Fantasy 101: How to Use Team Batting Stats

Written by

June 8, 2015

As the daily fantasy sports industry has grown over the past few years, the research has also evolved. I have been playing since 2010 and until the last two years I never really looked at team batting statistics. I would just look at individual stats, but the strategy of stacking has become necessary in tournaments. Identifying the cheaper priced pitchers with the best matchups and the teams who are the best stacks is more important now.

In this week's article, I break down all 30 teams and give a profile of what the optimal scenario is for when to use them in daily fantasy baseball. I look at home/road, right-handed versus left-handed pitching and April/May. Each team is ranked within four categories -- K%, ISO, wOBA and wRC+ -- and averaged to get an overall ranking.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	17	23	24	22	23
May	10	14	21	18	17

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	20	13	17	5	13
Away	10	16	26	26	23

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	8	11	18	14	10
vs. RHP	18	16	23	19	20

The Angels started hitting better in May and are much better at home than on the road. They are much better versus left-handed pitching (Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and David Freese are all right-handed batters) than right-handed pitching.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	30	4	9	8	12
May	29	2	14	14	12

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	30	4	21	19	22
Away	26	2	4	4	5

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	24	7	13	13	12
vs. RHP	29	2	13	10	13

The biggest thing that sticks out for the Astros' hitters: look at the K% (almost dead last in every outcome). While the Astros do strike out a ton, they also have a lot of right-handed power hitters, so the play here is to take right-handed aces against them that get a lot of swing and misses. The Astros' hitters are best served to be used in tournaments because of the volatility. They could strike out eight times or put up eight runs.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	2	14	10	6	5
May	7	21	17	15	13

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	2	22	15	9	8
Away	7	14	12	11	9

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	3	28	27	25	24
vs. RHP	4	11	4	2	2

We get some really good outliers here with the A's: they were very strong in April and started to cool off in May. Their home/road splits look even on the surface, but check out the ISO. Because their home park really suppresses power, you only want to use the bats on the road. But here is the big one: they crush right-handed pitching and struggle against lefties. Your best bet is take the Athletics' bats on the road against weaker righties and then go against them with left-handed pitchers, especially in Oakland.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	16	5	6	5	6
May	12	3	2	3	2

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	5	2	1	2	1
Away	22	8	9	6	10

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	5	1	1	1	1
vs. RHP	17	5	3	5	5

The Blue Jays probably offer the biggest edge in daily fantasy baseball from the hitting side. The best play so far this year has been to load up on the Jays' right-handed hitters at home when they face left-handed pitching. The park favors right-handed power and the Jays are a heavy power right-handed hitting team. If they are vulnerable at all, it might be on the road against elite right-handed pitching. But this is not a team you want to pick on in your cash games. Look to use stud right-handed pitching against them in a tournament only because the starting pitcher will be low owned.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	4	18	15	15	13
May	11	30	27	28	27

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	9	23	22	23	23
Away	4	25	21	21	20

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	25	29	28	28	30
vs. RHP	2	22	15	15	14

The Braves' lineup was not expected to be very good, but they started off hot in April. Now we see the true lineup coming out, as it is near the bottom in May. Also, they are a heavy left-handed hitting lineup, so you can see that they are the worst team in the league against lefties. The home/road splits are about equal. You want to target against the Braves with left-handed pitching.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	27	21	28	28	30
May	23	4	20	22	20

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	26	6	26	27	25
Away	18	24	29	29	28

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	27	8	29	29	26
vs. RHP	24	17	24	28	25

The Brewers were the worst offense in baseball in April mainly due to several injuries to key right-handed hitters, including Carlos Gomez, Ryan Braun and Jonathan Lucroy. But now the Brewers are getting healthy, so the May numbers are much better. This is a heavy right-handed hitting power team so you can use them in tournaments against weak left-handed pitching at home. You want to target the Brewers on the road against right-handed starting pitching.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	6	17	7	7	7
May	20	19	11	11	14

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	10	25	8	8	10
Away	21	17	13	16	17

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	22	17	17	17	20
vs. RHP	9	24	9	9	12

