2023 Positional Overview – Batters

by Curt Brooks

The following summary provides a BABS overview of the batter pool, by position and playing time. We examine the various skill categories, and this year we group corresponding liabilities with the asset category.

Playing time considerations

Your goal should be to maximize playing time, so bear in mind your league’s specific roster requirements and budget accordingly. Assuming a standard of 14 hitters means you would need 168 batters in a 12-team league, and 210 batters in a 15-team league.

BABS projects the following playing time by position for 2023. In aggregate, there are more than enough players in the top two PT tiers (Full-time and Mid-time) to fill a 14-man offense in a 15-team league. In those leagues, most rosters can be constructed with about 11-12 full-time (F) players.

PT Cat	Universe		CI		MI
		C	1B	3B	2B	SS	OF	DH
F	177	11	24	24	25	23	66	4
M	100	17	11	12	11	5	41	3
P	131	30	9	13	14	9	47	9
NT	212	36	11	25	25	25	77	13
Total	620	94	55	74	75	62	231	29

Adding skills to the mix

Looking for Power? The (P+, PW, p) ratings can be found in the usual places – corner infield, outfield, and catcher. However, at several positions, power tends to tail off rapidly with lesser PT. With a few exceptions, middle infield offers far less power. If you must dip into the Part-time or No-timer populations, note that there are still pockets of power to be found.

# of Players with Power

PT Cat	Universe		CI		MI
		C	1B	3B	2B	SS	OF	DH
F	177	8	16	17	9	10	42	2
M	100	8	9	6	3	0	20	2
P	131	13	5	4	4	2	22	5
NT	212	8	7	8	5	5	19	2
Total	620	37	37	35	21	17	103	11

The next table summarizes the number of players, by position, who will not contribute to your bottom line in the power department. If you select a player with a (-P or -PA) liability, you need to budget for power elsewhere in your lineup. Note the dramatic increase in the number of catchers who will penalize you as playing time decreases – BABS suggests that you not wait on a second catcher. And pay close attention to the power liability when also selecting your Middle Infielders.

# of Players with Power Liabilities

PT Cat	Universe		CI		MI
		C	1B	3B	2B	SS	OF	DH
F	177	0	0	1	3	6	3	0
M	100	1	0	1	5	1	6	0
P	131	7	0	5	8	4	10	2
NT	212	21	4	13	13	12	24	2
Total	620	29	4	20	29	23	43	4

As expected, Speed (s, SB, S+) is found at the middle infield and outfield positions. This is a scarce commodity, with just under 30 percent of full-timers and less than 25 percent of Mid-timers owning this skill – BABS encourages you to plan carefully. With a few notable exceptions, corner infield, catchers, and the DH position are generally devoid of this skill.

However, MLB’s rule changes could shift this data in any number of ways. Aside from players moving up within the skills hierarchy, some who previously did not have a speed rating might earn one, and others who are being counted in this table could earn more playing time. Still, BABS’ broad rating system should capture most of the skills shifts we might see.

# of Players with Speed

PT Cat	Universe		CI		MI
		C	1B	3B	2B	SS	OF	DH
F	177	2	0	4	8	14	22	0
M	100	0	0	1	2	4	16	0
P	131	1	0	4	4	4	15	1
NT	212	3	0	5	7	8	42	4
Total	620	6	0	14	21	30	95	5

The Batting Effectiveness skill (a, AV, A+) serves as a proxy for batting average. While almost 75 percent of full-timers own this skill, be aware that the skill declines at an extreme rate as PT decreases, as less than one-third of mid-time hitters carry this skill. To create a well-rounded team, BABS says to focus on this skill early, as the well quickly runs dry.

# of Players with Batting Effectiveness 

PT Cat	Universe		CI		MI
		C	1B	3B	2B	SS	OF	DH
F	177	8	21	14	21	17	46	3
M	100	5	2	5	6	1	10	2
P	131	5	2	1	4	2	6	1
NT	212	2	1	3	4	3	4	2
Total	620	20	26	23	35	23	66	8

 To provide further insight into batting effectiveness, only 10 percent of full-time players have a (-A, -PA) liability, compared to a whopping 40 percent of mid-timers! And the numbers get even worse as PT decreases. This is a pitfall to avoid at all costs. Pay extra attention to the numbers among catchers and 3Bmen – BABS has two words of advice regarding these two positions and batting effectiveness – “DON’T WAIT!”

# of Players with Batting Effectiveness Liabilities

PT Cat	Universe		CI		MI
		C	1B	3B	2B	SS	OF	DH
F	177	1	1	4	0	4	11	1
M	100	8	3	5	3	2	19	0
P	131	21	5	5	8	5	33	7
NT	212	32	8	20	18	14	67	9
Total	620	62	17	34	29	25	130	19

Dual-asset skills (P/S, P/A, S/A) and triple-asset skills (P/S/A) are the most valuable to roster. Triple-skill players represent only 10 percent of Full-timers, meaning each team in a standard league would be fortunate to have even one. However, one can certainly build a competitive roster by combining the P/A skillset with players holding the P/S and S/A skills, and ultimately supplementing any shortfalls with single-skill players. And when examining the P and NT sub-sets, focus on players with multiple skills, as they are the most likely to earn an increase in PT.

Players possessing skill combinations

PT Cat.	Universe	P/S		P/A		S/A		P/S/A
	#	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
F	177	8	5%	57	32%	19	11%	17	10%
M	100	4	4%	10	10%	4	4%	2	2%
P	131	9	7%	5	4%	3	2%	0	—
NT	212	11	5%	7	3%	1	0%	2	1%
Total	620	32	5%	79	13%	27	4%	21	3%

Other Major Liabilities

Lastly, any BABS conversation is not complete without a discussion of major liabilities. This last section summarizes the Injury (inj-, INJ, INJ+) and Experience (e, EX) liabilities by position and playing time tiers.

Injuries are pervasive, as one in four players in the player pool carries this liability. Outfielders are the most affected, with almost a third of the position holding this risk factor. Conversely, the least affected by injury, position-wise, are shortstops and catchers, with “only” about 20 percent of each group carrying the injury tag. BABS suggests you plan for this by stocking your bench with highly-skilled Mid- and/or Part-timers.

# of Players with Injury Risk by Position & PT

PT Cat	Universe		CI		MI
		C	1B	3B	2B	SS	OF	DH
F	177	3	3	6	9	6	29	0
M	100	5	4	3	1	2	15	2
P	131	7	4	4	4	1	13	3
NT	212	4	2	3	4	3	176	1
Total	620	19	13	16	18	12	74	6

Experience liabilities are important because, with younger players, one really doesn’t fully know what to expect. One need look no further than Jonathan India, who went from 532 AB (F) and a BABS rating of (p,a|EX) to 386 AB (M) and (|e) last year. Now, this is not to say that Julio Rodriguez will experience the same results, but rather a word of caution being whispered by BABS when it comes to the experience factor.

# of Players with Experience Risk by Position & PT

PT Cat	Universe		CI		MI
		C	1B	3B	2B	SS	OF	DH
F	177	4	5	3	5	10	15	2
M	100	8	3	5	5	2	21	0
P	131	15	2	9	6	5	34	5
NT	212	23	5	16	13	12	48	9
Total	620	50	15	33	29	29	118	16

NOTES: The data in the above charts may vary slightly from the latest database update which was run after this analysis was written. To engage with other readers on this topic, head over to the Reader Forums. If you have a question that would be best answered by one of our experts and benefit everyone, submit it on our Contact Page and put MAILBAG in the Subject Line.