The MLB closes out April with a big nine-game slate on Wednesday night. To include a few of the early games, the main slate on DraftKings lots at 6:35 p.m. ET. All nine games get underway by 8:05 p.m. ET, so it’ll be an action-packed start to the evening with plenty of ways to build successful fantasy baseball lineups from the 18-team player pool. It’s an intriguing mix of starting pitchers taking the mound, which sets up a few games as ideal targets to build MLB stacks against this Wednesday.
In case you’re new to the term, let’s quickly define what MLB stacks are. Stacking is a fantasy baseball strategy that aims to create a positive correlation by including multiple players from the same MLB team. Ideally, concentrating your players in one part of the lineup is the way to go so that they can create run-scoring production and boost each other’s stats. Focusing on the right matchup is one of the keys to successful MLB stacks, since getting the right starting pitcher to attack can result in plenty of offense. In examining the nine games on Wednesday night’s slate, here are my top three MLB stacks.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $150K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
1. New York Yankees
Aaron Judge ($6,300)
Cody Bellinger ($4,500)
Paul Goldschmidt ($4,200)
Jasson Dominguez ($4,200)
Anthony Volpe ($4,200)
The Yankees are tied for the highest implied run total on the board for this contest as they face Cade Povich ($5,500) in the third game of their series in Baltimore. Since Povich is a lefty, the lineup could look different from last night’s order that hammered out 15 runs in Baltimore, but stacking the top hitters in the batting order is still a great way to go. Povich has a 5.04 ERA and 4.40 FIP in his five starts this season, giving up 17 runs in 25 innings. He has strong splits against lefties but has let righties hit .366 with a .431 wOBA this season.
I covered Judge in my top targets of the day as one of the best stud bats to build around since he comes in red-hot and absolutely demolishing left-handed pitching. Dominguez has started to get going after a slow start, averaging 9.0 fantasy points over his last six contests. Volpe had also been scuffling but has three doubles in this series already and has at least nine fantasy points in four of his last five games. While Goldschmidt definitely isn’t a prototypical speedy leadoff hitter, he has gotten the job done against lefties lately. In his last 10 games, he went 13-for-38 (.342) with three doubles, a home run and an average of 8.0 fantasy points per game.
2. Chicago Cubs
Kyle Tucker ($6,200)
Seiya Suzuki ($5,500)
Michael Busch ($5,400)
Pete Crow-Armstrong ($4,500)
Jon Berti ($3,000)
The Cubs are in Pittsburgh in a great matchup against Carmen Mlodzinski ($5,000) and the Pirates in the second game of their three-game stop in the Steel City. Chicago cruised to a 9-0 win on Tuesday and have scored an MLB-leading 181 runs in 30 games (6.0 runs per game) while hitting .263 with a .350 wOBA as a team. Mlodzinski is 1-3 on the season and has given up 17 runs on 31 hits in 22 innings for a 1.82 WHIP, 6.95 ERA, and 3.85 FIP. Most of the damage against the converted reliever has come from left-handed hitters, who are batting .362 against him with a .423 wOBA.
Lefties Tucker, Busch, and Crow-Armstrong are a great core to build around as one of the top MLB stacks on Wednesday. Tucker is hitting .288 with seven homers and an average of 12.2 fantasy points per game so far this season, while Busch has five home runs as well. PCA has been red-hot lately, going 20-for-50 (.400) over his last 13 games with six home runs, six stolen bases, and an average of 15.9 fantasy points per game. Berti is a great value play if he bats ninth as a solid wraparound stack option since he could get on base in front of the top of the order.
3. Boston Red Sox
Jarren Duran ($5,200)
Alex Bregman ($5,000)
Wilyer Abreu ($4,800)
Rafael Devers ($4,700)
Kristian Campbell ($4,200)
The Red Sox have scored 30 runs in their last three games after scoring 10 runs in their series-opening win in Toronto. On Wednesday, they’ll face a bullpen game after Easton Lucas was sent to Triple-A after his last start.
I included Duran and Devers in my targets for Wednesday as a great place to start one of your MLB stacks from the top two spots in the Red Sox order. Bregman has also been red-hot lately, going 15-for-40 (.375) with four doubles, two home runs and an average of 11.5 fantasy points per game over his last 10 contests. Abreu had cooled off a little after his hot start but had three hits, a home run and 28 fantasy points on Tuesday night in the win. Rookie Kristian Campbell brings nice flexibility since he can fit at 2B or in the OF, and he has multiple hits in three straight games and has gone 12-for-36 (.333) averaging 10 fantasy points per contest over his last 10 games.
