On one side of the coin, you have rotisserie-style — a tried and true format, what one might call the classic way to play the game of fantasy baseball. Opposite that, you have head-to-head leagues — a format gaining steam in fantasy circles as more and more players join.
The rise of head-to-head fantasy baseball seems easy enough to understand. More and more people are playing fantasy football every year (almost always played in head-to-head style), so a lot of these new folks are more drawn to the head-to-head format if they dip their toes in fantasy baseball, mostly for familiarity's sake.
Plenty of veteran gamers have made the switch as well, tiring of the grind of rotisserie-style. Both methods of gaming have ardent supporters who will argue tooth and nail about which style is better, but you can tell them Starbo broke it down and settled this argument once and for all:
There is no question that the 162-game MLB season requires an owner that can stick it out through the entire campaign — no matter how poorly they're playing. Six months is a long time and the commitment has to be there, but make no doubt about it, it is the most rewarding format to win a championship in. The end results in a roto-league are based on months of strategy and gaming, whereas in a head-to-head league, two lucky weeks in the fantasy playoffs could spell a title for a lower seeded (and potentially worse) roster.
In rotisserie-style fantasy baseball, the true worth of the players you draft is reflected in your roster. Let's take someone like Prince Fielder, whose inconsistencies last season (.270 AVG/6 HR in April, .321 AVG/ 13 HR in May, .258 AVG/ 8 HR in June, etc.) probably made him more of a low-end No. 1 first-basemen in head-to-head leagues. He had the potential to kill your team on any given week. In roto, however, his 50 HR and 119 RBI last season were welcomed with open arms.
Head-to-Head
Everyone loves fantasy football because in the head-to-head format, you can hype yourself up with a week's worth of smack talk against your opponent. It keeps you on your toes and makes sense that people would want to carry that type of vibe into the fantasy baseball season. And let's face it, you are more likely to pay attention all season because your odds at a fantasy title increase in this format. And even if you fall in the standings, you can still play the role of spoiler late in the year.
In fantasy football, if a league allows six seeds to enter the playoffs, you have fantasy owners with records hovering around .500 who still keep plugging away at the hopes of making the playoffs, riding a hot hand to a championship. It's uncanny how relevant mediocre teams can be in head-to-head formats, whether it is in the form of a playoff upset or an improbable title run. This keeps the top-dogs on their toes all season, whereas in roto, you can lock up a championship fairly early with a dominant roster.
I can't tell you how annoying it is to have a twelve-team roto-league in which only six to eight players actively participate after the All-Star break. It automatically eliminates dozens of players who you may want for your roster, but can't be obtained because the owners who have them are nowhere to be found. Besides not being able to trade for certain players, quitters also affect the standings. If some guy owns Carl Crawford but doesn't have him in his starting lineup when he decides to quit, it could give an extra point or two to your competition. I have about as much love for quitters as I do for the film "From Justin to Kelly."
Rotisserie baseball can be maddening to fantasy owners. Having to meticulously figure out which categories you can gain ground in while pondering if it's even possible to catch up in others can cause gray hairs. Plus, scouting the latest hot-shot prospects and call-ups (and having to race to the waiver-wire to claim them) can drive gamers batty. Add in the difficulty in climbing the standings after a poor start and you have yourself a recipe for frustration.
Head-to-Head
While head-to-head leagues are more competitive and can even the playing field, there is nothing worse than crushing your opponents all season long before losing one measly playoff week and having your title dreams dashed. For example, if you owned Trevor Hoffman in the last week of the 2007 regular season, when he completely fell apart, you probably lost your league championship. Ditto for Jose Reyes. Yes this is the format you signed up for and you should be aware of this scenario heading into the season. Head-to-head playoffs in fantasy baseball can be very unfair to the better teams.
In head-to-head, stocking up on a couple of single-stat stuffers (players who only contribute in one or two categories) can be the difference between winning and losing. Names like Jerry Owens and Rajai Davis do not necessarily ring out, but in head-to-head leagues, their stolen base potential can help put a fantasy owner over in the swiped bags category. The fact that scrubs like these can be key contributors to fantasy rosters in head-to-head leagues is pathetic.
The rise of head-to-head fantasy baseball seems easy enough to understand. More and more people are playing fantasy football every year (almost always played in head-to-head style), so a lot of these new folks are more drawn to the head-to-head format if they dip their toes in fantasy baseball, mostly for familiarity's sake.
