H2H strategies

[curious_george_43545]

Ok since I'm new to fantasy baseball this year, I don't know much about the strategies behind H2H and Roto. All I have heard is Roto is more pitching but still hitting oriented and H2H is more hitter oriented than Roto. Is this true? Also in H2H since my first season is going to be in a H2H league what should you try to get in what rounds in a draft besides obviously the best person. Any strategies that are good to use in a H2H format are appreciated. ( Snake Draft not auction ). THanks in advance.

[Amazinz]

I'm not sure Rotisserie is more about pitching but it is more about balance. In H2H it's easier to overcome weaknesses in certain categories by being dominant in others. Of course you need to have more dominant categories than weak categories.

In H2H I normally target an ace pitcher (a top K guy) in rounds 2 or 3. Then forget about pitching until rounds 10+. I want to get at least 1 decent closer so I may reach for one earlier than 10 if they're going off the board quickly.

Punting is a viable strategy in H2H but I'm not a fan of it. Even if you get just 1 closer and then work the WW during the season you have a shot at that category.

A guy like Podsednik is ALOT more valuable in H2H than in Roto. He gives you a shot at winning SBs every week and he can be had a lot cheaper then the top shelf basestealers.

Player values across the board are a little different in H2H. Someone like Kendall gets bumped up the C ranks a little in Roto because of the stolen bases he gives you but in H2H those handful of SBs aren't worth much. So when you value your players base it on the categories where he consistently delivers.

[Carey Saders]

I actually find that a quality pitching staff is often the difference in H2H. You don't want to trust your playoff weeks especially into the hands of sub-par pitchers. It's nice when you feel confident in your staff.

Don't get me wrong. Offense is important too. I usally just draft the best players available. But I often think they are the SPs...not the sticks.

[nikku88]

I went pitching heavy last year in H2H and didn't do that well cause even your stud pitchers can have a bad game in a week. It's mostly luck in H2H. I'm going for O this year, we'll see if that's better.

[Ed Whitson]

I also went all pitching one year and had a .500 record due to the inconsistency of pitching and injuries costing me a start here and there. A great way to draft for head to head leagues is draft a great offense, not punting any category, and try to get guys with super high batting averages and on base percentages like Helton or Ichiro, because these categories are hard to make up later in the draft. Also get top closers to be strong in saves and secondary numbers, especially strikouts. This year, Gagne, Lidge, Krod are all ideal. In the middle of the draft start to accumulate starters who get tons of strikeouts, at least 7 per nine innings pitched. Beckett, Harden, Bonderman, Burnett, and Webb come to mind. Then, if you can alternate starters weekly, just pick the most two start pitchers you can so you accumulate strikouts and wins every week. With this draft strategy you will dominate offensive categories and be exceptional in saves, wins, and strikouts, leaving you only to worry about whip and era. But in a H2H league, that gives you a great chance to win 8 out of 10 points every week. Hope this helps

[Yoda]

I've been in a H2H league for years now and I like it much better than Roto.

Good thing is you can lose a lot of games and still make it up at the end. In Roto, if you fall back too far early, it is nearly impossible to catch up sometimes.

There is definitely more luck involved but the better team always wins at the end. Having a consistent lineup is key to success. It is much more difficult to put together a team that performs well in the regular season and then into the playoffs. Picking pitchers becomes a much harder task this way.

Everyone knows that the last month is the playoffs and it gives every playoff team a shot at winning. It is more interactive also since you are playing against someone every week.

[chadlincoln]

I always focus on pure hitting in the first 6-7 rounds. My keeper draft last year went this way (keep in mind this was the beginning of last year so don't flame me on some picks I thought would pan out):

Beltran
Bonds
Magglio
Jeter
Berkman
Giambi
Pudge
M. Morris
J. Beckett
B. Webb
L. Castillo
A. Rhodes
Izzy
Carl Crawford- went after him for steals category
Rich Harden
Morgan Ensberg
J. Julio
D. Baez
Miguel Cabrera
K. Ishii
M. Macdougal
J. Reyes
A.J. Burnett
Adam Dunn

I won this league easily. A lot of my later picks panned out with Dunn and Crawford. I ended up trading away Dunn and Crawford during the season at the right time. I picked up closers as they changed. I easily dominated my league. Again, I like to go with all hitting early and fill in pitching later. There always seems to be a lot more dominant pitchers popping up than hitters.