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12 Jan 2009 |
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Tweet me!| This will be the first in a series of articles in the next four weeks that will examine how you should set up your league for the upcoming season.
In 1989 when I was asked to join a fantasy baseball league, I didn't ask what kind of league it was, I just jumped in and started playing. Pitch and Ditch wasn't part of the vocabulary. Streaming wasn't even on the radar since keeping up with free agents was next to impossible. Since we didn't do stats very often, two start pitchers were not really part of the equation. My, how things have changed, or as Dick Enberg would say, "Oh my!" Now that we have so many options I think it is important that you, the prospective commish, have an educated opinion on what type of league you would like to run. Let's first look at whether you would like a head to head league or the format used by Dan Okrent and Glen Waggoner, the original rotisserie players. Although it may sound like a small difference, the selection of one of these formats is monumental in determining what type of league for plan on having. Let's take a quick look at each, discuss there pros and cons, and leave the choice up to you. In Roto you have a bunch of categories, usually five in hitting and five in pitching, that are tabulated constantly over the entire season and whoever has the highest totals across all categories combined, based on relative ranks, wins in the end. H2H is usually tabulated weekly and you play a different opponent per week, one on one, and then you get a fresh start every week. There can also be a playoff element in either format but is more traditional in the head to head league. The H2H (head to head) leagues are great if you are just starting out. It is not quite like the head to head format in football but is similar in the fact that you are playing a different opponent each week. The winner though is determined by the high score in each catagory as opposed to an overall winner each week. PROS OF THE HEAD TO HEAD
CONS OF THE HEAD TO HEAD
PROS OF THE ROTO FORMAT
Let me know what your thought are on each format and which you like best. I have included a video link at the bottom of the page that shows the last draft of the original Rotisserie Baseball League. http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3366482 Next week we will looking at Transaction Limits and Trade Rules.
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Comments (21)
  written by Ian, February 06, 2009
Is there a site that exists that allows you to combine head to head and rotisserie I think this makes a ton of sense but can't seem to find it anywhere.
written by RhettOldham, January 28, 2009
what you guys are talking about sounds like fantasy football come playoff time and your star sits or is hurt. H2H leagues are fun but that is definitely a downside, unless of course you are the 6th seed!
written by big o, January 24, 2009
yogi ... i hear what you're saying. that's why h2h keeper leagues are more difficult than standard (yearly) h2h leagues.
otherwise, it's an easier task to drop the beltrans and the sorianos of the world, come play-off time, for guys like choo and span.
written by Yogi, January 24, 2009
Big o - Didn't even realize this thread was still rocking. I must disagree. While I've had success in H2H, I've also had teams go into the playoffs with close to a 90 % winning rate, only to lose because the 6 seed had some guys go off for a week. That's not mismanagement. That is a coin flip. Add to that, the fact that while H2H is holding their playoffs, the MLB has expanded their rosters, meaning your stud(s) are getting a much deserved break while some minor league (future star) is getting his cup of coffee. Just hate to have 4 months of draft prep, followed by 24 weeks of successful management, get shot because of one week.
written by lozz, January 24, 2009
you guys should mention a points based league. I used to be in a H2H league that was points based. strikeouts and hitting into a double play were negative points among other stats. So the extra day of games on thursday was not an advantage to anyone
written by kevinorris, January 21, 2009
I like doing them for the social aspect as well Patrick. I do know multiple people that prefer that type of league however because they don't have to strategize so much and I think it allows you to draft some of your more favorite players. I highly recommend these leagues to beginners for the fact that it helps one to get familiar with players throughout the league, but if you want to play legitimate fantasy baseball, roto leagues are where it's at. Like Patrick though, I do one or two each year in a public leagues on Sportsline just for the social aspect, as well as trying something for a change of pace.
written by Patrick DICaprio, January 21, 2009
i do one of those and cant stand it--it is purely a social league, very little skill needed, and i say that having won the league before.
written by RhettOldham, January 21, 2009
Thanks Kevin, I think I know what you are talking about now.
written by big o, January 21, 2009
yogi :
dominant teams will win, unless you completely mis-manage your team for a number of weeks. remember, in h2h the 1st goal is to make the play-offs. in that regard, one bad week won't kill your team.
written by Kevin Orris, January 21, 2009
Rhett- are you familiar with the points leagues on CBSSportsline.com? That is the closest thing I can think of to Thejeffg. I've done those before, but I know a lot of 'experts' don't like them because they feel that they require little strategy.
written by RhettOldham, January 21, 2009
Thejeffg,
I have never been in that kind of league. I would like to know more about, rules, constitution, etc. I like the premise though and it sounds like you would really have to work at your team to win. Thanks for the comment and I look forward to learning more about how you run your total points league.
written by Thejeffg, January 21, 2009
I like a different spin- the total points league. The challenge is getting the point weightings right, but the idea of a total number value representing a season's production seems more realistic than categorical rankings as in Roto.
