I need some help and suggestions please!
The problem is, we have such a load on categories, I am trying to determine how I should go about drafting and ranking players.
After looking at the league settings below, a hit is counted as a single/double/triple, a total base, and a point in batting average. A stolen base is only counted once. So, batting average is very important in this league.
I'm not worried too much about fielding -- fielding percentage is high for most players. Maybe just make a note of the worst fielders by fielding percentage so that I only end up with one of them at the most?
I am trying to pick a set of categories I am going to try and win every week, and realize that means I will probably concede another set, with a third set that is up in the air depending upon opponent.
Hence, which set of categories, would be most feasible to try and win every week?
Am thinking this year to start taking pitchers about 5th to 8th round. I want two pitchers that could be aces. A pairing like Yu Darvish and Adam Wainwright could happen for me this year in those slots. Also, we must always have the 3 RP slots filled. So maybe one HLDs player and rest SVs.
Yahoo! H2H daily, Mix, W-L-T, 12 team snake draft, 18 rounds
Batting: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF, OF, OF, Util, BN
Categories: R H 1B 2B 3B HR RBI SB TB A FPCT AVG OPS CYC OFA
Pitching: SP, SP, SP, RP, RP, RP, P, BN
Categories: W CG SHO SV ER K HLD ERA WHIP K/BB NH CG
______________________________________________________________________________
Hello Knucklehead! Let me do my best to give you some sound advice on the questions you have presented. This league has a very high number of categories, many of which are rankings would not take into account; however, sometimes the more categories the more you can overcomplicate your draft strategy.
First and foremost, please take a look at our Fantasy Baseball Rankings which are value based and could provide you with a different way of seeing things (For an explanation on how the rankings are compiled, please give this a read as it will really provide some solid insight). Also, take a look at our Top 100 H-2-H Hitters for fantasy baseball this season. This will give you a great start!
Fielding % is a category that would I would not really worry about when conducting my draft strategy as like you said, most MLB players are not terrible. Even Ryan Braun has figured it out, out in left field. In setup such as this, I would agree in targeting two closers and one setup man for holds. My thoughts on closers can be found here, essentially there is only one closer worth reaching for and his name Craig Kimbrel. Some guys to keep tabs on: Bruce Rondon and Greg Holland.
I was able to get some great insight from fellow Fantasy Knucklehead, and baseball expert, Jonathan Stulberg. He recommended in this example, giving a big boost to guys who hit for a high average and even more so, those who have power to go along with it since total bases is part of the equation. Reference slugging % since this takes into account total bases, but even more importantly use OPS as I see this is a category in itself, taking into account walks. Our particular set of rankings give a boost to stolen bases, but in this scenario once you happen to grab one speedster, we would recommend ignoring the rest of the so called "slap-happy" runners. To give an example, Michael Bourn could outright win you the SB category any given week, but on weeks he struggles to get on base you may suffer. That is fantasy baseball, it happens.
On the pitching side, when conducting your research I would focus on three categories. K, K/BB and GB/FB. Predicting ERA and WHIP can be a bit of a crapshoot, especially when it comes to pitchers without a long term track record. Therefore, the focus should be on skills. Pitchers who K a lot gain lots of points in leagues like this. In addition, they also tend to be amongst the better pitchers in the league. On top of that, once you have scrolled down the list of K pitchers, if you focus on K/BB and GB/FB rate you will find who should be the most successful options. Pitchers who keep their BB rate down have less base runners to deal with, that will usually lead to lower ERA. Lower BB obviously would also cap WHIP somewhat assuming hit-luck is normalized. Finally, pitchers who keep the ball on the ground (high GB/FB ratio) are less likely to be victimized by the dreaded 3-run homer. This will really help out when analyzing relievers. Essentially, focus on skills!!
We appreciate you following along with Fantasy Knuckleheads and look forward to helping you win some money in the process!
