MLB Stacking To Win It: 8-19-17

Stacking has become a prime way to take down big tournaments, as well as giving your cash game team a solid floor. We focus on opposing pitcher stats, Vegas, weather, park factors, team stats, salaries, and player stats when deciding the top three stacks of the night. I know. Shocker we look at those things. If there is a Coors game on the slate, we will mostly divert our attention elsewhere, as Coors games are the obvious stacks of the night. It doesn't need much breaking down. Be sure to check out or revamped Stack Generator and Stack features inside our Lineup Optimizer and Tools.

Lets talk this game in Texas first. Upper 90's, two bad lefties on the hill, and a game total in the double-digits. Texas are the heavy home favorites against Derek Holland, who is the worst of the two lefties. Holland has allowed a .406 wOBA and .263 ISO. He has just a 35.5% groundball rate and 17.1% strikeout rate against right-handers this season. Against lefties, he has allowed a .285 wOBA with a 56% groundball rate. However if he is out early, guys like Shin-Soo Choo and Nomar Mazara aren't necessarily tossed to the side. I do like the right-handed bats here. Mike Napoli has over a .300 ISO against lefties this season. Adrian Beltre has a .416 wOBA, while their catcher Robinson Chirinos has a .379 wOBA and .229 ISO. Delino DeShields will also leadoff, and has a .341 wOBA off southpaws. With a 6.5 implied run total, Texas is a great stack to look at this evening.

On the other side of things, Chicago doesn't have the high implied run total, but it is near five. Many people don't like to stack against Martin Perez due to his higher groundball rate, but it is only at 44.2% against right-handers this season, and he is allowing a .371 wOBA. His strikeout rate also drops below 15%. Jose Abreu is the standout bat in this lineup, with a .435 wOBA and .239 ISO against lefties. Avisail Garcia is a bit banged up, but if he cracks the lineup, he has a .422 wOBA off lefties. The White Sox will add in a few bats like Tim Anderson, Tyler Saladino, and Kevan Smith as cheap bats around Abreu, who are average to slightly above average against lefties. In this ballpark Perez can be knocked out quick, and then a bottom ten Texas bullpen comes into play. White Sox are not a top three stack, but they are a contrarian one if you are building multiple lineups.

Boston's offense finally woke up, and a lot of it has to do with their younger stars. Andrew Benintendi and Rafael Devers are both in a groove. Boston's offense against lefties has lacked power this year, but guys like Mookie Betts, Chris Young, and Hanley Ramirez can bring power against southpaws. We have seen the upside in season's past. Boston will likely be looked as a one-off team tonight and not one people fully stack, but the right-handers that sit 1-6 are all in play. C.C. Sabathia has allowed a .318 wOBA and .177 ISO to right-handers. Sabathia is dealing with a knee injury, which seems like he isn't 100% back from. New York's bullpen is usually something I worry about here, but Boston has their number, and were taxed last night.

Kendall Graveman has always struggled away from Oakland, allowing a .341 wOBA and a 4.89 ERA. He is pretty neutral with his splits in his career, allowing a .329 wOBA to lefties, and a .319 wOBA to right-handers. His strikeout rate sits at 15% to both sides, and hard-contact is a little bit higher to left-handers. Oakland's bullpen is also one of the weaker ones in the league, so the fun should keep going after Graveman's exit. Marwin Gonzalez, Jose Altuve, George Springer, Yuli Gurriel, and Josh Reddick all over over a .200 ISO against right-handers this season. This used to be a boom or bust stack, but Houston's contact rate has been a lot higher than season's past. They are on the expensive side, but a good stack to rival Texas and Coors.