1 points league I'm in has daily transactions, but limits you to 162 total games at each posistion including SP and RP, so streaming is a worthless strategy, but Thurs./Mond. work helps keep you up with the pack.
written by Yogi, January 16, 2009
I don't think that one format is necessarily more "challenging" then the next. My experience has been, that I find the knowledge of those who prefer traditional roto leagues far exceed what you usually find in a H2H league. Roto leagues seem to attract more pure Baseball fans, whereas H2H has more of our Football "brethren" involved. One enjoys the journey, the other the instant rush. Whichever satisfies your competitive "jones" the best, is where you need to play. Personally, I just got tired of putting in all of the work to field a dominant team, just to have it all disappear because of one week.
written by RhettOldham, January 15, 2009
Sabr, thanks for reading but your entire message was cut off. I certainly would like to see the rest.
Great points thus far though. I still believe steals and saves are weighted higher in H2H because you need them EVERY week and they do not accumulate over a season. You can't trade off proven closers and speed guys in H2H for that reason IMO. I see your point in H2H leagues attention. Of course it depends on if it is a daily transaction league or not. My point being is that all stats "zero out" at the end of each week so a bad start or injury does not effect you long term. H2H proponents do say it is like real baseball because you have an opponent each week and I can see there point. But many H2Hs are daily transaction leagues with multiple pitch and ditch and monday-thursday transactions that are not anything like real baseball. Finally, I think both formats are fun and both have an element of being the GM of a baseball team. Both have there good and bad for sure. Thanks for reading and best of luck in the upcoming season.
written by saber, January 15, 2009
Rhett,
I think it's extremely important for owners to understand the consequences of Roto vs. H2H, but I have a few issues with your criticisms of the head-to-head format: -I don't think either format is "easier to pick up" -Saves and steals are probably LESS important in H2H, as trying to stockpile basestealers will let you build a big lead in roto, but you could still lose in H2H because steals tend to be unevenly distributed. Going big on steals is very risky in H2H -Roto does not require more attention than H2H. If anything, H2H owners that don't pay attention for two days can screw themselves and lose a week from bad management. In roto, over the course of a long season, if you forget to play someone one day, you have plenty of margin for error -Roto is not "more like real baseball". In baseball, teams face off against a single opponent at a time, which would be more like H2H. -I'm not sure what makes roto "more intricate". If anything, there are fewer complicated factors in roto, because you aren't facing different opponents each week, which might require adjusting your lineup to counter your opponent's individual strengths and weaknesses Overall, I think your points about losing interest and the role of luck are on target, but I think H2H gets a bad rap here. It's certainly not a case of novice vs. expert.
written by RhettOldham, January 14, 2009
Joe, no problem on the bet...just sent someone to you about your beginner's articles...great stuff over there.
written by big o, January 13, 2009
sorry rhett :
implicated you (mistakenly) with a bet i made with joe lano on your pod-cast with tony earlier today . great show btw ... sure to be a top 10 .
written by Dknee, January 13, 2009
Think you have great points and absolutely agree that H2H allows the novice manager more opportunity to stay interested for the long haul. However, I disagree that Roto is more like real baseball...hot and cold streaks are part of real baseball. The 1st place team can run into a last place team on a streak and get their heads handed to them in a 3 game series or they can get unlucky with how pitching matchups lineup too. While it is more luck in fantasy than in real baseball I think luck is part of any sport - but the better teams make their own. At the end of the day, if you have the best team luck should work itself out regardless of format.
written by RhettOldham, January 13, 2009
Big O and Dwrek, great points both of you concerning H2H! Thanks for reading and I think I need to include those in any future articles about H2H leagues.
written by big o, January 12, 2009
h2h leagues (especially at work) are fun because it embraces gambling a whole lot better.
free drinks , free lunch , whatever , a friendly wager makes the work week more interesting.
written by D Wrek, January 12, 2009
I prefer roto, but another bonus for H2H is come September these leagues tend to pick up momentum, while roto leagues tend to lose momentum.
For roto leagues, most trade deadlines have passed, so you're mainly riding it out. Most teams are pretty much stuck. The few teams that may be in contention have to rely on keen waiver pick ups and roster moves (which is still a lot of work none the less). For H2H, Septemeber marks the 2nd season. PLAYOFFS!!! If you survived the season and advanced to the playoffs, the real fun (and agony) is just begining.
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