We’re about 10 games into the MLB regular season as we start the first full work week in April. On the seventh day of the month, DraftKings has a seven-game main slate which starts at 7:10 p.m. ET. With 14 teams in the player pool and some gnarly weather on the early slate, there are a few places to attack and a few to avoid for your MLB stacks this Monday. Check out my top three MLB stacks for this slate highlighted below.
Monday’s slate has a few Opening Day starters lined up to make their third start of the season. Finding the best MLB stack is typically about finding a favorable spot against a vulnerable starting pitcher with a lineup that has been in good form and can offer good correlation. Even more than in other sports, baseball lineups are interdependent, so getting one of your MLB stacks that goes off can catapult you to the top of your MLB DFS contest.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $300K Bat Flip [$100K to 1st]!
1. San Diego Padres
Fernando Tatis Jr. ($5,800)
Jackson Merrill ($5,200)
Manny Machado ($5,000)
Jake Cronenworth ($4,000)
Gavin Sheets ($2,600)
The NL West looks absolutely stacked with four teams that are legitimate playoff contenders (sorry Rockies). The Giants are 8-1, the Dodgers are 9-2, and the Padres are 8-2 as they roll into Sacramento for this series at Sutter Health Park. While it isn’t exactly Coors Field, it has been very hitter-friendly in the early part of the season.
Last season, Luis Severino ($7,300) gave up 16 home runs to left-handed batters, who hit .269 against him with a .338 wOBA. Since this looks like a great spot to get some left-handed pop from the Padres, I love stacking Merrill-Cronenworth-Sheets in the heart of the order. Sheets was one of my top value plays of the day at his affordable salary after his fast start, and both Merrill and Tatis are great pay-up options since both are averaging over 11 fantasy points per game this season. Xander Bogaerts ($4,200) is only 3-for-31 (.097) in his career against Severino, but Machado is 4-for-19 with three homers.
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
Corbin Carroll ($5,700)
Josh Naylor ($4,700)
Eugenio Suarez ($4,700)
Geraldo Perdomo ($3,700)
Pavin Smith ($3,300)
The Dbacks come home 5-5 after their 3-3 trip to New York and DC. They are averaging 5.8 runs per game with a .350 wOBA that ranks sixth in the MLB. The Snakes have been especially deadly against righties, hitting .285 with a .376 wOBA against right-handed pitchers. They should be set for success at Chase Field against righty Zach Eflin ($6,900) and the Orioles.
Perdomo has moved up to the second spot in the order in place of Ketel Marte (hamstring) and is a good way to save salary as part of the stack. The switch-hitter is 11-for-35 (.314) with a home run, two stolen bases and 9.4 fantasy points per game. He is typically hitting right in front of Smith, who is another excellent value after starting the season 7-for-20 (.350) with three doubles. While Naylor is looking for his first homer of the season, Suarez has five home runs in his six hits this season to average 11 fantasy points per game
3. Minnesota Twins
Byron Buxton ($4,600)
Carlos Correa ($4,500)
Matt Wallner ($3,900)
Harrison Bader ($3,100)
Ty France ($2,900)
The Twins have one of the better matchups on the slate as they take on Michael Lorenzen ($7,100). Lorenzen took a loss in his first start of the season, giving up four runs in 5 1/3 innings but also picking up seven strikeouts. The Twins’ offense started the season slowly with just six total runs in their first four games but has picked up the production with 28 runs in their last five games and 13 in their last two.
Bader has actually been the most productive Twins hitter, averaging 8.1 fantasy points per game by hitting .261 (6-for-23) with a double and three home runs in his eight games. Buxton has been the team’s most productive big bat with a pair of doubles, a home run and 7.6 fantasy points per game. It’s also worth noting that France has mirrored the offense by getting going after a slow start. He is an interesting sleeper on this slate, especially with a 3-for-11 history against Lorenzen with a double and three RBI.
