ROTO or DOH!

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DOUGHBOYS
Posts: 13088
Joined: Sat Feb 05, 2005 6:00 pm

ROTO or DOH!

Post by DOUGHBOYS » Wed Aug 18, 2021 3:12 pm

I'm convinced our roto writers have sold us out.
They want to be part of the 'smart crowd'.
In fantasy baseball 'roto' is described as having extreme, maybe even an unhealthy following of certain baseball categories.
When one of our hitters makes an out, we cuss.
We don't care how he made the out. For the moment, he sucked.
When one of our pitchers gives up a run, an earned run, we cuss.
We don't care how he gave up the run. For the moment, he sucked.
Our focus is on those categories.
In the NFBC, 10 categories.
Pretty simple.
Maybe too simple for these writers.

These writers are caring about stuff we may care about during drafting season.
We could care less about how many swings and misses our pitchers generated. We only care about how many of those resulted in a K.
We could care less about the stupid slash line....Except batting average.
The .OBP and SLG....window dressing.
Not for the so-called 'Roto' writers.

Roto writers have been touting Bryce Harper as being an MVP.
Seriously.
Why?
Because of his slash line.
Harper is not in the top 15 of any of our roto categories.
There are average players (Jorge Polanco, Justin Turner, etc) who have or match Harper's roto stats.
Harper is not even returning his second round status that NFBC drafters gave him in 2021.

Look, I know the MVP Award goes beyond our roto categories.
I'm not foolish enough to think the world begins and ends with our categories.
Just as the stupid slash line should not be the sole means of defining an MVP.
Here is my thought on Harper....

Harper has 20 solo home runs. Two, with runners on base.
He has 50 RBI.
He has 65 BB.
What do those stats alone tell you?
It tells me that each team that plays Philadelphia has a plan.
Not to let Bryce Harper beat us.
When runners are on, he does not get good pitches to drive. He still has a good batting average with runners on base.
But little power.
Worse, he is walked in most situations that could be detrimental to the opposing team.
And the hell of it is....THAT IT'S WORKING!
Harper isn't hurting teams.
Heck, give the MVP to the teams who are manipulating Harper!

The question I have for these dumbass roto writers is this....
If Bryce Harper is not hurting opposing teams, how in the world can he be an MVP?

Thes roto writers have leaped to the analytical side and left us holding the bag.
They are trumpeting a guy who is not even returning his roundage to drafters.
Little more than a bit above average player by ROTO standards.
Joey Votto from round 25 has similar numbers to Harper.
But Votto is not walking as much this year.
Votto is now dead to analytics :lol:
Long live Bryce Harper!

One thing that this whole thing has got me thinking is that, now, the MVP is torn into three different segments.
There is the team segment and how much a player helps a team win and achieve a playoff spot.
There is the analytical priorities of the stupid slash line.
And there is the traditional statistics that fantasy players embrace.
I wouldn't mind seeing three different MVP awards given to players in each league.
Each, with their own standards.
Harper would only qualify for the analytical MVP.
Roto writers should be ashamed that THEY are the ones who most toot that horn.
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!

skmetz51
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Nov 02, 2015 10:10 am

Re: ROTO or DOH!

Post by skmetz51 » Wed Aug 18, 2021 5:04 pm

Hey Dan,

Great stuff as usual.

My frustration is with those fantasy writers whose opinions/analysis I actually respect and enjoy reading -- including some who are invested in the NFBC -- are great for 4 months, but then are MIA once fantasy football drafting prep/season begins (looking at you Yahoo guys).

And it happens every year.

So glad your back posting Dan.

Steve M/Letz Go Metz

DOUGHBOYS
Posts: 13088
Joined: Sat Feb 05, 2005 6:00 pm

Re: ROTO or DOH!

Post by DOUGHBOYS » Thu Aug 19, 2021 9:24 am

Thanks Steve.
In general, the quality of writing has gone downhill for us fantasy players. Everybody is embracing the stupid slash like. The BB, a God.
It makes me shake my head. The walk is more pitcher than hitter, yet in their eyes, it is 100% about the hitter.

If I were to make an excuse for them, it would be about the quality and coaching of our current game. Hardly a hitter in baseball has a level swing or even a slight upward tilt. Hitters are going for home runs. This has brought averages down.
With averages down, writers incorporate the walk as if it were a hit.
We do not have 'hit streaks' any longer. Hitting streaks are too hard now.
They have been replaced by 'consecutive games reaching base'. Ugh.
And the ONLY people that care about consecutive games reaching base are the press.

Let me show you how bad Batting Average has gotten....
Michael Brantley leads the American League and all of baseball with a .325 Batting Average.
That is the lowest Batting Average to lead the American League since before the DH.
That's right, the last Batting Average to lead the American League that was as low as .325 was Rod Carew in 1972 when Carew hit .318
Worse, Brantley leads all of baseball with his .325 Batting Average.
An Average that hasn't led all of baseball since 1960 when Dick Groat led baseball with his .325 Batting Average.
By the way, Groat's .325 Batting Average is the lowest leader for a Batting Average Leader EVER. So this years leader may be infamous in that way.

As for the writer's turning to football.
That is the usual.
The money is with football right now. A new season means new money.
It is hard to find writers that only care about baseball.
The Roto Companies won't hear of it. They want their writers to be like a Utility Infielder and have a little knowledge about a lot of sports rather than a lot of knowledge about one sport.
It's the way of the world.
Thanks again, Steve.
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!

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