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Hello, fellow RotoBallers! Sabermetrics have become an integral tool for fantasy baseball draft prep, but a concise resource for understanding the basics can be difficult to find. Today's article is an initial overview of sabermetrics and key stats for fantasy baseball -- we will also be going through some of the individual stats below, and publishing separate deep-dive articles for those stats as part of this series "Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball".
This series will attempt to define and explain all of the metrics fantasy managers may find useful, citing examples of how to use them in the process. Multiple degrees in applied mathematics are not required to use advanced metrics effectively, and these pieces will be a no-math zone.
The focus will be on sabermetric statistics and ideas that are useful for predicting the standard stats the vast majority of fantasy leagues care about. For example, batting average and home runs for hitters, and ERA and strikeouts for pitchers. If you're tired of finishing in the bottom half of your fantasy leagues, using these tools can give you a significant advantage on draft day and beyond. Here is a brief look at some of the concepts we'll cover and one central question we'll try to answer for each.
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The Basics of Sabermetrics
Concepts in this category are relatively common knowledge in the fantasy baseball community, so it's safe to assume that at least some of your rivals are using them. That being said, you have to learn how to walk before you start running. If you're just getting into fantasy baseball, these articles represent a great entry point.
What can a player do to influence his batted ball "luck?"
HR/FB
What is the best way to determine if a power breakout was real or a fluke?
Batted Ball Distribution
Grounders, fly balls, and line drives: which one is best for fantasy production?
Plate Discipline
Why should I care about plate discipline if I play in a standard 5x5 roto league?
FIP/xFIP
Is it possible to measure a pitcher's performance on his own merits, separate from his teammates?
BABIP (Pitchers)
Can we quantify the support a pitcher's fantasy production receives from his teammates?
Trickier Sabermetric Concepts
Concepts in this category seem easy enough but involve some nuance that may trip newcomers up. Interpreting advanced stats incorrectly is often worse than not using them at all, so some fantasy managers limit themselves to just the concepts above. Of course, that means you can gain a competitive advantage by reading the articles below.
Pull%
Are all pulled batted balls the same?
Batting Order Slot
Which role is more valuable: the eighth hitter on the Dodgers or White Sox cleanup man?
Pitch Info
How can we tell if a pitcher's repertoire shift supports a breakout?
Ballpark Factors
How much do ballparks affect a player's fantasy stats?
MiLB Stats
Is my team's top prospect the next big fantasy contributor?
Stuff+/Location+ (NEW for 2025)
How can a pitcher's repertoire be boiled down to a single number, and what does it mean for fantasy?
Statcast and Sabermetrics
If you've watched a baseball game recently, you've probably heard announcers discussing the exit velocity of a home run or an outfielder's route efficiency. Those singular events don't have much value in fantasy baseball, but Baseball Savant also compiles average statistics that give fantasy managers more to work with than ever before. This category is where you'll find the biggest competitive advantages.
Exit Velocity
Who hits the ball with the most authority consistently?
Barrels
Why does adding the launch angle make exit velocity a more effective predictive tool?
Pitcher Statcast
Can pitchers influence what happens once a ball is put in play?
Spin Rate
Do fantasy managers prefer to see a high spin rate on a fastball or a lower one?
xStats (expected stats)
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Baseball Savant's projected BA and SLG?
Statcast Pitch Tracking
Do individual pitches have platoon splits?
Analyzing Foreign League Performance (NEW for 2025)
What should we expect from imports hailing from Japan and South Korea?
Conclusion
Advanced stats can do a lot more than what's listed above, but these concepts are more than enough to help you start using analytics to make smart fantasy baseball decisions. You'll see RotoBaller analysts using the metrics above regularly, so read some articles and get a feel for how to do your own analysis. Use the information above to dominate your leagues in 2025 and beyond!
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