VOTE 1 (PS)
Pitching Scoring
Fantasy baseball pitching scoring is the most
scrutinized of all our fantasy rules. I base my
evaluations on MLB statistics and trends to determine what is "good"
pitching. Ultimately, it comes down to what makes sense and is
appropriate to enhance or maintain the fantasy experience.
We made changes in 2019 due to high pitching scoring. Pitching
scoring then dropped significantly. We made another change in 2024.
In the last two seasons staff scoring has gone back up again as
desired. Pitching staff scoring has and will always score at a
higher rate than position players. Not a bad thing, as pitchers are
involved in every play of the game. Another voiced concern for years
is negative scoring. While nowhere near the -10 scores we used to
see, there are still many negative pitching games.
My focus this year on changes is the continued reduction of negative
scoring, pitching staff vs position player scoring and comparison of
our current scoring system to MLB averages. Yes, this is pretty much
a yearly requirement any more.
Here is the 2025 pitching scoring vs the proposed 2026 pitching scoring:
|
2025 Pitching |
|
ER |
Pts |
Hits |
Pts |
BB |
Pts |
K's |
Pts |
Win |
1 |
|
0 |
4 |
0-1 |
5 |
0 |
2 |
19+ |
6 |
Save |
1 |
|
1 |
3 |
2-3 |
4 |
1-2 |
1 |
17-18 |
5 |
No Hitter |
5 |
|
2 |
2 |
4-5 |
3 |
3-4 |
0 |
15-16 |
4 |
Perfect Game |
10 |
|
3 |
1 |
6-7 |
2 |
5-6 |
-1 |
13-14 |
3 |
CG 8+ IP |
5 |
|
4 |
0 |
8-9 |
1 |
7+ |
-2 |
11-12 |
2 |
CG 7 IP |
3 |
|
5-6 |
-1 |
10 |
0 |
HBP |
Pts |
8-10 |
1 |
CG 6- IP |
1 |
|
7+ |
-2 |
11-14 |
-1 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
15+ |
-2 |
1-2 |
-1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3+ |
-2 |
|
|
|
|
|
2026 Pitching |
|
ER |
Pts |
Hits |
|
BB |
|
K's |
|
Win |
1 |
|
0 |
4 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
3 |
20+ |
5 |
Save |
1 |
|
1 |
3 |
1-2 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
17-19 |
4 |
No Hitter |
7 |
|
2 |
2 |
3-4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
14-16 |
3 |
Perfect Game |
10 |
|
3 |
1 |
5-6 |
2 |
3-4 |
0 |
11-13 |
2 |
CG 8+ IP |
5 |
|
4 |
0 |
7-8 |
1 |
5+ |
-1 |
8-10 |
1 |
CG 7 IP |
3 |
|
5+ |
-1 |
9-10 |
0 |
HBP |
|
|
|
CG 6- IP |
1 |
|
|
|
11+ |
-1 |
0-1 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2+ |
-1 |
|
|
|
|
What would change in the proposal? Here is a breakdown
of the highlighted changes:
--MLB league ERA remains just above 4, only needed to eliminate the -2
tier. Minimal increase in overall scoring.
--The MLB average of H/9 remains between 8.3-8.5 on average. We should
not be rewarding 9 hits with a point. A no-hitter is still rare, it
should be the top tier alone. Hits allowed of 1, 3, 5 and 7 would get
one less point, also eliminating the -2 tier. Overall,
some reduction in scoring for the Hits category.
--The MLB average of BB/9 had been between 3.1-3.3 for years, but shot
up to 3.9 in 2025. A one year outlier? Maybe. I think we should better
reward low BB games, hence the increase in 0 and 1 BB games plus
eliminate the -2 tier. This category will likely give a little higher
scores, offsetting a bit the potential reduction to hits and strikeouts
scoring.
--The MLB average is less than one HBP per game by a staff. Only
penalize a team who has 2+ HBP in a game, another very slight
increase in scoring..
--The MLB average of K/9 has been 8.5-8.7 for years. The first tier
starting at 8 still makes sense. Strikeouts of 13 and 15+ would be
reduced. Strikeouts in baseball don't always equate good pitching or
even winning a MLB game. Crazy 2025 stat, out of the top 25 staff
strikeout games, the team only won five games. I just
think reducing the higher tiers makes sense in the overall scoring.
--In MLB history, there have been 326 no-hitters and 350 players
hit for the cycle. We give 7 points for a cycle, so
changing the no-hitter bonus to 7 makes sense.
In summary, a reduction in potential scoring in Hits/K, with an increase
in ER/BB/HBP scoring (mostly due to elimination of -2 tier). I believe
overall pitching scoring will go down slightly. I don't believe it will
be anywhere near the 2019-2023 levels, and we will have
significantly less big negative point games for PS which is desired.
RULE VOTE 1
A) Keep the 2025 pitching scoring
system
B) Change to proposed 2026 pitching
scoring system
VOTE 2 (RF)
We added the second optional player in 2021 due to Covid. In 2025,
the second optional player was used just six times all year. It is
definitely time to eliminate it.
Things I have been considering about the baseball roster format:
--Baseball has the largest roster of all fantasy leagues
--Free agent depth after the first few weeks usually goes down
significantly.
--Maintaining/improving your team gets much tougher during the
season.
--Positional depth greatly varies from year to year. Infield
positions vary the most, 2B was weak last year, 3B had been weak in
recent years.
--With the DH, there are almost as many OF as infielders on
MLB rosters.
--Between rain outs, rest and off days, the need for subs is still
relevant.
After much consideration, here is the proposed 2026 roster format:
|
2025 |
2026 |
|
1B |
1B |
|
3B |
3B |
|
CI |
2B |
|
2B |
SS |
|
SS |
SI |
|
MI |
OF |
|
OF |
OF |
|
OF |
OF |
|
OF |
SO |
|
SO |
C |
|
C |
C |
|
C |
Opt |
|
Opt |
Opt |
|
Opt |
PS |
|
PS |
|
Specifics on the change:
--We would go from a 15 player roster, to a 14 player roster.
--It improves the free agent pool by 12 players
--The new "SI" position is Sub Infielder who would back up all 4
infield players.
--No change to OF and sub OF spots
--Still two optional spots, any player including a second PS if
desired.
--As it is now, a second PS at Opt has to go into Opt2 spot and can
still only be used as a PS sub, not a position player.
--By combining the former CI/MI subs into one SI position, it allows
us to keep 2 optional players.This format should allow more strategy
both at the draft and during the season on how to build your roster.
RULE VOTE 2
A) Keep the 2025 Roster Format
B) Change to proposed 2026 Roster
Format