Fantasy Baseball Draft Strategy: Tips Advice For How To Win Your League
Rotisserie, or Roto as its commonly called, is the grand pappy of all fantasy baseball formats — specifically when the selection process includes a snake draft. The original leagues in the ’80s used that style, and its still the most popular type of league today. Perhaps the reason its still so popular is all the different ways you can build your team. Because of that, giving out draft tips and strategy advice is tough to do, as it all depends on your preferred method, but there are still better ways than others to build your team.
In this piece, well give you general tips for taking down your league. But its not just about strategies in the preseason and for league setups as youll need in-season strategies too and how to approach things based on how long youre going to be with the players youre selecting or picking up. By the end of this piece, you should have a very solid base on which to build from for your roto leagues.
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Jon Anderson’s Early Second Base Tiers & Rankings For 2023 Fantasy Baseball
Welcome back RotoBallers to my early 2023 fantasy baseball second base rankings and projections. Today we are onto the second base position in my early positional ranks and tiers posts. So far, we have hit up catcher and first base, read those below: Catcher First Base Second base has long been a tough position to… Read More
Have Patience Through Streaks
To repeat, baseball on the whole is an unpredictable game, full of ups and downs that only even themselves out over a full, 162-game schedule. Narrowing the scope, however, there is a subset of baseball players who are even more subject to peaks and valleys than others, and it’s with these which you must be the most patient.
On the hitting side, big sluggers who hit a lot of home runs at the expense of many strikeouts, often referred to as “three true outcomes” players because of the high likelihood that the outcomes of their plate appearances will be a home run, strikeout or walk, represent the streakiest around. Two of the most notorious kings of “three true outcomes” are Joey Gallo, who through the first five seasons of his big-league career has seen 58.3% of his plate appearances end in a home run, strikeout or walk, and Miguel Sano, who paced the majors in 2020 with 59.0% of his trips to the plate ending in one of those three results. Sure enough, during one 17-day span in 2020, Gallo batted .111 with zero extra-base hits and 20 strikeouts, crushing his fantasy managers in head-to-head leagues, which came directly on the heels of a 25-day stretch during which he swatted seven homers in 20 games, which probably fueled a lot of wins for said teams. Sano, meanwhile, had a torrid August, batting .284 with seven home runs in 27 games, underscoring his tendency for streaks.
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What Should Your Investment Be At The Most Volatile Position
Relief pitcher. What can you say about it? It’s volatile. It’s unpredictable. It’s almost certain to be a year-long headache. But it’s also where the saves are. An entire category is confined to that one position, which means that for all its frustrations, relief pitcher is essential for Fantasy Baseball success.
That’s true even in leagues that have redefined the saves category as saves plus holds. I’m not a fan, really. The scarcity of saves is the most interesting aspect of the position. And sure, there’s a possibility saves become too scarce as more teams opt for bullpen committees rather than having defined roles, but on the other hand, if you expand the relief pitcher talent base too much, it becomes as frivolous as the kicker position is to Fantasy Football.
Still, counting holds the same as saves will encourage players to pursue relievers for their ability rather than their role, which might strike some as a refreshing change of pace. Seeing as I mostly stick to leagues that value saves on their own, the role is all that matters to me.
Fantasy Baseball Week 3 Drop List
Welcome to the 2022 Fantasy Baseball Week 3 Drop List.
This week on the drop list we have a struggling shortstop still rostered in over 70% of leagues, a former All-Star and Silver Slugger first baseman, and a power outfielder who can’t stop striking out.
When a Fantasy Baseball manager is faced with a tough decision on dropping or adding a player, they should always lean to the side that is providing more production. Keeping these players can be detrimental to a team early on.
The only goal for Fantasy Baseball managers should be winning every week. To do that one must be active in dropping these players and stay ahead of the pack when adding someone from the waiver wire.
If looking for someone to add be sure to read the 2022 Fantasy Baseball Week 3 Waiver Wire.
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Resist The Rookie Hype
Who doesn’t want to be the first person to discover the next big thing? The lure of rookies has taken on greater weight in recent seasons, with such recent standouts as Aaron Judge and the aforementioned Alonso, both of whom set single-season rookie records for home runs , Ronald Acuna Jr., Cody Bellinger, Kris Bryant, Trevor Story and Fernando Tatis Jr., and that’s just to name a small handful of the many who have excelled just in the past half-decade.
The problem with rookie-chasing, though, is that for every Judge or Acuna, there’s a Jo Adell, MacKenzie Gore or A.J. Puk, rookies who either got hurt, disappointed or didn’t even get the call at all in the season in question. Yes, rookies and younger players do have greater odds of success in recent years than at any other time so far this century, but it’s still important not to overrate each season’s freshman class, especially not at the expense of ignoring a more seasoned, yet still-young big leaguer who has yet to reach his peak at the big league level.
Triston Mckenzie Cleveland Guardians
Cleveland Guardians May 31, 2021
ADP: 234.6
Age: 24
2021 Stats: 120.0 IP, 5-9, 4.95 ERA, 1.183 WHIP, 136 K, 58 BB
Triston McKenzie has teased before, but the results at the MLB level have always been inconsistent.
