Home I All Guides I DFS Guides I DFS I DFS Baseball – Stacking Lineups
One thing you’ll learn while playing DFS baseball is that when a pitcher doesn’t have it – he really doesn’t have it. When a guy is struggling with control you really kind of start to feel bad for him. He either can’t find the strike zone, or even worse, every pitch that is a strike is an instant souvenir for the fans in the street behind the bleachers.
Sometimes, your starting pitcher for your DFS lineup is having a really rough day. In these instances it’s best to log off and take a nap. Ideally however, you will have employed the strategy of stacking lineups and instead you’ve got 3-5 hitters in your lineup. Those can be taking batting practice off this guy whose ERA is climbing faster than Bartolo Colon’s pant size in the offseason.
The idea of stacking lineups is a pretty sound one. Instead of trying to find hitters with good matchups across 10-15 different games, you find one pitcher you think is going to get rocked. Stacking can be especially fruitful in the early innings, as a manager is more defiant to wear out his bullpen and instead will leave a starter in during a situation that is starting to get awkward for everybody.
The stacking strategy is a little different in baseball than it is in football. If a QB puts up big numbers it only makes sense that a star WR is going to be the recipient and have a similar huge day. A baseball team could put up 9 runs, but it might be on 3 HR by one guy. This is where ‘stacking within a stack’ comes into play. If you’re betting on one batter to have a big day, that means the guys close to him in the lineup are usually going to be the ones also scoring runs or batting him in.
You still have to find that centerpiece to begin with however. It’s all just a premonition anyway, but the best situations where batters have a sizable advantage over a pitcher include:
It’s very important to consider a pitcher’s last three outings to see if they are having mechanics issues or might be lingering through an injury that hasn’t been made public. If the struggles continue, the bats reap the benefits.
Even if a pitcher is perfectly healthy, there are some teams and players who might just have his number. Pitcher v. Batter stats as well as LH/RH splits are a good stacked lineup identifier.
Hitters are going to have a big day if the weather is exceptionally hot and humid, especially in places like Texas and Arizona. Wind really benefits hitters in ballparks like Wrigley Field as well so pay attention to the weather as a whole.
Coors Field is definitely a ballpark where you could stack a lineup against a pitcher. Other places like Fenway and U.S Cellular also traditionally favor the batters compared to the guys on the mound.
Is you pitcher coming off a short rest? Is a team’s bullpen stretched so the starter is going to have to go 7 innings regardless? Are top defenders resting behind the pitcher? DFS baseball is beautiful because there are dozens of intangibles every single day.
Stacking lineups in DFS baseball is a very interesting strategy to at least try. The feeling you get when you predict correctly against a pitcher is kind of like a free spin bonus on a slot machine. Just sit back and wait for your coins to roll in.
