Fantasy baseball stands out among other fantasy sports. Here, you can own up to 20 teams in a league, tweak the roster several times, and split your selections in half for American and National-only Leagues. The notable modifier here is the scoring system.
There are four main types of scoring systems depending on which daily fantasy baseball site hosts your league. The scoring system adopted by your league can determine how you draft your roster.
There are also four different types of leagues to choose from, which are
The categorical league is a common traditional format adopted by a number of old-schoolers. Here, you receive points for any category your players contribute to during the game. For instance, if a player on your roster hits an HR, your HR category increases by 1 unit. The total number of home runs your team accumulates is then compared to that of other teams.
The number of teams in the league determines the number of points a team collects in each baseball category. If the league has ten teams, the team with the best statistics for each category collects 10 points. So, for example, if your team registers the most HRs in a 10-team league, it will be awarded 10 points. The team with the second-best record will receive nine points, and the one with the worst record will receive one point.
In the category format, the league standing is determined by the total number of points accrued by each team in all categories.
A fair minority of daily fantasy baseball hosts uses this system. However, the points league has continued to gain traction due to its similarities with daily fantasy football.
Each category has its point value, and you receive points based on what each player contributes. For instance, you’ll get one point for singles, four points for home runs, and five points for wins depending on your league’s settings. Whoever accumulates the most points takes the crown, regardless of rankings in individual categories. You either win (1-0-0), lose (0-1-0) or tie (0-0-1) in the points system.
Commonly known as “roto,” this is the most popular style of fantasy baseball. Here, your team is ranked in each baseball category and is awarded points according to your ranking in each of these categories. The points are added, and the overall score determines your team’s position in the league.
For example, if in a 10-team, the 10-category league ranked first in HRs, second in runs, first in RBIs, et cetera, the number of points accrued in all of these categories is totaled to and compared to other teams to determine your position on the table.
In H2H systems, the winner is determined by wins and losses, unlike points in other formats. Head-to-Head League can be H2H-most categories or H2H-each categories.