With the RCL sign ups in full bloom, we decided to take a look at what last year’s RCLs showed us. I.e., what it took to win these fantasy baseball leagues last year. Across nine 12 team leagues, you would think you’d have some wide variations, but it’s amazingly close what you need in each category to do average vs. win. Some quick points upfront. There were 5 outfielders and one utility, so if you play in a Yahoo league with three outfielders and two utility, I’d expect a bit more offense across the board. There were 198 games started vs. 180 games started this year. So Wins and Ks were a bit high, but I’m going to factor those changes into the below numbers. 6.5 is average in a 12 team league, not 6 because the last place team has 1 point, not zero. Finally, the RCLs are made up of guys that are probably more competitive than your casual buddy office fantasy baseball league, so if you can hit these benchmarks, you should be in good shape. Anyway, here’s what it takes to win a 12 team fantasy baseball league:
Runs — 1,067
The average team last year scored 1,047 Runs, that would get them 6.5 points in the standings in Runs. To win your league, it took 1,159 Runs with the average player contributing 89 Runs. To move up a point from average, you needed an extra 20.39 Runs. So 20 runs on top of 1,047 Runs took you from 6.5 points to 7.5 in the standings. I like to aim for a 7.5 in Runs. So I would aim for 1,067 Runs or 82 Runs/player.
Home Runs — 277
The average team hit 262 homers. To win, you needed 304 homers or 23 homers/player. To move up a point from average (6.5 points in the standings), you needed an extra 7.5 homers. I like to aim for an 8.5 in homers. So I would aim for 15 homers from 262 or 277 homers or 21 homers/player.
RBIs — 1,036
The average team needed 1,016 RBIs. To win, you had to get 1,128 or 87 RBIs/player. To move up a point from average (6.5 points), you needed an extra 20.37 RBIs. I aim for a 7.5 points in RBIs. So I would aim for 1,036 RBIs or 80 RBIs/player.
Steals — 168
The average team needed 153 steals. To win, you had to get 208 or 16 steals/player. To move up a point from average (6.5 points), you needed an extra 10.02 steals. I aim for 8 points in steals. So I would aim for 168 steals or 13 steals/player.
Average — .277
The average team’s, uh, average is .277. To win, you had to get a .290. To move up a point from average (6.5 points), you needed an increase of .0314. I aim for average in, well, ya know. So I would want a .277 average. Let the rest figure itself out.
Strikeouts — 1,165
The average team’s Ks are 1,065. To win, you needed to rack up 1,238 Ks. To move up a point from average (6.5 points), you needed an extra 31.47 Ks. I aim for a 10 in Ks. Actually, I don’t aim for it, but that’s where I end up. So I would want 1,165 Ks or 129 Ks/pitcher.
Wins — 77
The average team’s pitchers won 77 games. To win, you needed to win 92. To move up a point from average (6.5 points), you needed to win an extra 2.84 games. (Jason Marquis is good for at least two .84 wins.) I go for average here, which is 77 games or 9 wins/pitcher. Otherwise known as letting the cards fall where they may.
Saves — 117
The average team’s relievers close out 87 games. To win, you needed 133 saves. To move up a point from average (6.5 points), you needed an extra 8.52 saves. I aim for a 10 in saves. My thought is if you have extra, you can always trade those suckers. To get 10 points in saves, you needed an extra 30 saves from average or 117 saves or 39 saves from 3 closers or 29 from 4 closers.
ERA — 3.80
The average team’s pitchers had a 3.91 ERA. To win, you needed a 3.31 ERA. To move up a point from average (6.5 points), you needed an increase of .11. I aim for a 7.5 in ERA. So I would want a 3.80 ERA. In reality, ERA’s so fickle that aiming for ERA is like throwing darts at a unicorn.
WHIP — 1.25
The average team’s pitchers had a 1.30 WHIP. To win, you needed a 1.20 WHIP. To move up a point from average (6.5 points), you needed an increase of .02. I aim for a 9 in WHIP. So I would want a 1.25 WHIP.
