Batting Average

[BigLebowski]

Is a single players batting average over-rated in the fantasy game?

I understand if you have Dunn, Burrell, Glaus, Batista, Charles Johnson, all on one team you're gonna be last in Avg.

But that being said does a player like Glaus really lose that much value because of his .250 average?

I for one have never paid much attention to batting average. I do make sure not to get a bunch of players I know will have a lower average, but I don't discount a players value as much as many fantasy owners do when a player has a sub-par average.

I've never finished lower than 5th in a league and usually finish in the top 3. Have I just been lucky or is average overrated?

[Pablo975]

I won my 8 team 5x5 league last year with Adam Dunn at 1B.

It balanced out because I had Pujols and Ichiro and the next worse average I had was like .280.

Didn't hurt me.

In a larger league it might be more important to watch though.....

[mrt19167]

We pay with four offensive categories: Avg, HR RBI and SB. While a top HR or SB guy can have a major impact, a top average guy will not have the same effect. I won't spend a lot on (or pick high in a draft) someone who hits for a high average but does nothing else. besides, one top average guy will do nothing for a poor average hitting team.

[Jackie Treehorn]

I look at average as a bonus when drafting a player. It can be the determining factor when your trying to decide between two players, but it alone doesn't necessarily make a player worthy of a spot. It also doesn't dissuade me from selecting a guy like Glaus who can provide good power numbers.

[MikeeDee]

Yes, avg is important. It's not a category like steals where if you have Pierre you're guaranteed a top spot. It also doesn't hurt to have one or two players with a bad avg. However, even if you only draft players with a projected avg of .270 or higher (that strategy will usually land you in the top half of the category) you will end up with a couple of disappointments. It's especially detremental if a player has 550-600 ABs and hits .250 or less. That's hard to compensate for. Finding an extra 5 HRs come August is a lot easier than cranking up your team BA with .005.

[kentx12]

In the mock draft we just finished up "slow mock 3" wrveres tracked the stats on excel and I dont remember the exact number but the person who took Dunn had there avg. reduced by a considerable amount. If you are playing a h2h league I dont believe the number would affect your team as bad as a 5x5 roto but I wouldn't want the power Dunn gives a team if I had to sacrafice the avg.

[tommyGunZ]

Depends on how many ab's that player is contributing to your team average.

Toby Hall? Don't worry about it.

Juan Pierre? You'd better believe his .300 average in over 650 ab's will help you.

[xeifrank]

Well, ratio categories like average can easily be converted from a ratio to a counting category.

First thing, come up with a replacement value average. For example say this replacement value average is 0.269

Next take the number of At Bats a player is projected to get and multiply that number by 0.269 Next subtract this number from the projected number of hits the player is suppose to get. The number you get is the amount that player is above the replacement pool value.

Example: Adam Dunn projections.... 540 at bats, 134 hits.

540 * 0.269 = 145.26
(which means someone with 540 at bats needs to have over 145 hits to be of positive value in the average category)

Next, (rounding off)
134 - 145 = -11

Rank all players using this formula for ranking value as it pertains to batting average. You have now converted batting average from a ratio to a counting statistical category much like HRs, RBIs, RUNs and SBs.

The 0.269 varies slightly, depending on the size of the pool of players your league has. More teams and larger roster sizes increases the pool size, and lowers the number.

I learned this on another message board last year, and incorporated it and ratio to counting conversions for WHIP and ERA into my Mock Draft Software Program

vr,

Xeifrank
mailto:xeifrank@yahoo.com

[wrveres]

batting average is so over looked in roto ..

I have tried explaining this before ...

Dunn and Ichiro
that is 2 roster spots ..

those two roster spots would have given you .. (average)

in 2002
a .288 BA -- 97 Runs -- 17 HR's -- 61 RBIs -- 25 SB from each spot

in 2003
a .277 BA -- 90 Runs -- 20 HR's -- 59 RBIs -- 21 SBs

lets put that in perspective,
In 2003 that would be like having 2 Raul Mondesi's on your team at
a .272 BA -- 83 Runs -- 24 HR's -- 71 RBIS -- 22 SBs
How many of you would have drafted 2 Raul Mondesi's early? That is where you would needed to draft them in '03.

or in 2002, a little better value, that would be like having 2 Randy Winns on your team at
a .298 BA -- 87 runs -- 14 HRs -- 75 RBis -- 27sb

Now I know that both Winn and Mondesi are not early picks in any draft, But by adding Adam Dunn to your roster, you would have been better off waiting and grabbing 2 Mondesi's or Winns.

Heck according to this ..
If I draft Winn and Mondesi later on in the draft.. I should get much better production than your Dunn, Ichiro combo ... almost everytime.


Adam Dunn is a cancer ...Please, Please, Please ... let someone else draft him.

[CheeseBeger]

SHHHHH Ur telling everyone the secret.....

I wouldnt draft Dunn either