2023 Projection Showdown — THE BAT X vs Steamer wOBA Forecasts, Part 1
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.