To wOBA or Not To wOBA? That is the DFS Question!

A recent discussion with my new peeps at FanDuel prompted a discussion about wOBA in Daily Fantasy Baseball.

The question, essentially, is – should wOBA be considered one of the top DFS stats to consider while choosing hitters and pitchers for your FanDuel lineups?

The argument comes from the fact that wOBA generally brings in BABIP, which is generally a review of a player’s luck at the plate (or a pitcher’s luck pitching to hitters at the plate). My former colleague over at DFSEdge.com explained his viewpoint – and I’m normally not one to doubt Zola or his methods. Great mind, excellent Fantasy player. But I just disagree that wOBA isn’t useful from a DFS perspective.

Using wOBA For DFS Hitters

Here are my thoughts on how you can use this stat to help you going forward in Daily Fantasy play.

wOBA vs. RHP/LHP

Unlike traditional Rotisserie play, you’ll get points for every base a hitter takes, so a double means more to you than a single. “Weighted On-Base Averages” is a measurement of all the different aspects of hitting and run production – specifically, the stats you care about for FanDuel’s scoring. As long as you understand that wOBA doesn’t consider a player’s home ballpark, then this stat is useful. For instance, Lucas Duda’s .379 wOBA versus RHP is more impressive than Joey Votto’s .378 because of their ballparks. This is not to be mistaken for a “wooby,” which is the childhood blanket Emack rubs on his face when he gets nervous.

Using wOBA For DFS Pitchers

As far as pitchers go, wOBA is actually used to see what they’re allowing in the past to right- and left-handed pitchers.

Opp. wOBA vs. RHP/LHP

The pitcher’s “opponents’ wOBA” is already baked into their price, usually, but you can look at the team he’s facing to get an even better idea of his expected success.

You can sort versus right- or left-handed pitchers on FanGraphs.com. For instance, the Blue Jays lead all teams (by a wide margin) in wOBA vs. left-handed pitchers, but here’s a list of the worst teams against LHP:

• Brewers: .195 wOBA
• White Sox: .216
• Red Sox: .220
• Athletics: .222
• Braves: .222

If you’d like to read about some other stats I find very useful in Daily Fantasy Baseball, check out this article that I posted on FanDuel Tuesday afternoon.