2023 MLB Fantasy Tips and Tricks
We have a new glorious MLB season just taking shape. With that, fantasy baseball is well afloat with people everywhere pondering what the hell to do for their respective drafts. That’s what we here at Vendetta can assist you with. Let’s get into some tips and tricks.
Play It Safe!
You don’t want to go into the first four to five rounds drafting guys like Mike Trout or Shohei Ohtani. Make wise decisions to start off.
This includes drafting position players who can play multiple positions and are durable. Consistency is key. Pay attention to the categories that are of higher value in your league. Go after players who check off all these boxes.
Undervalued Players
Keep an eye on players coming off down years and are due for a bounce-back season. This can include guys like Kris Bryant or Cedric Mullins who have proved they can perform at a high level yet are coming off injuries or just inconsistency.
Pitching Is Vital
You must take pitching seriously in fantasy baseball. Draft pitchers early. Don’t wait until the fifth round to grab a decent arm.
Something else that needs to be mentioned is to not draft closers or designated relievers. Go after starters who can eat innings. Closers and relievers don’t make enough of an impact for you to earn your deserved points. Also, look for starters who have closer eligibility.
As mentioned before, durability is key. Guys like Clayton Kershaw and Jacob deGrom may be appealing but they are very injury prone. It’s more worth it to have a guy who throws 200 innings with a 3.00 ERA than 130 innings and a 2.30 ERA.
Going more into the statistical part of it, it’s not just ERA you want to look at. SIERA is ERA without the luck factor involved. The rule of thumb is anything under 3 is excellent with under 4 simply being above average.
One last thing that’s super important is to look for pitchers who have a strikeout percentage of 22% or higher.
Summing it all up. Get starters early on who eat innings, have a sub-4 SIERA, and a strikeout percentage of 22% or higher.
Organize That Lineup!
Managing a fantasy baseball team is a hefty task. You have a long season ahead of you with a ton of matchups.
When drafting offensive players, look for top-of-the-lineup guys. I look at guys like Trea Turner who garners four to five at-bats a game (and is durable!!). More at-bats mean more opportunities to earn points.
Like the pitching side, get to know your in-depth statistical analysis for your offense. We are blessed with stats in this day that really tell you player value.
At the surface level, look at On Base Percentage. Basically, anything above .350 is acceptable. The more the player gets on base, the more he scores. That means points earned.
A more in-depth statistic is ISO or Isolated Power. This takes into account only extra-base hits. Anything above .175 is solid but above .200 is elite.
Day-To-Day Lineup Construction
If you really care about your team, you will consider a lot of factors to ensure a win in your weekly matchup.
The harsh reality of any sport is that anyone can get hurt at any time. Be consistent with checking the status of your players. See if they’re in the lineup when released by the manager.
If you are stuck in the conundrum where you don’t have someone to fill a lineup slot, you will have to either make a trade or add a free agent. This is not something to be taken lightly.
If there’s a free agent that appeals to you, look at his OBP, and ISO. Also, see who he’s facing that night and what his history against him is.
If he’s in a slump, don’t even bother. The easiest way to check is to see his performance in his last 10 games. If he’s not getting on base or getting his extra-base hits, ignore picking him up.
Another factor is to see where your players are playing. Players will generally play better the hotter the weather. Elevation comes into play too. Places like Coors Field will generally make for a better offensive game.
Conclusion
Fantasy is a load of fun. Just be wise and use these tips to have a leg up on your opponent. This is about getting points in the end.
Be sure to stay tuned for Vendetta’s fantasy league. We will have many updates coming your way!
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