Last Tuesday night, the competitors of the LABR Mixed draft virtually congregated for our annual mid-February 15-team draft. Drafts this early are challenging. On the one hand, the early timing benefits the prepared and the more highly skilled. On the other hand, there remains a great many unknowns that we need to make educated guesses on at best, and complete shots in the dark on at worst. In addition, the time between the draft and opening day (versus leagues that draft a week to three before the seasons begins) means more opportunity for injuries to decimate your roster before the season even begins!

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I’ve finished the fantasy stat comparisons of the 2023 projection showdown between THE BAT X and Steamer on the hitting side, so now let’s flip to wOBA. Why does wOBA matter if it’s typically not a fantasy category? Because it influences both playing time and lineup spot. It doesn’t matter if a hitter produces the nice mix of home runs and stolen bases that fantasy owners drool over if that same hitter is struggling to keep his wOBA over .300. A poor wOBA could result in a drop in the batting order, which would reduce the hitter’s counting stats, and/or a spot firmly on the bench or even a demotion to the minors. On the other hand, a strong wOBA, especially one that’s beating expectations, could trigger a move to a better lineup spot, increasing counting stats, or increase playing time if the players wasn’t a full-timer at the moment. So wOBA definitely matters…a lot! Let’s begin by identifying the hitters THE BAT X is more bullish on for wOBA than Steamer.

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Yesterday, I listed and discussed six hitters who THE BAT X was significantly more bullish on for runs scored than Steamer. Let’s now find out who Steamer’s runs scored favorites are compared to THE BAT X.

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Let’s continue rolling on with the 2023 projection showdown, pitting THE BAT X against Steamer in the various fantasy categories and discussing the players each system is more bullish on. Today, we shift over to runs scored (R) and follow the same 650 plate appearance pace calculation I’ve been using. Batting order position plays a huge role here, as the higher up in the lineup, the more plate appearances a hitter will receive, providing more opportunities to score runs. But of course, we’re keeping PAs constant, so batting order doesn’t play that role here. Instead, since all the best hitters are typically in the top five spots, being ahead of the stronger hitters makes it more likely you’ll be knocked in after reaching base. Obviously, home run power also increases runs scored as it’s a guaranteed run. So lineup spot and power are two major factors in runs scored, plus OBP, for obvious reasons. Let’s find out who THE BAT X is most bullish on in runs scored versus Steamer. You might see some familiar names THE BAT X has been bullish on in other categories too, which makes sense given that if a system is more bullish on overall performance, it’s likely that results in higher counting stats across the board.

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Last Thursday, I listed and discussed the hitters who THE BAT X was more optimistic on for RBI than Steamer. Now let’s switch over to the batters Steamer is more bullish on for RBI than THE BAT X.

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Let’s continue rolling on with the 2023 projection showdown, pitting THE BAT X against Steamer in the various fantasy categories and discussing the players each system is more bullish on. Today, we shift over to runs batted in (RBI) and follow the same 650 plate appearance pace calculation I did when reviewing stolen base forecasts. RBI are driven by a couple of factors — the batter’s own offense, particularly his power/extra-base hit ability, his spot in the lineup (middle of the order, spots 3-5, are best), and the performance of the hitters ahead of him in the lineup (ideally, they are high OBP, but lower in power so they drive in other runners or themselves via the home run less frequently and leave more for the batter in question). Since one of those factors is power, driven significantly by home runs, there will be some similar names here to what made THE BAT X home run favorites list. That makes sense! So let’s get to it.

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Yesterday, I pivoted the 2023 projection showdown pitting THE BAT X against Steamer to batting average. These were the hitters THE BAT X was more bullish on for batting average than Steamer. Now let’s find out who Steamer is more bullish on than THE BAT X for batting average and what’s driving the difference in forecast.

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Let’s continue the 2023 projection showdown, pitting THE BAT X against Steamer in the various fantasy categories. Today, I’ll shift over to batting average, and identify and discuss the hitters that THE BAT X is more bullish on than Steamer. Unlike the counting stat showdowns, there’s no need to perform extra calculations to account for different PA forecasts, making it a whole lot easier! Batting average differences are primarily driven by disagreements over projected BABIP and/or strikeout rate, so let’s find out what’s fueling THE BAT X’s optimism.

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Yesterday, I pivoted the 2023 projection showdown pitting THE BAT X against Steamer to stolen bases. These were the hitters THE BAT X was more bullish on for steals than Steamer. Now let’s find out who Steamer is more bullish on than THE BAT X for stolen bases, given a constant 650 plate appearances.

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Let’s continue the 2023 projection showdown, pitting THE BAT X against Steamer in the various fantasy categories. Today, I’ll shift over to stolen bases, and identify and discuss the hitters that THE BAT X is more bullish on than Steamer. Like I did for home runs, I converted the projected stolen base total into a ratio first and then calculated the season pace. For steals, I used plate appearances as the denominator, instead of at-bats, and then 650 PAs for the season pace. Let’s find out who THE BAT X likes to steal more bases than Steamer.

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