NFBC Message Boards

So when I first played in the NFBC a few years back, I made a post about OBP vs. AVG and why I preferred OBP. Per usual, some people agreed with me and some did not. AVG has a long history in fantasy baseball as a bedrock stat and switching allegiances to OBP is something that a lot of people would prefer to pass on. It's like that pair of acid-washed jeans from '86 that I keep in my closet. Trust me, I understand.

Anyway, I still hate AVG for not being OBP. The main reason, obviously, is that drawing a walk is a crucial aspect of baseball, and a fantasy player should be rewarded for that skill (just as a pitcher is punished in the WHIP category). I know, he could steal a base or score a run, but that is not enough for me! I want the immediate gratification of watching my almost-live scoring OBP tick up a notch within seconds -- or minutes -- of the walk. I want credit, damn it!! I drafted that guy that just fouled off 18 pitches so that he could get on first base and give his team a shot at the W. I drafted that hero.

Some say it's a slippery slope. What's next? WOBA, WAR, PETA, NRA, etc.? I think OBP is more of a traditional stat, the next logical step after AVG, and a far cry from the more advanced metrics. In other words, OBP is what AVG used to be: The Standard.

In all seriousness, I know that a major change to the categories of the NFBC isn't on the horizon. I have nothing but love for the NFBC and will continue to be a loyal participant, no matter the categories. I'm just wondering about two things:

1) Where my OBP brethren at?

2) @Greg and Tom -- next year, would it be possible to set up a satellite league of some sort that uses OBP instead of AVG? Or is that just something that ain't going to happen?

Tomorrow morning I'm taking those acid-washed jeans to Goodwill for someone else to use -- and I'm taking AVG with me!

I totally agree. You have WHIP for pitchers but only BA for hitters... Time to move out of the stone age and into the 21st century and utilize a more relevant stat.

H+W / IP for pitchers
should equate to hitters too
H+W / AB for hitters

But people don't like change... it scares them

Shake the world up a little nd do what makes sense... not what the dinosaurs are used to!

JT

I much prefer OBP to AVG, but see the problem with changing it over industry-wide. It'd be like trying to introduce Yards per Attempt into Fantasy Football on the Yahoo Public League level -- the small fish would drown even faster with a new stat that better represents skill of a player.

The true formula for OBP includes SF and HBP, but like someone said before, there's a good spot for a hybrid AVG/OBP category similar to WHIP. Call it OBR (On Base Ratio) or something like that...

(H + BB) / (AB + BB)

This isn't exactly the OBP formula, but for fantasy purposes it ignores the stuff that can't be controlled by the batter (HBP) and stuff that is kind of irrelevant (Sacrafices). But you do need the BB totals in the denominator to make it "correct", just a small change from the previous poster.

Scared $ Dont Make $ wrote:I totally agree. You have WHIP for pitchers but only BA for hitters... Time to move out of the stone age and into the 21st century and utilize a more relevant stat.

H+W / IP for pitchers
should equate to hitters too
H+W / AB for hitters

But people don't like change... it scares them

Shake the world up a little nd do what makes sense... not what the dinosaurs are used to!

JT

i'm w/ u fellas. 100%