Plenty of veteran gamers have made the switch as well, tiring of the grind of rotisserie-style. Both methods of gaming have ardent supporters who will argue tooth and nail about which style is better, but you can tell them Starbo broke it down and settled this argument once and for all:
PROS
RotisserieThere is no question that the 162-game MLB season requires an owner that can stick it out through the entire campaign — no matter how poorly they're playing. Six months is a long time and the commitment has to be there, but make no doubt about it, it is the most rewarding format to win a championship in. The end results in a roto-league are based on months of strategy and gaming, whereas in a head-to-head league, two lucky weeks in the fantasy playoffs could spell a title for a lower seeded (and potentially worse) roster.
In rotisserie-style fantasy baseball, the true worth of the players you draft is reflected in your roster. Let's take someone like Prince Fielder, whose inconsistencies last season (.270 AVG/6 HR in April, .321 AVG/ 13 HR in May, .258 AVG/ 8 HR in June, etc.) probably made him more of a low-end No. 1 first-basemen in head-to-head leagues. He had the potential to kill your team on any given week. In roto, however, his 50 HR and 119 RBI last season were welcomed with open arms.
Head-to-Head
Everyone loves fantasy football because in the head-to-head format, you can hype yourself up with a week's worth of smack talk against your opponent. It keeps you on your toes and makes sense that people would want to carry that type of vibe into the fantasy baseball season. And let's face it, you are more likely to pay attention all season because your odds at a fantasy title increase in this format. And even if you fall in the standings, you can still play the role of spoiler late in the year.
In fantasy football, if a league allows six seeds to enter the playoffs, you have fantasy owners with records hovering around .500 who still keep plugging away at the hopes of making the playoffs, riding a hot hand to a championship. It's uncanny how relevant mediocre teams can be in head-to-head formats, whether it is in the form of a playoff upset or an improbable title run. This keeps the top-dogs on their toes all season, whereas in roto, you can lock up a championship fairly early with a dominant roster.
CONS
RotisserieI can't tell you how annoying it is to have a twelve-team roto-league in which only six to eight players actively participate after the All-Star break. It automatically eliminates dozens of players who you may want for your roster, but can't be obtained because the owners who have them are nowhere to be found. Besides not being able to trade for certain players, quitters also affect the standings. If some guy owns Carl Crawford but doesn't have him in his starting lineup when he decides to quit, it could give an extra point or two to your competition. I have about as much love for quitters as I do for the film "From Justin to Kelly."
Rotisserie baseball can be maddening to fantasy owners. Having to meticulously figure out which categories you can gain ground in while pondering if it's even possible to catch up in others can cause gray hairs. Plus, scouting the latest hot-shot prospects and call-ups (and having to race to the waiver-wire to claim them) can drive gamers batty. Add in the difficulty in climbing the standings after a poor start and you have yourself a recipe for frustration.
Head-to-Head
While head-to-head leagues are more competitive and can even the playing field, there is nothing worse than crushing your opponents all season long before losing one measly playoff week and having your title dreams dashed. For example, if you owned Trevor Hoffman in the last week of the 2007 regular season, when he completely fell apart, you probably lost your league championship. Ditto for Jose Reyes. Yes this is the format you signed up for and you should be aware of this scenario heading into the season. Head-to-head playoffs in fantasy baseball can be very unfair to the better teams.
In head-to-head, stocking up on a couple of single-stat stuffers (players who only contribute in one or two categories) can be the difference between winning and losing. Names like Jerry Owens and Rajai Davis do not necessarily ring out, but in head-to-head leagues, their stolen base potential can help put a fantasy owner over in the swiped bags category. The fact that scrubs like these can be key contributors to fantasy rosters in head-to-head leagues is pathetic.
CONCLUSION
Head-to-head leagues quantify winning and losing so much that it can become redundant by Aug. Sure, the competitive juices can flow when you have a specific opponent to zero in on week-to-week, but in rotisserie, your whole league is your opponent, day-to-day. I'm sure I'll be involved in plenty of head-to-head leagues in the coming years, but rotisserie requires a fantasy player to win the entire season, not just one or two weeks late in the year. Sorry head-to-head leaguers, but roto wins this debate hands-down.
