3 Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks for Wednesday 4/20/22

Stacks are an integral part of daily fantasy baseball. They can push a team to the top of a GPP by driving upside. However, they're also viable in cash games, namely smaller (two-person or three-person) stacks that mitigate the volatility of a full four-person stack.

This article is your home throughout the 2022 Major League Baseball season for the day's top stacks. The primary goal is to identify the highest-scoring upside stack. Still, game theory will play a role in contrarian stacks making the cut as GPP options. Nevertheless, chalky stacks will make appearances in this space, too.

Beyond my analysis in this space, I strongly suggest numberFire premium members using our DFS Sharpstack tool and hitting heat map tool. The DFS Sharpstack helps plug stacks into optimized lineups, allowing you to change parameters and lock or exclude players and teams. Meanwhile, the heat map offers a one-stop-shop for the opposing starting pitcher, implied total, park factor, and other notable goodies.

Now, let's look at the top stacks on today's main slate.

Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins have a Charmin-soft matchup against Daniel Lynch. The 25-year-old southpaw has been completely overwhelmed by big-league hitters.

According to FanGraphs, in 16 starts (73 innings) since debuting last year, Lynch has a 6.04 ERA, 5.02 Skill-Interactive ERA (SIERA), 1.66 WHIP, and allowed 1.48 homers per nine innings. However, the lefty hurler has excelled in one area, limiting left-handed hitters to a .194 slugging and .196 Weighted On-Base Average (wOBA).

As you've probably deduced, Lynch has been an unmitigated disaster against righties. The 300 right-handed batters he's faced have destroyed him for a .527 slugging and .392 wOBA. Lynch is the human embodiment of a punching bag for right-handed hitters, and Minnesota might have righties slotted leadoff through ninth in the lineup.

If Byron Buxton ($3,600) returns from his knee injury tonight, I adore him in GPPs. Buxton was a world-beater to start the year, ripping three homers with a .500 Isolated Power (ISO) and 205 Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) in 26 plate appearances.

Gary Sanchez ($2,700) is another high-upside GPP pick. Since 2019, he has had a .261 ISO against lefties. My favorite options to round out a four-person stack that also has appeal in all game types are Carlos Correa ($3,000) and Gio Urshela ($2,700). Correa boasts a 137 wRC+, and Urshela has had a 120 wRC+ against lefties since 2019. Switch-hitter Jorge Polanco ($3,100) hit leadoff the last time Minnesota saw a left-hander.

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees face a familiar foe in Detroit. Eduardo Rodriguez, a former member of the Boston Red Sox, gets the ball for the Detroit Tigers tonight. The veteran lefty's control has been lacking out of the gate, walking a staggering 13.2 percent of the batters he's faced with an 18.4 percent strikeout rate that hasn't offset the free passes. As a result, he has allowed 10 runs (five earned) in 7 and 2/3 innings in two starts.

Last year, E-Rod grossly underperformed his underlying stats, tallying a 4.74 ERA. So, in 165 and 1/3 innings since 2021, he has had a 4.79 ERA. Moreover, he hasn't held lefties or righties in check. Left-handed batters have had a .322 wOBA, and righties have had a .337 wOBA. Rodriguez's struggles across the board mean he doesn't have any reprieve, regardless of the handedness of the opposing hitter.

E-Rod's mediocrity in same-handed matchups thrusts Joey Gallo ($2,500) into the homer-chasing GPP mix. Gallo has had a .269 ISO versus southpaws since 2019. Still, my favorite options from the Bronx Bombers are Giancarlo Stanton ($3,600), Aaron Judge ($3,500), and Gleyber Torres ($2,400). Stanton and Judge are putting on their typical laser shows, lighting up the radar gun for blistering exit velocity.

However, despite the underwhelming results, Torres is also hitting the ball hard and at a good launch angle. Also, while batter-versus-pitcher stats are descriptive and not predictive, I expect Torres' eye-popping numbers against Rodriguez to result in a start in New York's crowded infield. Most importantly, Torres has had a 125 wRC+ against lefties since 2019, making him a steal with a salary only $400 above the minimum.

Baltimore Orioles

You might be doing a double-take. Yes, I'm suggesting stacking the Baltimore Orioles.

First, they should be contrarian. But, of course, that's because they're tied for 23rd in wRC+ (83) against righties this year and playing at a pitcher-friendly park tonight.

However, Daulton Jefferies is the type of pitcher I like to stack against. He's pitched only 26 and 1/3 innings in the majors, but his 4.44 ERA, mediocre as it has been, bests his 5.29 SIERA. Further, Jefferies has struck out only 11.9 percent of the hitters he's faced, walked 8.3 percent of them, and yielded 1.37 homers per nine innings. Finally, Jefferies had a 4.91 ERA and 4.94 Expected Fielding Independent Pitching (xFIP) in 77 innings at the Triple-A level.

You don't have to get cute stacking the O's. Specifically, my two favorite options are outfielders Cedric Mullins ($3,000) and Anthony Santander ($2,700). Mullins was one of the game's biggest surprises last year, and he has had a .220 ISO and 126 wRC+ against righties since 2019. The speedy outfielder also stole 30 bases in 2021 and has swiped one this season.

This year, the switch-hitting Santander has had outstanding plate-discipline marks, and he can put a charge into the ball. Santander's had a .236 ISO against righties since 2019. I suggest reserving a four-man O's stack for just GPPs. However, Mullins and Santander are stellar one-off options or mini-stack plays in all game types.

Joshua Shepardson is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Joshua Shepardson also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username bchad50. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.