Sometimes I think I worry too much about value when it comes to choosing my stacks. Obviously finding cheap hitters is important; otherwise nobody would ever play the Phillies for DFS under any circumstances. That being said, when it comes to stacking, paying a bit more than you would like for a lineup in a good situation in not necessarily a bad thing.
As I have written in the past, stacking is largely a GPP strategy, which by its very nature means that it is high risk and high reward. The upside to paying a bit more than you would like for a stack is that it is likely to be less popular than it might otherwise be. The Rockies on the road Wednesday are a great example of that. Rockies hitters are expensive, especially on DraftKings. I might not have any Rockies in a cash lineup Wednesday, but if they score 11 runs, it probably won’t matter that I don’t love the idea of paying $4800 for Mark Reynolds away from Coors Field.
My Stacks for Monday, June 12, listed in order of preference:
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Jordan Zimmermann (R)
Brandon Drury, Paul Goldschmidt, Jake Lamb, David Peralta, Chris Herrmann, Chris Iannetta, Gregor Blanco
I initially thought about skipping Gregor Blanco in this stack, but his .926 OPS against right-handed pitchers this season caused me to add him to the list. Brandon Drury, David Peralta and Paul Goldschmidt are all batting .400 or better over the last seven days, and there is no reason to believe Jordan Zimmermann will slow them down. Jake Lamb has a 1.081 OPS against righties this season. As long as Jeff Mathis is on the bench, whichever catcher gets the start will be playable as well.
Colorado Rockies vs. Chad Kuhl (R)
Charlie Blackmon, DJ LeMahieu, Nolan Arenado, Mark Reynolds, Trevor Story, Tony Wolters
There is a myth that Colorado players can’t hit away from Coors Field, but they rank 13th with a .729 OPS on the road this season. They are probably a bit overpriced, especially on DraftKings, but that will help to keep their ownership low. As I noted in today’s pitching coach, Chad Kuhl has a 7.39 ERA at home since the start of 2016. Nolan Arenado leads the Rockies with a .921 OPS on the road. Trevor Story and Tony Wolters are value plays, though their upside is limited by batting so low in the lineup.
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Brian Johnson (L)
Howie Kendrick, Cameron Rupp, Aaron Altherr, Odubel Herrera, Maikel Franco, Tommy Joseph. Daniel Nava
Kendrick, Rupp and Altherr all have a .910 OPS or better against left-handed pitchers this season. Brian Johnson has had good results to this point, but his 4.86 FIP indicates he may not get lucky for much longer, and he has allowed nine or more baserunners in two of his three starts this season. Tommy Joseph is working on a nine-game hitting streak, while Maikel Franco is 7-for-13 over his last three games. I would love to see somebody else in the number two spot, but so long as Daniel Nava is batting there, he is a strong punt play.
Chicago Cubs vs. Matt Harvey (R)
Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist
Even after last night’s 14-run outburst, the Cubs are batting just .186 on the road over the last 30 days. I’m hoping that, combined with Matt Harvey’s name recognition, will help keep their ownership low. Harvey has allowed a 5.02 ERA and 5.86 FIP this season, and he has allowed five earned runs or more in four different starts this season. As it usually does with Joe Maddon’s teams, your specific stack may depend greatly on the lineup. Four different players have led off over the Cubs’ last five games, and if Ian Happ, Jon Jay or Kyle Schwarber lead off Wednesday, I will probably add them to my Cubs stack. If Ben Zobrist is out again, that could open up a spot in the middle of the order as well.
Player News
Cardinals designated RHP Ryan Loutos for assignment.
The 26-year-old Loutos had a 3.38 ERA in eight innings of relief work for Triple-A Memphis this season. He pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings in his major league debut for the Cardinals last year.
Braves optioned RHP Davis Daniel to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Daniel pitched a scoreless inning in his lone day in the majors. His demotion makes room for waiver claim Ian Anderson on the active roster.
Braves designated RHP Zach Thompson for assignment.
Thompson, a member of Triple-A Gwinnett’s roster, pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings in two appearances for the Braves earlier this month. He’s getting taken off the 40-man to make room for Eddie Rosario.
Braves signed OF Eddie Rosario to a one-year contract.
He’s replacing Jarred Kelenic in the roster. There’s not really anything to lose here, even though Rosario struggled during his time with the Braves last season. The 33-year-old just hit .339/.406/.542 in 14 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City before the Dodgers gave him a brief callup and then outrighted him. Odds are that he’ll start against most righties for now, though he could find himself out of a job once Ronald Acuña Jr. returns.
Braves optioned OF Jarred Kelenic to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Red Sox SS prospect Marcelo Mayer went 3-for-7 with a walk, six RBI, four runs scored, and a home run during a doubleheader for Triple-A Worcester on Sunday.
The Red Sox’s second-ranked prospect is now hitting .280/.324/.548 with seven home runs, 34 RBI, 17 runs scored, and one steal in 23 games at Triple-A. He also had a great spring training and seems MLB-ready, but Trevor Story has been great for the Red Sox to start the season, and Kristian Campbell is the AL Rookie of the Year frontrunner right now at second base, so there is no room in the middle infield for Mayer as it stands.