Okay, so I’ve been messing around with fantasy baseball again this year, and I gotta say, figuring out the pitchers is always the trickiest part. I mean, you want those guys who are gonna rack up the wins and strikeouts, but not totally destroy your ERA and WHIP, right? So, I spent a good chunk of time digging into it, and here’s what I’ve been up to.
Started With the Big Names
First, I looked at the obvious guys, the ones everyone talks about. You know, the usual suspects who always seem to be at the top of the lists. I checked out their stats from last year, focusing on things like strikeouts per nine innings, ERA, and how many walks they gave up.
Digging Deeper
But that’s just the surface-level stuff. Everyone knows about those guys. To really get an edge, I started looking at some less obvious choices. I looked at guys who might be on the verge of breaking out, maybe they had a great second half of the season last year, or maybe they changed teams and are in a better situation now.
Looked at advanced Stats
I also started to look at some of those advanced stats everyone always talks about. To be honest, I still don’t understand all of them, but some, like FIP and xFIP, seem pretty useful. They try to take the luck out of pitching and just look at what the pitcher actually controls, like strikeouts, walks, and home runs.
Considering Team Context
Then I figured, you gotta think about the team these guys are on, right? A pitcher on a team with a terrible defense is gonna have a tougher time, even if he’s good. And a pitcher in a really tough division might have worse numbers than a guy in a weak division. I spent a lot of time looking at this.
Mock Drafts
Then came the fun part – mock drafts! I must have done like a dozen of these things. It’s the best way to see where guys are actually going and to try out different strategies. You quickly learn who’s overvalued and who’s undervalued.
Making My Own Rankings
Finally, after all that, I put together my own rankings. It’s not perfect, and I’m sure I’ll be tweaking it right up until draft day, but I feel a lot more confident about my pitching staff this year.
- Takeaways:
- Don’t just rely on the big names.
- Dig into the advanced stats, even if they’re a bit confusing.
- Team context matters.
- Mock drafts are your best friend.
It was a grind, but hopefully, it’ll pay off. Now I just have to try not to blow it all at the draft. Wish me luck!