The Cardinals were another team that you did not want to target in April as they don't strike out much and make a lot of contact. But the offense is starting to slide in May. They are much better at home than on the road. Also, because they have a lot of left-handed hitters, they struggle against lefties and perform better against righties. You can use left-handed pitchers at home against the Cardinals.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	29	20	13	13	21
May	30	11	19	19	22

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	29	26	25	26	29
Away	30	3	8	10	12

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	19	14	3	6	9
vs. RHP	30	14	21	25	24

The Cubs are a lot like the Astros in that they are a heavy right-handed hitting team that strikes out a ton, especially against right-handed pitching. They are best targeted with right-handed pitchers in tournaments. The Cubs' bats are best to be taken against weaker left-handed pitching in tournaments because they could either hit for a lot of home runs or end up striking out a lot.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	10	24	16	20	18
May	16	8	6	10	17

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	16	15	13	21	18
Away	9	15	6	9	6

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	11	21	14	19	18
vs. RHP	12	12	6	12	9

These numbers are not what I expected. I very much figured the DBacks crushed left-handed pitching at home, but it's the opposite. Their offense has gotten better in May, as players like Yasmany Tomas are hitting well. The Diamondbacks are much better on the road, surprisingly, and against right-handed pitching. They do have some good left-handed bats hitting at the top of the lineup, but they also have Paul Goldschmidt, who is a right-handed hitter. The numbers say you can use left-handed pitching against them, but I don't know if I would entirely trust that.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	9	1	1	1	1
May	21	12	8	7	10

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	18	1	2	1	2
Away	12	1	2	2	1

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	15	22	22	20	22
vs. RHP	14	1	1	1	1

The Dodgers have been the best offensive team in baseball for the first two months of the season. Even though the numbers are starting to fall in May, this is a very dangerous team, especially at home against right-handed pitching. You can target left-handed pitchers against the Dodgers because they are so left-handed power dependent.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	11	25	21	16	20
May	5	16	3	1	3

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	4	29	24	14	20
Away	11	7	1	1	2

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	13	25	12	11	17
vs. RHP	5	18	5	3	6

The Giants are a perfect example of why this data is relevant. If you were to just look at their overall batting statistics, it does not reveal much. But look deeper and you see a team that really struggled in April, but is now one of the best in May. They play in a pitcher-friendly ballpark, so you can still target pitching against them at home, but you do not want to take pitching against them on the road. Also, they have a lot of left-handed bats, so the lineup is one of the best in baseball against right-handers. The Giants are a great team to stack on the road against right-handed pitching because most of the lineup is filled with affordable salaries.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	5	15	20	18	14
May	3	7	5	2	1

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	6	10	4	3	3
Away	2	12	14	12	7

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	2	15	11	7	6
vs. RHP	6	6	12	4	3

The Indians started off extremely cold in April, but the offense is now cranking on all cylinders. It does not matter if they are at home or on the road. They are also good against left-handed or right-handed pitching. They are better against righties mainly because their best hitters bat from the left side. You can feel comfortable taking the Indians against all pitching and I would avoid taking any starting pitching against them right now.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	12	10	22	17	15
May	28	5	18	12	18

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	28	14	23	17	24
Away	17	4	22	19	15

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	9	4	8	4	2
vs. RHP	28	9	25	22	22

The Mariners are mostly carried on the bat of Nelson Cruz, which explains the monster numbers against left-handed pitching. You want to target right-handed starting pitchers in Seattle against the Mariners. Do not take left-handed pitchers against them because of Cruz and the damage he can cause.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	24	27	17	21	24
May	13	26	23	25	25

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	17	30	27	28	27
Away	23	21	11	15	19

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	16	5	2	3	3
vs. RHP	22	30	28	29	30

The Marlins' offense has remained about the same from April to May. They are much better on the road and crush left-handed pitching. This is a good team to stack in this scenario (Road vs. weak left-handed pitchers), and you want to target right-handed starting pitching in Miami against this team.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	7	22	23	19	19
May	26	22	25	21	26

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	12	19	20	12	17
Away	28	28	28	28	30

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	26	9	10	10	11
vs. RHP	20	28	29	26	27

