What’s up fantasy baseball fans, Drew Armer here, coming at you from the Windy City. I’m a diehard baseball fan, and extremely excited to be covering points leagues for the 2019 season. So, sit back, relax and enjoy!
It was the middle of September 2016. The Yanks and BoSox were battling it out on Sunday Night Baseball. I was in the fight of my life in my head-to-head (H2H) points league semifinal. Gary Sanchez needed to orchestrate a single in the top half of the 9th inning in a meaningless game to send me to my first fantasy World Series!
The red-hot Sanchez was due up third. With Craig Kimbrel unavailable after recording a four-out save the night before, Koji Uehara was brought in to shut the door in a 5-4 game.
The sweat begins.
Uehara retires Brett Gardner on three pitches, then fans Austin Romine on a 2-2 fastball.
Sanchez strides to the plate, no doubt intent on hitting one into the Monster seats to tie the game. All I want is a bloop, a bleeder, an excuse-me single the other way. It doesn’t matter.
Just get a hit!
Sanchez enters the box. Ball one, as he takes an 80-mph splitter low. Ball two, Uehara misses again with his splitter.
2-0 count. Uehara can’t afford to walk him, but he can’t groove one either.
Christian Vazquez calls for another splitter.
Boom! Sanchez lines a single into left, and I was hooked!
Roto is the traditional, preferred way to play fantasy baseball in the industry. Most high stakes contests use rotisserie scoring, crowning the “best” fantasy baseball player in the land. You know what? Roto may garner more attention, but overall H2H daily points is a more popular format.
Playoffs are a major factor. You aren’t battling to be the best team at the end of the regular season. You scratch and claw through the grueling schedule, hoping your team is solid and durable enough to garner a playoff berth. Securing the last playoff spot offers a glimmer of hope to teams that would have no chance in a roto format. Diligent fantasy managers battle it out through the end of the fantasy season, usually the end of August. There is nothing better. In my experience, roto just can’t provide that same kind of late-season excitement.
H2H points leagues best resemble what is happening in all 30 ball parks across North America from April through October. A 47-win Baltimore Orioles team can outplay a 100-win New York Yankees team in a four-game weekend series. Same applies to a H2H points league matchup. The worst team can upset the best team any given week because of matchups, off days, injuries, better roster management, etc. David has a chance to slay Goliath weekly. This is a valuable piece to a points league, missing in roto.
Waking up on a Monday morning is usually no fun, but it is during rivalry week in a H2H points league. Monday to Sunday, it’s an all-out brawl to take down your longtime fantasy foe. Rivalries are commonplace in H2H, created from division clashes, embellished in the playoffs, then amplified further the next year in a championship rematch. This spices up league chatter and gives bragging rights to the winner. Two friends seemingly out of playoff contention still have something to play for, striving to finish ahead of the other. The Roto format is devoid of some of the opportunity to interact during the season, not to mention look forward to Monday mornings!
So, if you are the type of fantasy manager who is looking for thrills, rivalries and victory Mondays, I have something for ya. It’s 2019, and H2H points leagues are on the rise. Jump on the bandwagon and enjoy the ride.