A tantalizing 2020 debut gave his 2021 stock some helium, and then a rough start saw him demoted back to the minors. Through his first 11 appearances, he threw 42.1 innings, struck out 59, and walked 39 while compiling a putrid 6.38 ERA and 1.58 WHIP.
But after doing some fine-tuning against lesser hitters, the lanky right-hander revitalized his stock with a dominant run in August and September. Over a seven-start stretch, McKenzie struck out 48 batters in 46.0 innings, logged a 1.76 ERA , posted a 0.54 WHIP, and, perhaps most impressively, walked a grand total of five batters.
He came crashing back to earth in his final three starts, but that brief run of dominance reminded everyone of what he brought to the proverbial table especially in a Cleveland Guardians organization that has consistently teased quite a bit of success out of lesser arms.
Command concerns and worries stemming from his injury history drive down McKenzies ADP, but weve seen what happens when hes finding the zone. Even with the occasional bout of wildness, the 24-year-old can keep batters off the bases when theyre swinging at his pitches.
If he can also limit the walks
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What Is Fantasy Baseball
Fantasy baseball is a virtual baseball gaming platform that involves a player betting on a team. But unlike actual baseball, the player or participant of the virtual game plays the general manager or owner of existing MLB teams.
Then, the participant earns a score based on the actual points of the MLB team he is rooting for.
But even before a participant invests on a team, he has to join a draft where the selection of MLB team rosters occurs. Once the participant has selected his team, he plays on the actual outcomes, meaning real-life games, from the matchups every week.
In this scenario, the fantasy baseball player gathers points or scores to win. The platform awards or gives points to the participant via a highly-common Rotisserie scoring type.
The game usually figures as MLB-centered. However, it sometimes involves local American college baseball leagues and even international leagues like the KBO.
Mispriced Hitters For Deeper Fantasy Baseball Leagues
It’s January! We are barreling towards the draft season, and for some of the more ornery folk, the draft season has already begun. Typically, at this time of year, most of the drafts being completed are on The NFBC. A lot of these drafts are deep leagues, 50-round drafts with no trading or free agents…. Read More
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Using Hitter Projections To Identify Probable Improvers For 2023 Fantasy Baseball
Hey everyone, it’s Jon Anderson back again! I have recently finished my season-long hitter projection system, so now the fun begins! I will be writing at least a few pieces here that look at what the projections are telling us. This is my first year doing a projection system, so I don’t exactly have a… Read More
Fantasy Baseball: Turn Rangers Trash Into Your Treasure
Its easy to enter your draft targeting aces such as Corbin Burnes, Gerrit Cole or Max Scherzer.
That doesnt take much skill. Neither does aiming for the next tier of pitchers, like Zack Wheeler and Lucas Giolito, or mid-round gems such as Chris Bassitt or Charlie Morton.
What will set you apart from your competitors is identifying starting pitchers ready to take their production to a new level, like Roto Rage favorite Logan Webb did in 2021. Studying a players track record and pinpointing stats that exhibit the capability of keeping up with those no-brainer early-round selections will help you find that breakout potential and set your rotation up for success.
Among pitchers with a minimum of 80 innings pitched, the Angels Patrick Sandoval ranked 12th in swinging strikes . To put that number in perspective, it was higher than Cole , and just a few percentage points behind Scherzer and AL Cy Young winner Robbie Ray .
Opponents had an average 85.4 mph exit velocity against the southpaw, the third-lowest mark in the majors . Opposing offenses hit just .214 against him, the 26th-best mark in the majors.
In 14 starts from May 17-Aug. 13, before a season-ending back injury, Sandoval was 3-6 with a 3.39 ERA, 86 strikeouts, .625 OPS, 1.18 WHIP and a .215 opponent average.
Sandoval has a fastball that can hit 96 mph, but that is not even his best pitch .
Back injuries do have a tendency of repeating .
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Is Fantasy Baseball Betting
Yes and no.
But to better understand fantasy baseballs position on legal ground, let us first understand what betting is. Betting is the act of staking money over a game of chance. However, the court of law adds a more holistic betting determination: it can either be luck or skill-driven.
Consequently, the next focus of the determination should settle on whether sufficient luck is involved in the game to be considered a game of chance. Otherwise, it should amount to a game of skill.
State and federal laws, in response, individually set the context of the game. Thus, some states legalize a particular betting game, while others prohibit it.
In the case of fantasy baseball, its betting relies more on skill-based outcomes. In addition, most federal laws determine fantasy baseball betting as a game of skill. Although it involves placing money, it does not pose the same risks as pure gambling.
Fantasy baseball is both betting and not because while it lets you bet on teams and not single players, it still requires some skill-based efforts from your end.
Giants Sp/rp Alex Wood
I wouldn’t be all that surprised if Wood continued to pitch well this season — when he’s right, he’s always been good at suppressing hard contact and his home park in San Francisco only helps in that regard. This one is mostly about the injury history Wood has not reached 160 innings in a season since 2015, and he threw just 48.1 innings in 2019 and 2020 combined. He’s already dealt with a back injury this season in the spring, and it’s just hard to see Wood making it through a full season at this point. I’m not sure Wood is such a great sell-high candidate because everyone surely knows about his injury history, and in a H2H points league his RP eligibility can make him especially valuable. Just don’t go making roster moves with the expectation that you can rely on him.