Much like the Braves, the Mets' offense started off much better than expected, but they started to regress in May. Even though they play in a pitcher-friendly park, you want to target against them on the road against right-handed pitching. They have shown more power against left-handed pitching, but this is an offense that I would not be looking to use in any type of contests.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	23	13	19	24	22
May	18	6	4	5	5

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	24	9	16	22	21
Away	13	9	5	7	4

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	21	16	21	23	23
vs. RHP	21	7	10	11	11

The Nationals battled a lot of injuries in April, but they got a lot of players back and Anthony Rendon also just returned. This is one of the best lineups in baseball when healthy and it's driven by Bryce Harper. They are much better on the road, mostly due to Nationals Park being a pitchers' park. Also, they are much better against right-handed pitching. This is a great team to stack on the road against right handers, and you can target against them at home versus elite left-handed pitching.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	19	2	2	2	3
May	27	23	29	29	29

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	22	8	12	13	14
Away	27	18	24	23	25

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	12	12	20	22	19
vs. RHP	27	8	16	16	18

The Orioles were one of the hottest teams in baseball in April, but the bottom has really fallen out. They went from third to 29th overall. They are much better at home than on the road. There is not much difference overall against lefties or righties, but look at the strikeout numbers. They strikeout a lot more versus right-handed pitching, so you can target right-handed starting pitching at home against the Orioles.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	18	9	12	11	11
May	25	28	30	26	30

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	27	24	28	24	28
Away	16	22	18	18	21

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	20	26	23	18	25
vs. RHP	25	20	26	24	26

The Padres are a lot like the Orioles, as they started off hitting for a lot of power in April and fizzled out in May. Because they play in an extreme pitchers' park, you want to avoid their bats at Petco Park. Early on they were crushing left-handed pitching, but even that has gone awry. This is a team that you want to target right-handed starting pitching in Petco against them.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	8	29	30	30	25
May	17	27	28	30	28

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	11	27	30	30	26
Away	14	29	27	27	27

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	4	24	16	16	16
vs. RHP	16	29	30	30	29

The Phillies are one of the worst hitting teams in baseball on all accounts. They were terrible in April and May, home and away, but they are actually middle of the pack against left-anded pitching. Target against the Phillies bats with right-handed pitching, and look for a cheap stacking opportunity if the Phillies face a weaker left-handed pitcher.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	28	19	27	27	27
May	9	20	9	8	9

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	8	16	18	16	15
Away	25	23	20	24	26

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	29	23	26	24	27
vs. RHP	15	19	17	17	19

The Pirates looked to have one of the best offenses in baseball coming into the season, but April was abysmal. They started to turn it around in May, as Andrew McCutchen got hot. They are much better at home versus on the road. The strange thing is that they are a very heavy right-handed hitting team that normally crushes lefties, but that has not been the case this year. They are actually much better against righties so far. I think you can still target elite left-handed starting pitching against the Pirates, especially on the road.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	13	28	29	29	26
May	22	1	1	4	4

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	19	11	7	15	11
Away	19	5	10	8	8

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	17	6	4	8	7
vs. RHP	19	10	14	14	15

Much like the Pirates, the Rangers were dead awful in April, but turned it around in May. They have been good at home and on the road. Interestingly, they have been better against left-handed pitching so far this year. This is a lineup that you can definitely use in most situations. However, do take note that Joey Gallo is taking over for Adrian Beltre, who crushed left-handed pitching.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	26	12	14	10	16
May	19	17	16	9	15

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	25	17	19	6	19
Away	15	10	15	13	14

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	23	2	5	2	4
vs. RHP	23	25	22	18	23

The Rays have been a middle-of-the-pack offense so far this year. The one thing is that they are very good against left-handed pitching, which is thanks to Evan Longoria, Logan Forsythe and now Joey Butler. This is a team that you can stack against weak left-handed pitching and do it very affordably.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	3	16	11	12	10
May	2	24	26	27	23

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	7	18	14	20	16
Away	1	26	25	25	22

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	6	19	25	26	21
vs. RHP	1	26	18	20	17

