With the Razzball Commenter Leagues sign ups in full swing, we look at what last year’s RCLs showed us. I.e., this is what it took to win these fantasy baseball leagues last year. Across thirty-six 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 more offense across the board. Not much, but some. There was a 180 games started max for pitchers. 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 fantasy baseball leaguemates, 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 – 997
The average team last year scored 973 runs, that would get them 6.5 points in the standings in runs. To win your league, it took 1,108 runs with the average hitter contributing 85 runs. To move up a point from average, you needed an extra 24 runs. So 24 runs on top of 973 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 997 runs or 77 runs/player.
Home Runs — 257
The average team hit 237 homers. To win, you needed 294 homers or 23 homers/player. To move up a point from average (6.5 points in the standings), you needed an extra 10 homers. I like to aim for an 8.5 in homers. So I would aim for 20 extra homers from 237 or 257 homers or 20 homers/player.
RBIs — 970
The average team needed 936 RBIs. To win, you had to get 1,071 or 82 RBIs/player. To move up a point from average (6.5 points), you needed an extra 24 RBIs. I aim for a 7.5 points in RBIs. So I would aim for 970 RBIs or 75 RBIs/player.
Steals — 176
The average team needed 162 steals. To win, you had to get 214 or 17 steals/player. To move up a point from average (6.5 points), you needed an extra 9 steals. I aim for 8 points in steals. So I would aim for 176 steals or 14 steals/player.
Average — .267
The average team’s, uh, average is .2674. To win, you had to get a .2806. To move up a point from average (6.5 points), you needed an increase of .002. I aim for average in, well, ya know. So I would want a .267 average. Let the rest figure itself out.
Strikeouts — 1,305
The average team’s Ks are 1,168. To win, you needed to rack up 1,384 Ks. To move up a point from average (6.5 points), you needed an extra 39 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 1,305 Ks from my pitching staff.
Wins — 82
The average team’s pitchers won 82 games. To win, you needed to win 99. To move up a point from average (6.5 points), you needed to win an extra 3 games. (Any Astro starter is good for at least three wins.) I go for average here, which is 82 games. Otherwise known as letting the cards fall where they may.
Saves — 126
The average team’s relievers closed out 91 games. To win, you needed 146 saves. To move up a point from average (6.5 points), you needed an extra 10 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 126 saves.
ERA — 3.51
The average team’s pitchers had a 3.59 ERA. To win, you needed a 3.17 ERA. To move up a point from average (6.5 points), you needed an increase of .08. I aim for a 7.5 in ERA. So I would want a 3.51 ERA. In reality, ERA’s so fickle that aiming for ERA is like throwing darts at a unicorn.
WHIP — 1.19
The average team’s pitchers had a 1.23 WHIP. To win, you needed a 1.15 WHIP. To move up a point from average (6.5 points), you needed an increase of .01. I aim for a 9 in WHIP. So I would want a 1.19 WHIP.
