The MLB rolls into the first weekend in May with a fabulous Friday slate of action. The main slate on DraftKings gets underway at 7:05 p.m. ET and includes a massive 12 games. There are some big-name aces on the mound, but there are also a few places that are set up for plenty of offensive output. As you assemble your squad for Friday’s contests, check out these great spots to build MLB stacks.
In case you’re new to the term, let’s quickly define what we’re talking about with MLB stacks. Stacking is a fantasy baseball strategy that focuses on increasing production by including multiple options from the same lineup. The goal is to use the increased correlation to boost your roster to an even higher ceiling. The most positive correlation is typically achieved by selecting players in the same section of the lineup that is in a favorable matchup in a good game environment.
As we look at the 24 teams on the diamond this Friday night, these three MLB stacks stand out.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Hidden Ball Trick [$50K to 1st]
1. San Francisco Giants
Jung Hoo Lee ($4,900)
Mike Yastrzemski ($4,600)
Matt Chapman ($4,500)
Willy Adames ($3,600)
Christian Koss ($2,200)
The Giants lost to the Rockies on Thursday night in the first game of this series but they should be able to bounce back on Friday night since they’ll get a great matchup against struggling Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela ($5,000). Senzatela has given up 19 runs in his 29 1/3 innings this season, allowing seven home runs and a 1.88 WHIP. Six of the seven home runs he has allowed have been to right-handed hitters, who have a .486 wOBA against him.
The Giants don’t have a ton of BVP history against Senzatela, but Yastrzemski is 4-for-9 with a pair of doubles, Chapman is 3-for-5 with a double, and Adams is 2-for-7 with a home run. Lee didn’t start on Thursday but hit safely in seven straight games before going 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter. Yaz had a pair of hits in that game and is hitting .326 with a .442 wOBA at home this season and a .465 wOBA at home against right-handed pitchers. With Tyler Fitzgerald (rib) landing on the injured list, Christian Koss ($2,200) started at 2B and hit ninth on Thursday and makes this 9-1-2-3-4 (projected) wraparound stack affordable with his bargain salary. Koss has hit safely in six straight games in which he has multiple at-bats.
2. Kansas City Royals
Bobby Witt Jr. ($5,800)
Maikel Garcia ($3,700)
Jonathan India ($3,200)
Vinnie Pasquantino ($3,100)
Drew Waters ($2,600)
The Royals are another affordable option to consider as one of your MLB stacks this Friday since they are in a good matchup against Orioles’ starter Dean Kremer ($5,500). Kremer has a 7.04 ERA and 5.60 FIP in his six starts this season, allowing at least five runs in three of his last four outings and four of his six on the season. He’s bees especially hammered by lefties, who have five home runs and a .400 wOBA.
His struggles with lefties should set Pasquantino and the switch-hitting Waters on the strong side of the splits. Witt is always a good place to start any Royals stack and has double-digit fantasy points in each of his last three games with a home run, a stolen base and a total of four RBI over that span. He’s averaged 10.7 fantasy points per game over his last 10 games with five extra-base hits and three stolen bases. Garcia is coming off a big game on Thursday, when he had three stolen bases and 30 fantasy points to help the Royals finish a sweep of the Rays.
3. New York Yankees
Aaron Judge ($6,500)
Ben Rice ($5,000)
Clay Bellinger ($4,500)
Paul Goldschmidt ($4,200)
Trent Grisham ($3,900)
The Yankees have the highest implied run total on the board as they open their home series against the Rays. They’ll be facing Ryan Pepiot ($7,800), who has shown good stuff at times this season but has also been prone to giving up home runs. He gave up two home runs and three runs in six innings against the Yankees two weeks ago in Tampa, and playing in Yankee Stadium makes the Yankees even more potentially productive.
The Yankees won’t have Jazz Chisholm Jr., who landed on the injured list, but the top of their order still has plenty of good power. Judge has been on a different level this season, hitting .427 with 10 homers and an average of 13.6 fantasy points per game. He had 25 and 26 fantasy points on Tuesday and Wednesday in Baltimore just before Thursday’s off day. Rice hit a pair of homers on Tuesday and had 37 fantasy points before going 0-for-4 on Wednesday. Goldschmidt has hit safely in four straight starts with 14 fantasy points in three of those games. Grisham can also be a solid part of the stack since he has moved into the leadoff spot against right-handed starting pitchers like Pepiot over the last few weeks. He hasn’t stolen a base this season but still benefits from the power behind him while also bringing some home run pop of his own.