On paper, the Red Sox looked like a top-five offense before the season started and in April they were pretty good. But the bottom has really fallen out on this team as David Ortiz and Pablo Sandoval have struggled. The thing about the Red Sox is that they don't strike out very often, but they have no power right now. People still fear this lineup as the Vegas run totals are always in the eight-to- nine range, but the results have not warranted it. I would not look to target stacking Red Sox anytime soon and I would also avoid using pitching against them only because they don't strikeout much.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	21	6	18	23	17
May	4	15	10	13	8

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	15	5	10	18	9
Away	8	19	19	20	16

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	14	3	7	12	8
vs. RHP	7	13	19	23	16

The Reds have been a solidly consistent offense most of the year, improving from April to May. They are much better at home due to Great American Ballpark being very hitter-friendly. The home park usually favors left-handed bats against right-handed pitching, but with Todd Frazier and Zack Cosart doing well, the stats are better against lefties. This is always a good team to stack at home against inferior pitching on both sides of the plate.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	14	7	5	14	8
May	24	10	12	24	21

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	3	7	3	25	6
Away	29	6	17	17	18

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	30	27	24	27	28
vs. RHP	11	3	2	13	4

The Rockies are always a team that you want to take the bats at home and fade them on the road. The strikeout rates on the road are very telling, ranking 29th in the league. They also struggle against left-handed pitching, with most of the categories in the bottom five.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	1	11	3	3	2
May	1	18	22	20	16

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	1	20	11	11	7
Away	3	13	3	3	3

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	1	20	6	5	5
vs. RHP	3	15	11	7	8

If you were to name off the top hitting teams in baseball, would the Royals be one of them? Most people do not think of them as such, but the numbers show you just do not want to take starting pitching against this team. They strikeout the least amount of times in almost every category. While they don't hit for a ton of power, they whittle away at the starting pitching and get into the bullpen, while beating you with their 'pen late in games. You want to target Royals bats against pitchers who have low-strikeout and high-contact rates, and preferably on the road, as Kauffman Stadium is a pitchers' park.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	15	8	4	4	4
May	14	25	13	16	19

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	14	21	9	10	12
Away	20	20	7	5	13

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	28	13	9	9	15
vs. RHP	8	21	8	6	10

The Tigers have got to be the most overrated offense in baseball along with the Red Sox. This team just is not getting it done and misses the healthy Victor Martinez they had last year. They are not much different at home versus on the road. There is a huge outlier which is against left-handed pitchers they rank 28th in strikeouts. You can target elite left-handed starting pitching against the Tigers right now. I would look at taking the Tigers bats against weaker right-handed pitching, but the prices and ownership are usually high, leaving you with no edge.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	22	30	26	25	29
May	15	9	7	6	6

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	13	12	5	4	4
Away	24	27	30	30	29

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	10	18	15	15	14
vs. RHP	26	23	27	27	28

Power can be a very streaky thing and we see that with the Twins. They hit for so little power in April, but then exploded in May. Also, they are much better at home (pitchers' park?) and against left-handed pitching. The Twins make for a great stacking option at home against left-handed pitching, and you can also target right-handed starting pitchers against the Twins.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	25	26	25	26	28
May	8	29	24	23	24

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	23	28	29	29	30
Away	6	30	23	22	24

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	18	30	30	30	29
vs. RHP	10	27	20	21	21

The White Sox's offense has been awful all year with really no improvements. They are especially bad at home against left-handed pitching. They are somewhat better against righties, but almost every rank is in the 20s.

Month	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
April	20	3	8	9	9
May	6	13	15	17	11

Park	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
Home	21	3	6	7	5
Away	5	11	16	14	11

Pitcher Type	K%	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	AVG
vs. LHP	7	10	19	21	13
vs. RHP	13	4	7	8	7

The Yankees have been a very solid hitting team all year. While they do miss Jacoby Ellsbury, guys like Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez have been resurrected. The best time to stack Yankees is at home against weaker right-handed pitchers (preferably fly-ball pitchers), because of the short porch in right field.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Michael Rathburn plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: burnnotice, DraftKings: burnnotice, Yahoo: burnnotice, Fantasy Aces: burnnotice, FantasyDraft: burnnotice.