4 drafting stats you need to know in fantasy baseball

Nowadays, there are a plethora of MLB stats that you can focus on when betting in fantasy baseball. There are some new advanced stats that even the most veteran fantasy baseball commissioner can be confused about. Even when watching a live broadcast of a baseball game can be pretty hard to follow as new keywords are thrown around that you know nothing about, like xwOBA or FIP.

This may seem pretty confusing to newer players, but you might find some stats worthy of focus on your next draft if you do your research. Whether you're new to fantasy baseball or a veteran with decades of playing fantasy baseball, you may find something useful in this article before you go to FanDuel’s signup. That said, here are some drafting stats you might find useful in your next fantasy baseball draft.

Exit Velocity

Exit velocity measures how fast a ball can be when the bat hits it. It is generally measured in miles per hour. The harder the ball is hit, the faster it goes, and the less time for the defender to react. This generally increases the batter's chance to run to a base and for a defender to catch the ball.

This stat can also be used to evaluate pitchers. However, for pitchers, the less exit velocity they have on their average throws, the better the pitchers are.

When measuring a batter's exit velocity, it is often referred to as his average exit velocity, which is calculated by his batted balls in play. This is called aEV. Back in 2019, the average exit velocity of the league is 89 mph. To be included in the top 90th percentile, he needs to have an aEV of 91.3 mph.

WHIP

Most experienced players go for a pitcher's ERA since it's the most convenient. However, ERA is not as strong as the WHIP. WHIP is the average of a pitcher's hit/walks per inning pitched.

Most starters, more often than not, have strong starts. This means that they usually have a WHIP of 1.50, which means that they have great luck in the first innings. WHIP is usually measured by looking at how a pitcher gives up a run. The more people a pitcher has in his bases, the better chance he will give up on the run. Also, the closer a pitcher is to 1.00 in his WHIP, the better.

Launch Angle

The Launch Angle stat is pretty easy to understand. This stat is determined by looking at the ball's vertical angle when it launches after the bat hits it. When the launch angle is 0 degrees, the ball is launched parallel to the ground. When the launch angle is 90 degrees, that means the ball went straight up after leaving the bat.

Same as exit velocity, the average launch angle of a player is referred to as aLA. You should also note that the launch angle is used to determine what kind of ball is in play. When the ball has a launch angle of beneath 10 degrees, it is considered a ground ball. Balls that have 10-25 degrees are called line drives, and 25-50 are considered fly balls.

When used on a player, it also determines what kind of batters or pitchers they are. When batters have an average of 25-50, they are considered fly ball batters. When a pitcher throws a ball that usually makes launch angles beneath 10 degrees, they are called ground ball pitchers.

Why should you use this stat in your drafts? It's obvious, to be honest. When looking for a pitcher with a high chance of striking out a batter, you can use this stat as a starter. The same goes for batters.

Batting Average

This is probably one of the most common but essential stat every commissioner should get their hands into. It's simple and easy to understand, even for beginners. It is essential as it usually gives an accurate measurement of the batter’s strength. Not only that, but you can also use this stat on individual players and teams alike.

Batting average is measured by how well hitters can get to a base when a ball is in play. This includes how fast a player is in going to a base and in stealing them. However, most people nowadays are going to more specific stats like WAR and slugging percentage. But in reality, the batting average is still essential to understand because you can get accurate predictions on how a player will perform batting.

Takeaway

Many statistics are popping up every year, and while most of them are useful in fantasy baseball, some of them are too specific and bothersome to study. That said, we still need to get our minds into the most basic stats available when making our drafts. Study the basics first before going into more detailed stats. This way, you'll be making your drafting skills much more refined than before.