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Starting Pitcher Rankings For Sunday
Pitchers are ranked in order of their Forecaster/Daily Notes projected fantasy points, using ESPN’s standard scoring system .
T: The pitcher’s handedness. OPP: Opposing team. ML: Caesars Money Line. O/U: Caesars Over/Under for runs scored. W%: Starting pitcher’s win probability. For the projected stat line, IP is innings pitched, ER is earned runs allowed, BR is baserunners allowed and K is strikeouts.
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Mlb Closers And Saves: Fantasy Baseball Depth Charts
Saves are an important component for many fantasy baseball leagues. Closers are one of the most volatile positions in fantasy baseball, and one of the highest turnover positions in MLB. Each year, closers drop like flies and many MLB teams make in-season changes due to injuries or poor performance. In addition to closers and saves, relief… Read More
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How To Optimize Your Fantasy Baseball Roster
Your work is far from complete at the end of draft day.
While it’s true that the majority of your competitive chances in a given season hinge on the success of your draft, your management of your team in-season more often than not proves the determining factor in your final standing. For a real-life parallel, the draft is like purchasing a house the remodels, repairs and maintenance represent the in-season work you do to it that ultimately enhances its value.
Here’s The Best Play For These 10 Buzzworthy Pitchers
There have been no shortage of incredible pitching performances early this season, and while many have come from some of the highest-end starters in the game, plenty have come from seemingly out of nowhere. Unexpectedly, there have been a whole lot more difference makers at the position than expected.
Among the top 20 starters so far this season, you’ve got Gerrit Cole right there at the top and Jacob deGrom No. 3, but you’ve also got John Means right between them. And while there’s no surprise that Jack Flaherty, Max Scherzer, and Clayton Kershaw are top-15 pitchers, it’s pretty surprising that they are all behind so far. Or that Huascar Ynoa, Trevor Rogers, Freddy Peralta, and Wade Miley round out the top 20.
Some of this is because of the offensive environment we’re dealing with — offense is way down, and pitchers are dominating like we’ve rarely seen. But, that doesn’t mean every hot start is just a fluke, and figuring out which ones are for real will have serious value moving forward. I’ve taken 10 of the top SP surprises in the early going, and I’m trying to figure out whether you should buy, sell, or hold their breakouts. Here they are:
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Josiah Gray Washington Nationals
Blake Harris
ADP: 292.8
Age: 24
2021 Stats: 70.2 IP, 2-2, 5.48 ERA, 1.358 WHIP, 76 K, 33 BB
Josiah Grays mechanics arent exactly textbook. You can see him squat on his back leg toward the end of his delivery, and that creates an inconsistent release point and a bit of wildness that resulted in 4.2 walks per nine innings.
However, he showed significantly better command at every minor league level en route to his 2021 debut, and his stuff is flat-out filthy. Well, his secondary stuff, at least.
Grays curveball is his signature pitch at this early stage of his career, resulting in a 47.8% whiff rate even as he threw it 25.1% of the time in 2021. With a ton of movement that freezes even superstars like Bryce Harper, it baffled hitter after hitter and led to a .144 xBA and .257 xSLG. Pairing it with a similarly successful slider is downright unfair. That pitch had similar results with a 45.0% whiff rate, .161 xBA, and .294 xSLG.
If he can couple those elite offerings with even a decent fastball, Gray will join Keibert Ruiz as a legitimate headliner of the trade that sent Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
That four-seamer sat at 94.6 mph last year and had plenty of movement, so its all about harnessing the wildness that popped up whenever he tried to throw it. If that changes, so does his entire profile.
Daily Fantasy Baseball Strategy Takeaways
- Start your lineup with the pitching spot, especially on FanDuel, and especially in lower-risk contests
- In high-risk contests, start your lineups with your primary stack, then fill in your secondary hitters and pitchers.
- Whenever possible, stack multiple hitters from the same team .
- In lower-risk lineups, roster guys who hit near the top of the batting order and have relatively even splits.
- For hitters, use players with an ISO split of .170 or higher and/or a wOBA split of .340 or higher.
- Stolen-base attempts per at-bat, both for batters and their opposing pitchers, is an undervalued stat for determining fantasy production.
- Strikeouts are king for pitchers: find guys with K% splits of 22% or higher.
- When looking at historical stats, you generally want to look a full seasons worth of data, not just the last couple of weeks .
- Sportsbooks do most of the work for us: roster pitchers with high moneylines and/or low opponent team totals.
- Statcast batted ball data can help us find under-owned players who have been hitting the ball well recently.
- All things equal, batters perform better/pitchers perform worse when the temperature is higher, the air density is lower, wind is blowing out, and/or its raining
- Embrace the volatility of baseball! Going against public perception using the above takeaways can result in big paydays in higher-risk contests.
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