Nuances abound with DraftKings pitching strategies
If you play season-long fantasy baseball, you know it's important to tailor your strategy to your league's scoring system. From Draft Day until the final game of the year, every action should be an attempt to maximize your win probability.
It's no different in daily fantasy baseball. Those who have played the Official Mini Fantasy Game of MLB.com from DraftKings have probably found greater success when modifying their strategy to accommodate the game's scoring. There are little scoring nuances that you should embrace to improve your chances of winning.
In this article, scoring for pitchers will be discussed.
Note that the Official Mini Fantasy Game of MLB.com gives four points for a pitcher victory, which is just double of what you receive for a single strikeout. You always want pitchers who are going to be in line for the "W," but it's not necessarily something to obsess about. Also, note that the Official Mini Fantasy Game of MLB.com doesn't deduct points for a loss. As a result, you don't need to get hung up on whether your pitcher is on a team with a poor offense or facing another ace and somewhat likely to lose.
Those who play the Official Mini Fantasy Game of MLB.com also know they can score points when their pitcher tosses a complete game. However, there are two reasons that you can effectively disregard the probability of a complete game when projecting your pitchers. First, they're rare. You simply aren't going to be able to consistently predict whether a pitcher will go the distance.
Second, take a look at the value of innings pitched. You should already be valuing pitchers who go deep into games because that's an important trait. In other words, you'll be indirectly accounting for the chance of a complete game by seeking out workhorses. Pitchers receive 0.75 points per out; by comparison, they lose 0.6 points per hit or walk.
It goes without saying that you should be avoiding pitchers who are likely to give up many hits and runs. And in the Official Mini Fantasy Game of MLB.com, that's especially true because you lose two points for each earned run. So in some cases, you may want to give up a little in the strikeout department for a hurler who consistently keeps scoring down.
However, in the Official Mini Fantasy Game of MLB.com, your goal is to increase the upside of your lineup as much as possible. Not only does volatility not hurt, but it can also help when you're attempting to maximize your team's ceiling. That means you should consider flamethrowers who have double-digit strikeout potential in any game. If they regularly go deep in contests, that's a bonus.