FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks for Thursday 5/23/24

2mo

Stacking is an integral part of daily fantasy baseball. Correlation drives upside, giving your lineups a slate-winning ceiling when your stacks explode.

This piece will do the digging and the dirty work each day to determine which stacks are worth rostering on FanDuel's main slate. While we want upside, we also need to factor in game theory, especially in a sport as random as baseball.

The MLB DFS heat map at numberFire is a quick way to get a feel for the overall slate and which offenses are in a good spot. You can also check out our daily fantasy baseball projections -- which are powered by numberFire -- to identify the slate's best bats.

Let's look at the top stacks for today's main slate.

MLB DFS Stacks

Philadelphia Phillies

Implied Total: 4.89 | Opposing Pitcher: Andrew Heaney

There isn't a team in the league who has more plate appearances (661) versus left-handed pitching this season than the Philadelphia Phillies, and they'll take on another lefty on Thursday with Andrew Heaney heading to the mound for the Texas Rangers. While the Phillies own the sixth-highest strikeout rate (24.7%) against southpaws this season, Heaney is producing the lowest strikeout rate (22.9%) of his career since 2015.

Additionally, Philly is sporting the seventh-best wOBA (.333) and eighth-best wRC+ (116) when facing left-handed pitchers. Heaney is also in the eighth percentile in average exit velocity (91.2 MPH), 31st percentile in barrel rate (9.0%), and 17th percentile in hard-hit rate (44.8%).

The two players to center Phillies stacks around are J.T. Realmuto ($3,100) and Alec Bohm ($3,700). Realmuto has at least one hit in 11 of his last 12 games -- with 12-plus FanDuel points in six of those contests -- while Bohm is logging a .404 wOBA, .533 SLG, and 164 wRC+ against left-handed pitching this year.

Even though righties can do damage versus Heaney, the left-handed starter for the Rangers is giving up a .337 wOBA, 1.57 WHIP, and 1.29 HR/9 versus left-handed bats. That makes Bryce Harper ($4,100), Kyle Schwarber ($3,700), Bryson Stott ($3,500), and Brandon Marsh ($3,000) all viable options on this slate.

At the bottom of the order, Nick Castellanos ($2,800), Edmundo Sosa ($2,900), Cristian Pache ($2,400), and Johan Rojas ($2,800) can provide value in wraparound stacks. Of those players, Sosa has tallied 12-plus FanDuel points in seven of his last 12 appearances, and he boasts a .457 wOBA, .345 ISO, and 200 wRC+ against southpaws.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Implied Total: 4.63 | Opposing Pitcher: Mason Black

In the first two games of the series versus the San Francisco Giants, the Pittsburgh Pirates have scored five-plus runs. With Mason Black getting the nod for the Giants on Thursday, the Pirates' recent stretch of success should continue at the plate.

Black is set to make his fourth start this season, posting a 5.47 SIERA, 1.97 WHIP, and just a 13.8% strikeout rate. On top of that, Black is permitting a 51.2% fly-ball rate and 11.6% barrel rate in his first three outings of the campaign.

Both right-handed and left-handed hitters have excelled versus Black, so we can feel comfortable using batters from both sides of the plate on the Pirates. That being said, Black is allowing a .488 wOBA, .692 SLG, and 2.17 WHIP to lefties, compared to a .437 wOBA, .600 SLG, and 1.76 WHIP to righties.

Andrew McCutchen ($3,000), Bryan Reynolds ($3,000), and Oneil Cruz ($3,000) are the primary targets we want to focus on in Pittsburgh stacks. Cruz is registering the third-highest average exit velocity (95.7 MPH), the 11th-most barrels per plate appearance rate (10.9%), and the ninth-most barrels (21) in baseball. It's only a matter of time before those metrics result in explosive outings.

To help fit high-salary bats from the Phillies, Nick Gonzales ($2,500), Jack Suwinski ($2,600), Jared Triolo ($2,700), and Ji-hwan Bae ($2,200) are worth consideration. Hwan Bae made his season debut on Tuesday versus the Giants, finishing with 21.9 FanDuel points via an RBI, two runs, and a stolen base.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.