Whether you’re a die-hard fan or just starting your fantasy league, this article is for you. It offers up some tips on how to find the right players and avoid common mistakes in drafting a team.
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Shohei Ohtani’s fantasy baseball worth is very reliant on your league’s parameters, and I agree that he’s a far less tempting pick in a league with weekly transactions, which forces seven-day judgments between his hitting and pitching stats. Given the Los Angeles Angels’ inclination to utilize a six-man rotation to keep his workload in control, which means just one-start weeks, it’s tough to build a case for him ever being used as a starter. He’s a top-20 overall hitter in terms of raw skill, so it’s difficult to ignore a 5-6 game week out of the DH slot while relying on his pitching stats.
In fact, in 2022, I’ll be going against the grain in one of these leagues: The annual League of Alternative Baseball Reality (LABR) salary-cap draft, which was held on March 4, was limited to AL-only industry experts. Ohtani was the 12th player off the board, and he was acquired for a very fair $31 (even if he was just going to be utilized as a batter).
Most importantly, since I only spent $68 on the rest of my pitching staff, $30 of which went to players who are definitely relievers, I’ll almost certainly have to squeeze some pitching output out of Ohtani.
Again, it was a price I couldn’t pass up, having valued him at $37 — just $4 behind Jose Ramirez, $3 behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and even with clear No. 1 starter Gerrit Cole — while the vast majority of the first-round nominees, with the exception of Marcus Semien ($26, my listed price), went for at least $1 more than I was willing to pay. Ohtani solves a lot of potential problems for salary-cap drafters, with his speed assuring a good number of stolen bases to go along with his elite power, plus the “bonus” of anything he provides from the mound, should you find an appealing week (yes, singular intended) where the matchup points towards using him as a pitcher.
Given that we’re in the middle of the baseball offseason (i.e., in the midst of the lockout), I wanted my squad to be as adaptable as possible. Get a player that can contribute in a variety of ways, keep the rest of the roster flexible, and work out the rest when we see how the remainder of the preseason plays out.
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In relation to such ambiguity,
LABR had planned ahead of time to manage the large number of remaining free agents in an unorthodox manner. Freddie Freeman, Trevor Story, Nick Castellanos, Kenley Jansen, Kris Bryant, Carlos Correa, Kyle Schwarber, Carlos Rodon, Eddie Rosario, Nelson Cruz, Anthony Rizzo, and Clayton Kershaw — the top-12 free agents according to NFBC (National Fantasy Baseball Championship) average draft position — were all ruled ineligible for the draft, while all other free agents could be bid on or selected in the reserve draft. If any of those free agents later contracts with a National League club, his LABR squad would have to release him immediately, but his American League manager would get half of his pay back in FAB (Free Agent Budget). The 12 excluded free agents who join with an AL club before Opening Day will participate in a live FAB bidding session open to all LABR managers.
That presented some strategic options, such as rostering a free agent in the hopes of getting him at a discount due to the fear of him landing in the other league — or, as I eventually did, rostering a free agent knowing that even if he lands in the NL, I’d get FAB back and have both his available roster spot as well as a financial advantage over the competition. That player turned out to be Michael Conforto ($7). He’s a high-floor talent who may be a steal in the AL, or he’ll give me $4 in FAB money to chase any of the four OF-eligible excluded free agents (Castellanos, Bryant, Schwarber, Rosario).
I made a punt on batting average.
Did I, or did I not? Knowing that league batting averages had decreased in large part due to the shift over the last decade, and that many of my intended targets weren’t very excellent in the category, this was a significant component of my approach going into the selection. I snatched up Matt Olson ($27) and Joey Gallo ($17) while they were both hovering at very fair pricing and went all-in on the plan. After missing out on Luis Arraez in the latter rounds, and when Danny Jansen ($6) proved too expensive at catcher, I went with Mike Zunino ($6) with the hopes of racking up power, RBI, and runs.
That is, until I realized I may or may not have punted. This offense is expected to be second in home runs and RBI, first in runs (by a total of 28 over second place), and tied for first in stolen bases, according to ESPN forecasts. Surprisingly, my lineup also ranks sixth in batting average (.253). It only goes to show how unpredictable the category has become these days, and how every squad seems to be poor in that regard. It’s also why this isn’t an entirely ridiculous viewpoint.
Tristan’s LABR-AL roster for 2022
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Alejandro Kirk ($8) and Mike Zunino ($6) are the catchers.
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Matt Olson ($27), Anthony Rendon ($19), Ryan Mountcastle ($20), Willi Castro ($1), Gleyber Torres ($20), Ramon Urias ($1), Matt Olson ($27), Anthony Rendon ($19), Ryan Mountcastle ($20), Willi Castro ($1), Gleyber Torres ($20), Ramon Urias ($1), Matt Olson ($27), Anthony Rendon ($19
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Outfielders: Myles Straw ($22), Joey Gallo ($17), Michael Conforto ($7), Jarrod Duran ($5), Julio Rodriguez ($5), and Jake Meyers ($2).
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Shohei Ohtani ($31), Lucas Giolito ($27), Ryan Pressly ($20), Matt Barnes ($7), Zach Plesac ($6), Jonathan Loaisiga ($3), James Kaprielian ($2), Nate Pearson ($2), Daniel Lynch ($1) Pitchers: Shohei Ohtani ($31), Lucas Giolito ($27), Ryan Pressly ($20), Matt Barnes ($7), Zach Plesac ($6), Jonathan Loaisiga ($3), James Kaprielian ($2)
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Trevor Larnach, Garrett Crochet, Jose Suarez, Andres Munoz, Sam Huff, and Jordan Balazovic are among the reserves.
Note: Click here to view the whole LABR-AL roster.
Using ESPN’s stats projections, the final AL-only LABR standings would have my team with 57.5 points in hitting and 34.0 points in pitching, for a combined total of 91.5 roto points and a comfortable first-place finish over Larry Schechter of Winning Fantasy Baseball (83.5 total, 39.0 hitting, 44.5 pitching) and Ian Kahn of The Athletic (83.5 total, 39.0 hitting, 44.5 pitching) (79.0 total, 28.5 hitting, 50.5 pitching).
Note, though, that the above estimates take into account both Ohtani’s hitting and pitching statistics, and there’s no way I’ll be able to use all of his metrics on both sides of the ball. Because he’ll be used as a batter much more often in a league like this, it’s more sensible to estimate the standings based on the premise that he’ll never provide a single pitching statistic to my team. Even in that scenario, my team would finish third overall with 85.5 roto points, a highly competitive third place result.
That’s not bad, but then again, does any fantasy squad on draft day seem bad?
The “free fantasy baseball” is a website that allows users to create a free league. The site also provides statistics, player rankings, and other information.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best fantasy baseball site?
A: The best fantasy baseball site would have to be Rotowire. They offer more in-depth player profiles and an overall better experience than other sites that are available
What is the MLB lockout 2022 about?
A: The MLB has been locked out by its players since June 18, 2022.
Is there an MLB fantasy league?
A: Unfortunately, no. There is not a MLB Fantasy League for the 2019 season or any other seasons in recent memory.
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