Rant

Default public league configurations in Fantasy Baseball

Pitchers have
Wins, Saves, Earned Run Average, WHIP, Strikeouts

for Roto and H2H

With the current statistics chosen, the advantage is automatically given to a teams who predominantly use relievers. Why? 3 of the 5 statistics favors only drafting relievers: Saves, ERA (a rate), and WHIP (a rate). In a league roto league of 12, and a person who drafts the best relievers automatically collects 12-12-12 points, or winning 3/10 categories outright. As for H2H, fantasy play is more volatile, but again the advantage is given to relievers, for 3 out of the 5 statistics.

Why does this matter? For fantasy baseball to be represented as a whole because starting pitching must be taken into account. Starters usually go 6/9 innings, maybe more, so at least 67% of the game. In comparison, relievers take up 33%, and usually for 1 inning each. That final 11%, however, can win fantasy leagues that run for half a year. As for me, personally, fantasy baseball is only fantasy to me if the conditions remain realistic enough to believe it's still baseball. I could assemble a team of only relievers and win the league, but it wouldn't culminate in the the same relish assembling a fantasy team with a fantastic rotation of 4-5 starters. I don't speak for the fantasy baseball purist perspective, I speak from the viewpoint of a general fan. The more the general fan leaves feeling that fantasy plays similar enough to reality, the more he'll appreciate fantasy, and the more likely he'll spread the word. People play fantasy to imagine up their dream teams, and not to draft 5 closers.

Once players realize 2 of the 5 statistics are rate statistics, they can assemble a team of relievers, and use the small sample size to win league. This isn't incredibly difficult to do. The last statistic (saves) is already reserved to relievers to win out.

How to solve this? 3 possible solutions:

Suggestion 1. Cap the number of innings delivered per relief pitcher for the public configuration.

This is the most compromising rule change, which make fantasy baseball reflect on how baseball is truly played.  So then, how many innings to cap? Out of the 1400 total innings, lets take 33% of which (since relievers go the final 3 out of 9 innings) or 462 innings hard cap. For a more limited number, that reflects on how fantasy baseball is played (drafting for “saves” and not “saves + holds” thus ignoring setup men and middle relief), then 11% should be the cap or 154 innings.  160 innings would be the most appropriate because pure RPers usually give 60-80 innings per season, and assume an average fantasy team has 2 closers. Pitchers with SP/RP eligibility and their innings do not count towards their cap.  For leagues with the "saves + holds" stat instead, the cap should be set at 462 innings.

Suggestion 2. Get rid of WHIP.

Let’s review the 5 statistics: Wins, Saves, Earned Run Average, WHIP, Strikeouts. Wins is a counting statistic that starters usually rack up. Saves is a counting statistic in which relievers can only win. ERA is a rate usually won by team of relievers. WHIP is a rate usually won by a team of relievers. Strikeouts is a counting statistic usually won by starters. By getting rid of WHIP, starters get advantage with 2 statistics (wins + strikeouts), relievers get advantage with 2 statistics (ERA + saves). Fair and simple enough.

The WHIP statistic isn't even good. If it was added the appease the sabermetric community, then it's been sorely outdated. WHIP for a pitcher is opposing batter's batting average + walks. The SABR community has long ago realized the important of DIPS or defense independence pitching -- that is to ignore the hits a pitcher gives up (FIP and xFIP don't account for hits given up). So if the SABR community has left WHIP behind, and the traditionalists have never embraced WHIP, what's the importance of it in fantasy baseball?

Suggestion 3. Require 4 SP positions

By far the easiest modification. Currently there are SP, SP, RP, RP, P, P, P, P for the starting roster. A team of relievers would focus on having the remaining 4 P slots set by relievers. That means 2 starting pitchers and 6 relievers, the advantage is enough to win league. Setting the requirement of 4 SP means, 2 RP, and 2 P open slots. This is a balanced approach on making a team.

---My Ideal League---

10 Team Roto. Continuous Waivers—no free agency. Waiver Budget. 3 Day Waiver Period. Relief Pitchers are lessened in importance: (4 SP, 2 RP, 2P slots), otherwise standard roster size*.

Stats are 5x5 +OPS -WHIP +K/9 +Out

Batting: Runs (R), Home Runs (HR), Runs Batted In (RBI), Stolen Bases (SB), Batting Average (AVG), On-base + Slugging Percentage (OPS); 6 total

Pitching: Wins (W), Saves (SV), Outs (OUT), Strikeouts (K), Earned Run Average (ERA), Strikeouts per Nine Innings (K/9); 6 total

Pitching stats adjusted so 3 stats for starters (W, OUT, K), 3 stats for relievers (SV, K/9, ERA), although good starters can help out the “reliever” categories in K/9 and ERA.