Using BABS in alternate formats

by Chris Doyle

With all of the different fantasy formats that have spawned over the years, and the player rankings that accompany them, owners face a lot of informational noise. At the end of the day, all you’re looking for is an accurate evaluation that paints a picture of what a given player has to offer.

The beauty of BABS is that she doesn’t judge or assume. She knows not what type of league you signed up for. She only knows skills.

So, how can you utilize BABS outside of traditional rotisserie leagues? We’ll look at the other two most common formats: head-to-head and points.

Head-to-Head

Head-to-head leagues have been steadily gaining steam and it’s easy to see why. Rotisserie can be a grind, especially if you’re toiling near the bottom of the standings by the all-star break. Head-to-head offers direct competition all year long, but it also presents some challenges when it comes to building your roster.

Ultimately you want a team that can provide consistent production, but finding week-to-week consistency is a tough task, one that even BABS has a little trouble with.

But, there are ways she can be of use. Categories like saves and stolen bases are so volatile that it may be wise to consider investing less in the types of players whose values are heavily tied to these stats.

Consider the relief pitching market. The phrase “don’t pay for saves” has been kicking around for some time, and for good reason. Saves will come from a wide variety of major league relievers, and with the exception of a few elite arms like Kenley Jansen and Craig Kimbrel, sinking too much into this position can be catastrophic. Consider the ADPs of the (ER, K+, SV) group: Corey Knebel (64), Edwin Diaz (89) and Sean Doolittle (129) are the same player according to BABS, but are going at vastly different stages in drafts. Doolittle carries obvious health risk as his (INJ) liability tag suggests, but if you build that into your overall roster you may be able to afford that risk at his current price.

Speaking of injuries, head-to-head leagues can magnify the risk even more, especially in weekly formats. Most weekly leagues don’t give managers the ability to replace an injured player mid-week, so if you’ve paid a premium for a multi-category contributor like A.J. Pollock (SB, AV | INJ) you’re carrying a ton of risk. One weekly loss can mean the difference in making or missing the playoffs. A similar outfielder can be found more than 20 spots later in Lorenzo Cain (SB, AV), who is without the extreme injury risk but will give you the same skills.

Points

One thing all points leagues seem to have in common is the reduced value of steals, which makes this format a completely different beast altogether than standard category leagues. The stolen base has become a premium category in recent years due to its relative scarcity and its value in traditional leagues has never been higher. Conversely, points leagues reward power significantly more, and because the object of the game is to score the most points, managers can effectively ignore stolen bases if they so choose. Points are points, right?

The elite thieves who display strengths in other categories like Trea Turner (p, S+, AV) and Dee Gordon (S+, AV) are still key contributors, but someone like Billy Hamilton (S+) should be dropped considerably in your rankings as his value is tied solely to speed. His huge advantage in this department isn’t worth paying for in points leagues because all you need to look for is overall production. Basically, you have more options.

Take a look at the group of hitters falling in the 200 pick range ($5-6 in auction leagues):

In a standard categories league, you might be forced into grabbing some cheap speed here depending on how you’ve constructed your roster to this point. Bradley Zimmer would certainly be the call due to his SB speed grade and clear path to playing time, but he carries significant risk in batting average and experience. In points leagues, you’re not pigeonholed into this thinking. Eric Thames (P+, a * – pictured) might be projected for less playing time, but at this stage in the draft you want to be buying skills.

Closing thoughts

Is there a hard and fast rule for how you build your team? No, and that’s the beauty of it. BABS can be flexible. But above all else, remember that your league settings will dictate your focus.