Daily Fantasy MLB Opening Day Strategy
This is to me what separates daily fantasy baseball from all other DFS – the STRATEGY. It’s like playing Strat-O-Matic on HGH. Everything matters in daily fantasy baseball when taking into consideration who to start in your lineup. I’m going to touch on a few in this article now, and hopefully more in the future. It should be a quick overview of what to look for if you’re new to Daily Fantasy MLB, and getting ready to start the season.
MLB Park Factors
When evaluating two equally valued players, one of the strongest factors is where the game is being played. If you have Albert Pujols playing at Oakland and Joey Votto playing at home, you would lean towards Votto based on the park factor, because the likelihood of him having a better offensive game is much higher. Of course, the opposing starting pitcher is also a factor, but this is assuming equal pitching matchups.
Top 7 Hitter Ballparks (Favorable Hitting matchups)
| Rank | Team | Park | City | Data | PF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | COL | Coors Field | Denver, Colorado | 2008-2011 | 132 |
| 2 | TEX | Rangers Ballpark | Arlington, Texas | 2008-2011 | 124 |
| 3 | NYY | Yankee Stadium | New York, NY | 2009-2011 | 120 |
| 4 | CHW | U.S. Cellular Field | Chicago, Illinois | 2008-2011 | 119 |
| 5 | BAL | Camden Yards | Baltimore, Maryland | 2008-2011 | 112 |
| 6 | CIN | Great American Ballpark | Cincinnati, Ohio | 2008-2011 | 112 |
| 7 | TOR | Rogers Centre | Toronto, Ontario | 2008-2011 | 111 |
Bottom 7 Hitter Ballparks (Favorable Pitching matchups)
| Rank | Team | Park | City | Data | PF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | NYM | Citi Field | New York, NY | 2009-2011 | 88 |
| 26 | OAK | Oakland Coliseum | Oakland, California | 2008-2011 | 88 |
| 27 | MIN | Target Field | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 2010-2011 | 87 |
| 28 | SEA | Safeco Field | Seattle, Washington | 2008-2011 | 87 |
| 29 | SF | AT&T Park | San Francisco, California | 2008-2011 | 86 |
| 30 | STL | Busch Stadium | St. Louis, Missouri | 2008-2011 | 84 |
| 31 | SD | Petco Park | San Diego, California | 2008-2011 | 81 |
MLB Defensive Efficiency
This is one of the most underrated measurements in my opinion because you’re starting pitcher accounts for a huge % of your point total that getting a win and keeping him in the game is key. Bad defense extends innings, accounts for unearned runs, and eventually has your starting pitcher taking a cold shower.
Top 5 Defensive Teams in 2011
| Team | Defensive Eff. |
|---|---|
| Tampa Bay | 0.728 |
| Cincinnati | 0.71 |
| Texas | 0.71 |
| Los Angeles AL | 0.709 |
| San Diego | 0.709 |
Bottom 5 Defensive Teams in 2011
| Team | Defensive Eff. |
|---|---|
| Minnesota | 0.682 |
| Chicago NL | 0.683 |
| Houston | 0.686 |
| New York NL | 0.688 |
| Baltimore | 0.688 |
MLB Splits (Hitters/Pitchers)
Taking a right-handed hitter vs. a left-handed pitcher or a left-handed hitter vs. a right-handed pitcher shows a decided advantage across the board with AVG, OBP, SLG. The lefty/lefty matchup as we know is killer, but is something we forget to factor in. Kershaw vs. Votto could have a much different result than Halladay vs. Votto based on this alone.
| Matchup | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHP/LHB | 0.262 | 0.335 | 0.41 |
| LHP/RHB | 0.261 | 0.331 | 0.409 |
| RHP/RHB | 0.246 | 0.305 | 0.377 |
| LHP/LHB | 0.224 | 0.289 | 0.343 |
I hope this helps you get off on the right foot for the MLB Season on DailyJoust! Best of luck!