H2H League... Anyone ever punted AVG?

[kweiss]

Standard Yahoo H2H Category League... (AVG, R, HR, RBI, SB). Anyone ever punted batting average in favor of low average mashers? The category can be a bit of a crapshoot anyways.

C Mike Napoli (12+ Round)
1B Ryan Howard (1st Round)
2B Dan Uggla (6th Round)
3B Mark Reynolds (16th Round)
SS
OF Adam Dunn (5th Round)
OF Pat Burrell (13th round)
OF
UTIL

You would likely be ahead in HR and RBI every week. Most of these guys can be had late in comparison to others in their position, which leaves you many rounds to stack up a dominant pitching staff and balance out your hitting lineup with players with some speed or runs: the Carlos Beltran - Shane Victorino - Alex Rios type.

Any thoughts on this strategy? I don't know if I have the guts to try it out, but it's fun to think about.

[woodson_28]

i think most people don't punt AVG, due to the fact that along w/ AVG, OBP and Runs (and sometimes Hits) are included in the standard categorizes, and a low AVG leads to low OBP, Runs and Hits. Bold strategy, I hope it works for you.

[auclairkeithbc]

it is a bad idea to punt average completely, because it is one of the least controllable categories. it is ok to put together a team with a relatively weak average that you'd expect would win 1 out of every 3 or 4 weeks, because you'll end up winning more often than that and not actually pay for it. but if you go in to the season thinking you might get lucky enough to win 1 or 2 weeks total, that is all you'll end up winning.

[The Artful Dodger]

I'm more inclined to punting SB than BA in H2H. While it's true that BA fluctuates week to week, SB is prone to drops, but the best thing about SB is it's one category that doesn't necessarily go hand in hand with other categories. Theoretically, a bad average week to week could translate into bad counting totals elsewhere.

Most of the low-average power hitters you cited are the most prone to streakiness as well. They'll either be good or bad in stretches, basically, which leaves your team more susceptible to losing big as well. BA is a crapshoot but it still pays off to have a few hitters who can hit for average among other things.

[sblinyy]

I'm more inclined to punting SB than BA in H2H. While it's true that BA fluctuates week to week, SB is prone to drops, but the best thing about SB is it's one category that doesn't necessarily go hand in hand with other categories. Theoretically, a bad average week to week could translate into bad counting totals elsewhere.

Most of the low-average power hitters you cited are the most prone to streakiness as well. They'll either be good or bad in stretches, basically, which leaves your team more susceptible to losing big as well. BA is a crapshoot but it still pays off to have a few hitters who can hit for average among other things.

This makes perfect sense. Agreed.