Fantasy Baseball-Fair or Foul?

[DOUGHBOYS]

In my best Rodney Dangerfield-

'Fantasy baseball is not a fair game, I tell ya', take my pitcher, puhleese, take my pitcher!'

Pseudo Rodney is right, it isn't a fair game.



We can look at a history of injuries during the off season and gauge whether someone is prone to injury, unlucky with injury, or seemingly satisfied with an injury. But really, it is all junk or opinion.



We cannot foresee what happened to Buster Posey. It could have happened to any catcher. But at the same time we take his position into account. Catchers seem to go down faster than an overpaid hooker.

Not fair?

Not fair is seeing Joe Mauer on commercials rather than the scoring column of a fantasy team.

It is fair seeing our catcher go down, we knew the risks when we selected him.



Yesterday, Chipper Jones called out Jason Heyward for waiting till his shoulder was 100% before playing. I can understand the frustration from a teammate. If I were Chipper, I'd want the same thing.

But, looking at it from the fantasy angle, I don't want to have Heyward be like Chipper. Sitting two or three days, nusing an injury, then playing off and on again. I'd rather go with Heywards plan of being completely healthy.

Not fair?

It's not fair to Chipper, seeing a talented teammate refusing to take the field hurt...Although, I remember John Smoltz calling out Chipper for the same thing.



Somebody stated that James Shields 'deserved' a win last night.

He pitched well. He had a three run lead, then loaded the bases with nobody out. He was taken out and the reliever gave up a base clearing double. Win gone.

Probably not fair that he didn't get a win. Wins are probably THE most not fair stat in our game.

But, I also know that that player knew Tampa's lineup was losing most of their firepower before the season and that runs would be tough to come by in support of Shields.

Coveting wins means taking pitchers in hitters parks. Ogando (O-O!), Sabathia, Burnett, and Arroyo, or even a Scott Feldman will get a lot of 'undeserved' wins, simply because of their teams playing and hitting well in their home parks. The backlash being that occasioally these pitchers get blown up in the hitting paradise too.

Not fair?

Is it fair when Arroyo with questionable peripherals gets 17 wins, while Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez gets 13?

No. But, it is our job to take into account the odds of that happening.



For every ying in fantasy baseball, there is a yang.

Bronson Arroyo has given up more than half his runs this year via the long ball. If we moved him to PetCo Park in San Diego, those home runs would be limited (well, except for the blast from Pena off Arroyo yesterday, that shot would have been out of JellyStone Park).

The ying would be that Arroyo has a bigger park and better peripherals for him. The yang would be the San Diego offense backing him up.

It's not fair.

There's always something. And that's what makes this game so hair-pullingly good.

An old baseball coach of mine said,

"You want fair?

Go buy a ticket to the State Fair!

This is baseball!"

He was right.

And the same applies to fantasy baseball.



[ June 09, 2011, 10:04 AM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]

[KJ Duke]

When I feel like I'm getting screwed by an injury or a player not getting his deserved stats, I think about my competitors getting equally screwed in all leagues where I don't own him ... makes me feel better, and a good reason not to own a guy in every league.