values, so I focus my efforts on teams rather than players. There are two things I target when searching for teams to stack each night:

1) Opposing pitcher – If the pitcher is weak, it makes sense to target a group of hitters they’re facing.

2) Splits – I believe splits (lefty/righty, home/away) are the most important stat when it comes to picking daily players. In this article you will see me picking a lot of specific-handed groups of players due to either their success, the pitchers’ failure, or both.

Texas Rangers hitters in general

I will be having a piece of Texas’ lineup in almost every entry today.  Felipe Paulino is simply not a good pitcher (career .374 wOBA to LHB, .334 wOBA to RHB).  Compound the fact that he is pitching in Texas which is a hitters paradise, and I can see the Rangers putting up 10 runs tonight.  Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo both have over a .400 career wOBA against RHP, and Alex Rios, Mitch Moreland, Leonys Martin, and Kevin Kouzmanoff are fine additions to the team as well (with some of them providing salary relief as well).  I should remind you that most sites have Kouzmanoff at the minimum, and he has been consistently batting fifth.

Colorado Rockies hitters in general

If you FORCED me to pick one stack tonight it would be Texas, but consider the Rockies “1A” tonight.  They are back in their home park and face Jonathan Pettibone, who is almost as equally horrid to Paulino (career .362 wOBA to LHB, .326 wOBA to RHB).  Carlos Gonzalez (.395 wOBA against RHP) is my top overall play tonight, and I will be paying for the big Rockies RHB as well (Tulowitzki and Cuddyer) who both hit same-handed pitching well.  Charlie Blackmon and Justin Morneau also make fine left-handed additions to your stack, although they are mildly more expensive than I would have thought.

Los Angeles Dodgers right-handers

Wade Miley has had relative success in his young career so far, but has struggled against RHB, giving up a .323 wOBA and a 24.6% LD rate.  This sets up VERY well for Hanley Ramirez (make sure he’s playing), Yasiel Puig (make sure he’s playing), and Matt Kemp (make sure he’s playing).  I’d even consider Adrian Gonzalez, as even though Miley is tough on lefties, Gonzalez is strong against them (.career .342 wOBA) and should be in the middle of plenty of run scoring opportunities.

New York Yankees right-handers

Erik Bedard has very neutral splits in his career, but the Yankees RHB are really locked in right now.  They got to David Price yesterday and I see no reason not to ride the hot streak.  Alfonso Soriano and Derek Jeter both have ridiculous splits against lefties, and the red-hot Carlos Beltran has been hitting lefties better so far this year as well.  It would also be ludicrous to ignore Yangervis Solarte, who is making a name for himself and should be low-priced.

  VALUE STACK – Philadephia Phillies left-handers

Chase Utley is not priced as a value right now, but the rest of the lefties are.  Today they face Tyler Chatwood who keeps the ball on the ground very well but has given up a .364 wOBA to lefties in his career.  Like I said, Utley is a premier play and Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins should be in there as well.  Cody Asche is a great source of salary relief with his .164 ISO vs RHP in his young career, and Ben Revere should have base-stealing and run-scoring opportunities.  Oh yeah, and they’re playing in Colorado today.